A guide to planning and creating your dream garden
If you have always dreamt of a beautiful garden, you need to know that without some hard landscaping, you probably cannot achieve good results. From paving to decorative edging and decking, everything you do to the place in the form of landscaping adds texture, beauty and character.
Ideal Guide in Planning and Creating your Dream Garden
Designing the garden is a great project to undertake. You can finally draw up that dream space for relaxing with your favourite book, or perhaps designing that space for your children to play. Where do you start? The following guide sheds some light on this question:
Starting the garden design
The best thing to do as a first step is research what kind of garden elements you want to consider for the place. By taking into account the overall size, you can determine what features you want: walls, fences, hedges, lawns, paths, patio, zoning areas, areas for your trees and shrubs, out-buildings, etc. You want to achieve balance, in regards to the size of your plot, the surrounding area and the style of your home. Think about whether a formal or informal garden is more up your alley. Formal ones are more geometric, with plenty of straight lines, whereas informal ones are more organic and curvy. Don’t over-complicate the design, because it can have a negative impact on the overall space. Start off simple and stick to these ideas, in order to get good results.
Landscaping materials
Next up, you want to consider the landscaping materials you will need. Bricks, timber, paving, aggregates concrete, sand, etc. These are all materials that can go into the making of your dream garden space, and they each contribute in a different way to its look and use. Consult with an expert, if you are unsure which materials best suit your needs.
Who will be doing the work?
Typically, you want a contractor with experience and many completed projects with satisfied customers. After all, you don’t want a botched garden space, which barely feels professionally made. Don’t forget that you will also need to deal with a certain amount of waste removal. Consult with your contractor about this, because they sometimes include the service into their initial quote. If it is not included, you will have to consider hiring a skip. The landscaper may be able to assist with this, or you may need to consult with your local council on getting the necessary permits.
Can you take a more do-it-yourself route
Although this is not the recommended way of doing things, you can take on the task yourself. It takes a lot of reading and checking of online guides, in order to ensure you don’t do something wrong. You can obtain the necessary materials from a garden centre, and hire the necessary machinery for the job. You have to be ready for a whole lot of work though, so it is a good idea to consider whether you are up to the task.
What planning permissions do you need?
Depending on the area you live, planning restricts may apply. If you want to build walls over 1 metre, you may need a permit. Similarly, if you want to have impermeable paving on your front garden. In any case, you should always consult with your local council and their planning department. Do this before taking any further steps, because you don’t want to have a problem with the law.
Knowing how to get started on designing and building your dream garden will take you one step closer to realising this project.