BY LANA

Hey peeps, repeat after me “FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT”! It doesn’t matter if it you’re flipping houses or welcoming friends into your own home, your landscaping is the first thing they’ll see, so it’s crucial to get it right.

But alas, landscaping’s often last on the long list of reno ‘to dos’ so it then bears the brunt of any budget blowouts. But there’s nothing worse than a gorgeous house with a ghastly garden. Or perhaps there is… a mud pit in the front yard ready for the kids to traipse through your newly renovated house 😱 #cleanfreaksnightmare

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE YOUR BEST BETS FOR NAILING YOUR LANDSCAPING

Ask yourself the Why, What, Hows

· Why do you want to change your landscaping? Are you selling, renovating or just ready to mix things up?
· What will you use the garden for? #pool #footypitch #nakedsunbathing #privacyscreensallround!
· How do you want your garden to look? What’s the style of your home? Your garden sets the tone for your home so you want it to fit with your overall vision.

Avoid the Budget Blowout

#easiersaidthandone You’re inevitably going to be pinching pennies at the end of a reno, so why not keep the landscaping budget separate from the get go? Erin will always say that just like your home reno budget, your garden reno budget requires a top down approach #wisewoman. Work out how much you can afford first and then work bottom up using at least three comparable and detailed quotes.

Call in the experts… or not

Don’t feel compelled to go it alone. With seven reno’s under our belt, we still felt the need to call on the experts for Bon’s landscaping #acreage #eek. Landscape designers and architects are awesome. Especially if you have multiple levels and lots of “hardscaping” like decks, retaining walls, paving and all that jazz! It’s worth investing a few pretty pennies to build the right plan from the start.

Save your cashola on the easy stuff you can rope friends in for, like spreading mulch and laying turf. Beer, wine and pizza for the troops will be a whole lot cheaper than professional labour for straight forward jobs like these.

GARDEN FLY THROUGH DESIGNED BY MON PALMER

Prioritise the less sexy but more exxy

You know all those things you need, but can’t really get excited by? Like fencing, screening, and retaining walls… #yawn. They’re all going to take up a big chunk of your budget so don’t forget to factor them in. And if it comes to the crunch, rank which ones you really need and which you could go without or add later.

Love your lawn

Ask any real estate agent and they’ll tell you that a bit of turf adds value and it’s always been a winner for us #kaching. If you can’t afford to do much else, turf is your must have.

Greenery goals

In the world of buying trees #biggerisbetter! Depending on your budget and what you can afford, ideally you should try and buy more mature plants over brand-new little saplings. Bigger trees on a large block will give you an immediate transformation. If you plant young ones, you might be waiting 30 years to see your final vision come to fruition!

Plants are one thing in your garden you really can save money on though. Before you demo your garden, suss out if there’s anything worth keeping for your new garden. Friends, neighbours and Gumtree are also great places to find cheap or even free plants. And for lots of people, that saves them the hassle of getting rid of it so they’ll be more than happy to offload. This can literally save you thousands.

Plan the whole perimeter

Don’t forget to consider all four sides of your home! Your landscaping design should include the front, the back and both sides. Even if your home’s not huge, a little TLC can take your side access from a totally boring walkway, to a fully functional area.

Did you see that totally gorgeous HardieDeck boardwalk around the side of Bonnie’s dream home? She could have gone for grass right round her house but it was so important to her overall vision to carry on the resort vibe around all sides. It fits perfectly with the whole theme of her house and it’ll also help avoid torn up turf and muddy feet close to the house #winwin

Because Bon’s boardwalk is low to the ground, HardieDeck is the perfect material because it can withstand moist conditions and won’t rot. And, of course it’s white! Bon could have gone with timber that would eventually silver over time, but the HardieDeck is seamless - both in colour and the way it wraps from the boardwalk at the side of the house around to create the front veranda. And what farmhouse would be complete without a veranda?