Your home’s exterior spaces are as important as your interior spaces, including your yard. Whether you want to update your yard to boost your home’s curb appeal or for your enjoyment, a landscape redesign offers a potential solution. With the help of professional services like a local roofing service, patio contractor, and more, you can create a functional and beautiful outdoor space. Here’s a landscape redesign guide to give your yard an update.
1. Start With a Plan
Having a clear plan before tearing up your yard is important. Start by noting down the key areas of your yard, like the garden, lawn, and patio. Think about how you want to use each space and the elements that make them more functional and aesthetically pleasing.
For instance, if you enjoy hosting parties outside, you might want to install a new patio with built-in seating or a summer gazebo. To keep your children and pets safe and you may want to consider erecting a fence. Once you have a rough idea of what you want, you can start designing.
You can do this with the help of online tools, software, or a professional designer. A designer can offer valuable insights from their years of experience and help you choose the best materials and plants for your space. They may also be able to provide you with custom house plans that incorporate your new landscape design.
You should also create a budget because a landscape redesign often requires a significant financial commitment. Consider factors like the cost of materials, tools, professional services like a fence company or patio contractor, and ongoing maintenance costs. Adjust your plan or budget according to your priorities and resources.
2. Hire Appropriate Professionals
Your landscape redesign project scope will determine if you need to engage experts to help with certain tasks. For instance, you’ll want to engage a patio contractor or a deck repair firm to install a new patio or deck or refresh an existing one. If you’re considering replacing your front door, a door replacement company will greatly help. If you need roofing repairs or replacement, you may need to hire a local roofing service.
When hiring a professional, research extensively and only pick renowned, experienced service providers. Ask friends and relatives for recommendations and look up reviews and ratings online. You should also ensure that any company you hire is licensed and insured and that they provide a written estimate and contract for their services.
3. Start With Hardscaping Elements
The term hardscape describes the non-living features of a yard. These include decks, patios, walkways, and retaining walls. Hardscaping elements help define outdoor spaces while adding to the home’s visual appeal, functionality, and value. You should install them first, as they’ll form the foundation for your landscape redesign.
Before breaking ground on any hardscaping project, consider how you intend to use the space. You must also consider any local codes or HOA requirements. Collaborate with a qualified patio contractor to guarantee that your project complies with safety and construction codes and that your design and material choices suit your climate, soil type, and drainage demands.
A walkway is a great addition to your landscape redesign project. It’ll provide a practical and aesthetically pleasing solution for navigating your yard and linking different outdoor spaces. Various walkway material options are available, including pavers, flagstone, or concrete, and patterns to complement your home’s style and color palette. You can also incorporate lighting to enhance their visual appeal and functionality.
A patio or decks can turn your outdoor living space into a cozy, inviting entertaining, dining, and relaxing area. These landscape redesign additions come in various materials, such as stone, composite, and wood, and can be tailored to different sizes and shapes to fit your needs and preferences. You can also incorporate features such as a pergola, an outdoor kitchen, or a fire pit to enhance the style and comfort of your deck or patio.
Retaining walls are another great addition to a landscape redesign. You can use them to create a terraced garden, control water flow, and prevent soil erosion in your yard. They come in various materials, such as brick, natural stone, or concrete blocks, and can be designed in different heights and shapes to blend in with your landscape and architecture.
4. Add Softscaping Elements
The opposite of hardscaping, softscaping elements are the living features of a yard. These include shrubs, plants, flowers, and trees. Adding softscaping elements is a great way of adding color and texture to your yard and creating a calming and natural atmosphere.
There are several factors to consider regarding your softscape for your landscape redesign, including your climate, soil type, sun exposure, water requirements, maintenance needs, and design preferences. Choose trees and plants that’ll thrive in your area and complement the color scheme of your home. Hire a professional landscaper or garden designer to create a cohesive and sustainable design incorporating various textures, heights, and shapes. They’ll also know how to balance your yards’ hardscaping and softscaping elements.
Plants can serve various functions in your yard, including providing shade, screening, and privacy. You can also use them to frame or draw attention to specific areas of your landscape redesign, such as the patio, gazebo, or entryway. Decorative grasses, perennial flowers, evergreen shrubs, and fruit trees are popular among homeowners.
Other softscaping elements include mulch, ground covers, and gravel. Mulch helps to prevent weed growth, retain moisture in the soil, and provide additional nutrients to the plants. Gravel offers a low-maintenance and stylish alternative to conventional lawns and improves drainage in your yard. Ground covers can create a lush, textured carpet that adds visual interest and color to your yard and reduces erosion.
5. Add Lighting and Décor
Adding lighting and unique decor pieces to your yard is a great way of enhancing its beauty and functionality and creating a welcoming atmosphere for outdoor entertaining. Use outdoor lighting to highlight your landscaping features and create a warm glow at night. If you’re an eco-conscious homeowner, solar-powered lighting will be a great choice.
Your yard can also benefit from ornamental items. These include sculptures, fountains, and outdoor artwork. Adding these elements will give your yard more character and charm and make it feel like an outdoor oasis.
6. Consider Upgrading Your Front Door
Your home’s front door is among the first things guests see when approaching your home, and it plays a key role in your home’s curb appeal. If your front door has visible signs of damage or is outdated, consider a door replacement that matches your home’s theme and the landscape redesign.
When shopping for a front door replacement, consider your desired color, style, materials, hardware, and security features. Wood, fiberglass, steel, and aluminum are common door materials; each has pros and cons regarding cost, maintenance, durability, and insulation. Depending on your architectural style and personal preferences, you can select from various door styles, including traditional, modern, artisan, or glass. Add decorative accents like etched glass, transoms, or sidelights to increase visual interest.
A new front door will enhance your home’s visual appeal and security. To limit heat gain and loss and reduce energy costs, look for doors with high insulation ratings, weatherstripping, and low-emissivity glass. Consider installing a storm door for further protection against the weather and burglars. Different doors come with different locksets, deadbolts, and smart security features that can improve your door’s convenience and security, so take your time when shopping.
Replacing your front door is an easy and affordable way of updating your home’s exterior and increasing its value and comfort. While it may be tempting to DIY the job, it’s not the best route. Hire a reputable door replacement company that provides high-quality goods, skilled installation, and warranties for the best results.
7. Install a New Fence
Adding a new fence to your landscape redesign is a great idea. It’ll add style and increase the level of privacy in your yard. There are a variety of decorative fencing options available, including wood, vinyl, metal, and composite, and they each come with advantages and disadvantages.
Wood fencing is popular among homeowners due to its versatility, affordability, and natural charm. You can paint or stain this fencing to fit your house’s design and color palette. However, note that it requires routine upkeep to prevent cracking, warping, and rotting, and it isn’t the most durable among fencing materials.
Vinyl fencing offers a low-maintenance and durable alternative to wood. You don’t need to paint, stain or seal it to protect it from the effects of harsh weather conditions and fading. It comes in various styles and colors and can be customized to resemble wood or metal. The downside to this fencing option is it’s not as environmentally friendly as other materials.
Metal fencing options such as aluminum and wrought iron deliver a classic and elegant look. They last long and increase the level of security on your property. You can customize metal fencing to fit your needs and tastes in style by adding decorative patterns or gates. This fencing option may need periodic maintenance tasks such as rust removal or painting, which can be more costly than other materials.
Composite fencing is a newer, eco-friendly option that combines recycled materials, such as wood fibers and plastic, to create a durable, low-maintenance product. It can be customized to resemble the look of wood, stone, or metal and withstand harsh weather conditions. Composite fencing is typically more expensive than other materials and may not be as customizable.
Consider your budget, aesthetic preferences, maintenance needs, and any HOA requirements or local regulations when shopping for decorative fencing. Installing a fence isn’t a job to DIY. Work with a professional fence company to ensure a high-quality, durable installation that’ll serve your property for years.
8. Invest in Tools and Equipment
Regular feeding, watering, mowing, and weeding are necessary for maintaining a healthy and lush lawn. Consider purchasing some lawn equipment to make these tasks easier. For example, investing in an electric lawn spreader will make spreading seeds, fertilizer, and other lawn care products easier. It does away with the need for messy, time-consuming, and uneven manual spreading.
You must consider some factors when shopping for an electric lawn spreader. These include your lawn’s size and slope, the type of lawn care products you use, and your budget. With this in mind, you can choose between drop, broadcast, and handheld spreaders. Some spreaders come with adjustable settings, sturdy wheels, and comfortable handles that can make spreading easier and more comfortable, so explore all your options.
Other than an electric lawn spreader, you can invest in helpful lawn tools and equipment such as lawn mowers, weed eaters, leaf blowers, sprinklers, and gardening gloves. These tools will help you maintain a tidy, attractive, healthy lawn all year. Search for durable, efficient, and easy-to-operate tools to help you realize your lawn care goals and save money on certain lawn maintenance tasks. For advice on the ideal tools for your unique needs and lawn type, consult a local lawn care expert or home improvement store.
9. Add Sprinklers to Your Yard
You must ensure that your plants and grass always have enough water to keep your freshly designed landscape healthy and beautiful. Sprinklers installed by lawn sprinkler installation services can help you achieve this goal. When you hire these professionals, they’ll design a system that ensures your plants get the water they need at the right time without wasting water or damaging your yard.
A landscape redesign project can seem daunting at first, but with the right approach, you can improve the aesthetics and functionality of your yard in no time. Seek more inspiration from magazines, websites, or other landscapes in your community and adapt the design to fit your vision and resources. While you can DIY some landscape redesign projects, leave more complex tasks to the professionals. Their years of experience will ensure you realize all your project goals, and they’ll also offer warranties for the work they perform.