| Landscape Gardening - Patio building on a budget | | | | Landscaping materials are relatively cheap in |
| You've just moved into a new house, you've been | | | | comparison to other materials you may buy for inside |
| putting off designing and landscaping your garden but | | | | your house, where the real expense happens in |
| can not last another year with it the way it is. You | | | | landscaping is labour and removing any debris, soil etc |
| probably have lots of ideas and have done a | | | | to roadside skips. In 3 years the price of a skip has |
| calculation on how much it is all going to cost which if | | | | risen by up to 50% due to rising landfill costs. If you |
| the winter wasn't depressing enough the cost of | | | | live in a city then your probably unlucky enough not |
| your new garden is. However you can get the | | | | to have side or rear access to your garden, so any |
| garden you want by utilising the myriad of alternative | | | | excavated waste will have to be individually bagged |
| landscaping options available to you. You may have | | | | and carefully taken through the house, thus adding |
| to compromise on a few material choices but after | | | | greatly to time and labour costs. A good solution to |
| all, what's better, to have a landscaped garden now | | | | this problem is by raising areas rather than excavating |
| to enjoy this summer or keep putting it off and then | | | | them, for example, if you are putting a new patio |
| when we have that record breaking summer and | | | | area down, rather than dig out the soil approx 15-20 |
| autumn and regret that you spent the whole summer | | | | cm needed for the whole area of your new patio |
| around your friends & neighbours because you were | | | | (10cm needed for foundations, 5 cm for the mortar |
| too embarrased to ask them to your garden for a | | | | bed plus the depth of the paver) consider raising the |
| BBQ. | | | | new patio instead, this is not always possible if the |
| Firstly, if you do not have have a good knowledge of | | | | patio is adjacent to the house because of damp |
| garden landscaping then you should seriously consider | | | | issues and water run off but if the new patio is |
| using the services of a garden designer. Although you | | | | located away from the house there is no reason |
| will have to pay for a garden design drawing you will | | | | why you can not. By raising the height of your your |
| have the peace of mind knowing that you will have | | | | patio you will save considerable money by minimilising |
| an estimate of how much the finished garden will | | | | labour and refuse costs. Another cost saving tip is if |
| cost. Also if you tell a designer from the start what | | | | you are breaking up another patio or concrete area, |
| your budget is they will design to that budget, it | | | | use this material as the foundations for your new |
| makes sense at this point to find a designer that also | | | | patio or any other project you have going on in the |
| carrys out or has expierience in landscaping work as | | | | garden,remember the more waste that has to leave |
| when they are in the design stage, producing the | | | | the property the more money will leave your pocket. |
| scale drawing for you they will have your budget in | | | | Also you can be proud of yourself for not adding to |
| mind. Remember too, a professional designed garden | | | | the ever increasing landfill and by recycling what you |
| drawing will be to scale, normally 1:50 (depending on | | | | have, good for the environment and good for the |
| your size of garden) and should include any relevant | | | | budget. Garden landscaping does not have to be |
| construction drawings so you can use this drawing to | | | | hideously expensive, just plenty of thought and a |
| get quotations from various garden landscapers or | | | | good imagination will go a long way in providing you |
| even carry out some of the work yourself to save | | | | with an attractive, fully functional garden all at the |
| money. | | | | price you need. |