Planning for Spring Starts Now!

Is 2019 the year you finally update your landscape? If you’re new to hiring a landscaping company or you haven’t done in it in many years, here’s a quick guide on what to do first, what to expect, and how to get the perfect end result.

What do you want?

When you call out a company like ours to give you an estimate, it helps to have a good idea of what you want to do. This may sound obvious, but there’s a lot to think about in determining what you want.

First of all, know your Budget. While it may be hard to talk about, it’s really important to know how much you want to spend and what typical projects cost. That way you can streamline the planning and design process and get your project scheduled!

• Patios – Estimate $20 to $25 per sq. ft. installed. This is an average price and of course could be higher or lower, but for the most part, this should give you an idea. Patios are generally one of the largest parts of a backyard project.
• Outdoor Kitchens – We’ve done kitchen projects that range anywhere from about $8,000 to $25,000 to even higher. It really depends on how elaborate you want to get. Do you want the basics (a fridge and a grill) or do you want the ultimate experience? An Italian Pizza Oven, a 36″ American Muscle Grill, beautiful granite tops, counter height cooktop and bar height dining area, etc. The options are endless.
• Structures – The trends are showing that more and more people want a structure over their patio and or kitchen. Consider a pergola if you’re not cooking or entertaining and just want a little shade. Budget around $8,000 to 10,000 range for starters. If you have a kitchen, you’ll most likely want to protect you and your guests from the elements. Go with a custom pavilion and you’ll stay clear of the rain. Factor about 2x the price of a pergola.
• Custom Fire Pits – Plan for anywhere from $2,500 – $5,000 for the perfect custom firepit.
• Landscape Enhancement – Not all backyard renovations include patios and hardscaping. You may just want to update your landscaping. You can redefine your beds or swap out plants, add trees. Lots of folks are opting to remove overgrown plant material and install newer varieties that have more controlled growth habits – meaning less maintenance over the long haul. Trends are going towards compact, ever blooming varieties (examples of this are very abundant in the hydrangea family). Also, tree installations are on the rise as many people look to dress up their suburban landscapes.

Budgeting a landscape renovation is very dependent on your unique situation. Almost impossible to give an ‘average budget’ but for the purposes of this article, I would say most ‘neighborhood homes’ should factor in around $5,000 minimum to really begin to update their landscape. This would involve one to two sides of the house and removing many plants and adding many plants.

Timeline

Besides budgeting, your second most important consideration is the timeline! If you are wanting a project done this year, you may already be a little behind schedule, but it’s OK! Just know it is very important to begin planning as soon as you know your budget. Landscaping is a very ‘in demand’ product and demand is growing every year.

Most companies are already booking major projects well into 2019. Combine the higher demand with seasonality and an industry labor shortage and you’ll find that many companies are going to be stretched to get all their work done. So bottom line – start early!

Here are some timing things to consider:

You’ll start with an initial appointment to assess the project and then we’ll build your design. The time from call in, to the initial appointment and then to completed design could take as little as 1 month for smaller projects and up to 2 months for larger projects. If you wait until May and June for your initial appointment, you’ll likely push this timeline out by another 2 weeks.

Once the plan is approved, you may wait another month for installation to begin.

Installation times will vary greatly with the degree of difficulty and amount of work but just know that once we begin a project, we don’t pull our crews off until the project is complete. Using a company like Wasson means you’ve got a company with all the resources to pull off a seamless installation experience.

Other things to remember:

Depending on where you live, we may have to jump through hoops of getting HOA approval and Permitting to build structures. Just know that this may add to the timeline of a project. Here at Wasson, helping you jump through these hoops is all part of our design process.

OK, If you’re still reading this that means I haven’t completely scared you. And you’re in luck! Because the only other thing to consider is to determine what you want! And if you’re not sure of the overall look that you want – relax.

Our design team is one area that sets us apart from landscape competition. In fact, we’ve won countless awards such as “Muncie’s Finest Landscaper and Patio Builder” for too many years to count. Also “Best of Houzz – Design” for the last 3 years. So we’re more than happy to take the lead and design the backyard of your dreams!

To get a head start, take a look at landscape projects in our online portfolio, Instagram and Facebook have great content, and finally check out Houzz for lots of inspiration.