Landscaping a Large Outdoor Area on a Budget

Landscaping a large outdoor area is a big project that will cost quite a bit of money, though if you are on a budget, there are lots of ways to cut costs. Before you break ground, make sure you have considered the following ways to ensure the costs of your landscaping project are kept as low as possible.

Use recycled materials

One of the best ways to save money is by using recycled or salvaged materials. Whether you need bricks for paving, stones for a retaining wall, or timber for building garden beds, you can often get second-hand items cheaply and in good shape. This can save you a lot of money and mean you can afford to landscape a larger area.

Go with the flow

The best landscaping plans make the most of the natural landscape, and therefore often cost a lot less to implement. If there are already trees of other existing vegetation on the property, it is best to plan around them, as this will be cheaper and easier than removing them and replanting others. Similarly, if the area you are landscaping has a slope to it, rather than spend thousands of dollars levelling it, get creative and come up with a way to utilise it. The fewer major changes, the easier it will be and the less it will cost to landscape.

Keep it simple

It is easy to go overboard with an elaborate landscaping project. If you are trying to keep your costs down while landscaping a large area, your best bet is to keep things simple. This doesn’t mean that it can’t look awesome, but try not to include too many features that will significantly boost the cost. If you are buying a house and are planning on landscaping around it, plan for the outside work to start as soon as work is completed inside.

Coordinate your project

If you know someone who is also looking to landscape their property, talk to them about what they are thinking of doing, find out what supplies they’ll need to buy, as well as tools they have or need to rent. Chances are that the two of you will have some commonalities and can probably save a lot of money by buying your supplies in bulk together. You may also be able to save money by sharing tools and equipment that you both already own, or even sharing any necessary rentals. Co-ordinating your projects may save you both hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Do your own grunt work

Whether you are planning your own landscaping or following someone else’s plan, there is a lot of grunt work to do. Shovelling sand, moving sod, and a whole range of heavy-lifting tasks make labour one of the biggest expenses of any large landscaping project. The more labour you are willing to do yourself, the less you will have to spend getting it done, so when cost is an issue, you may just have to get your hands dirty.

Landscaping an area can completely change both the look and value of a property, whether it is surrounding a mansion, custom home or a caravan. If you are thinking, you can save a heap of money along the way.