January 31, 2017 at 5:13 pm | Author: ray_westcoastmodernscape | Posted in Landscaping Tips & Tricks
Before you venture out and take that sledge hammer to that old rickety retaining wall you may want to talk with us about some hardscape work to give you a hand up with the ‘heavy lifting’. After all, we have access to the heavy equipment combined with disposal resources to get the job done quickly and efficiently. This will further provide you a starting point for the rest of your landscaping plans. It also provides you the option of taking your time to plan where you want your plants, shrubs or trees to go, plus give you the flexibility to plant in stages.
West Coast Modernscape Landscaping has come in, ripped out the old, put in some new retaining walls, new deck or patio or even some stone paths. Now the rest is up to you to put the finishing touches on.
Before you go to town on purchasing all sorts of plants, shrubs and trees, you may want to ensure you have a plan in place of what will go where. This is important and you can save yourself money in the long run. Take a look at our recent post on some landscaping tips.
Depending on what your landscape budget is, you may want to split up the buying into phases; particularly if you are looking for larger trees.
Cheaper is not always better. Make sure you do your research. Given how economics of scale come into play, some home improvement warehouses may offer extremely low prices for particular items like lumber and common plants. However with the quantity they are required to purchase does not provide them the flexibility to offer a vast selection or offer quality control. If you are a novice and you purchase through a specialty shop, the staff usually have a higher level of expertise where they may offer advice to help you with your decision. Specialty shops typically offer a better guarantee too.
A rule of thumb is that it is good to accept cheaper when it is good enough. This means there are some products that the difference in quality is very little. An example I can share is when a friend was re-doing his landscaping and wanted a tree removed. He had received 3 separate quotes which came in at $800, $1300 and $1500. All had insurance. All said they would leave the wood at the front of the house. The difference between them was the first individual was what we call a ‘weekend warrior’ (does this type of work part-time) looking for a few extra dollars that had experience doing this for the last 10 years. The other two were ‘bigger businesses with a name behind them that spend more on marketing’. The reality is, you are taking down a tree, not putting up drywall and mudding where you are paying for something to look great. It is removing a tree; how much can you mess this up?
In closing, having a professional to do the hardscape for your landscaping is always beneficial as it provides a solid foundation for you to be creative. Always plan everything out and make sure you have done your research for what plants, greenery etc. you want in your garden and you will be sure to have something to enjoy for the rest of the year.
Contact West Coast Modernscape Landscaping in Vancouver at (604) 780-6304 to see how we can help you with your initial start.
