My husband and i recently purchased our first house, and we’ve got the interior pretty well settled, so we’ve started turning our gaze outside.
The yard is a half acre of… Grass. There is a storage shed, and one tree, and thats it. It’s so open and exposed and I don’t know where to start with it. I want trees, lots of trees, and I have some questions about how to manage a very weird area with some grading issues.
Anyone else delt with this? Or have some suggestions on where to start?
Anyone have any idea how much fixing grading might cost? Is that a few-hundred dollar project, or a few-thousand dollar project?
We are considering hiring a professional landscape designer to give some suggestions and directions, has anyone worked with one, or have any idea how much they run? Do they do a consultation, without neccesarally expecting you to have them do the actual work?
Grading could be a weekend with shovels (almost free) and a rake or an afternoon with a rented skidsteer (A couple hundred dollars) or a whole crew of guys for a few days with several rolloff dumpsters (thousands) It really depends on how bad it is.
As far as designing a landscape you can absolutely call a professional and ask them for ideas. They are going to be trying to sell you a job though. You could hire a landscape architect but that’ll be pricey. What do I really know though; if you never ask then the answer is already no. It couldn’t hurt to make some calls.
What I have done in the past is to look up my yard on Google Maps and sketch out the basic shape of the yard and take some measurements to make a decent scale drawing. If you could locate underground utilities at this time it would help greatly in planning. Keep a master and photocopy it so you can play with different ideas.
If you see a plant you like in a neighbor’s yard ask them about it. They could have a name and some input on how they like it and if it dumps a lot of litter or if it has flowers that smell like rotting meat in the spring. Also check local plant nurseries. If there’s a nursery that grows ther plants within your general area (as opposed to trucking them in) the plants will be acclimated to your exact microclimate and the staff should be knowledgeable. Google is great for finding information on plants once you have a name.
Check with your local utilities. My electric company offers a class about strategically planting shade trees to save money on cooling and if you attend they’ll give you three free trees.
Once you have an idea you like you can use stakes and string or ground marking paint to visualize hardscape sizes and locations and plant locations. It would be a pity to put in a patio or a cobblestone path and then realize it’s too small to use, or to plant a tree somewhere that it’ll block a nice view.
After that it’s all just hard manual labor, which you can do or hire out.
Be careful changing the grade.
Changing the slope affects drainage. You could accidently cause big problems. Both physical problems and legal problems.
Potential physical problems: If rainwater flows -or floods- towards your house, or the neighbor’s house. Changing even a very small area can be a problem.
Potential legal problems: If it flows to, or floods, the neighbor’s favorite flower bed, or his dog’s favorite spot to take a nap. Again, even a very small area be a problem.
OR, if it flows in violation of the zoning plans. (This is probably not an issue for a very small area, but it is worth asking a professional landscaper who knows the local regulations)
This exactly. Our neighbour a couple houses and several years ago spent thousands regrading his back yard to put in the beautiful garden they wanted. Months after it was finished in the first spring melt the house behind theirs flooded and badly. The pretty little path the designer planned for them managed to take all the runoff from their yard, mine and the house on the other side of them and funnel them all straight down and back to this poor woman’s basement. Visually there was no slope we were all quite surprised at the impact.
On the other hand, some grading away from the house could also save a lot of potential future problems, as well. In other words, have someone who understands grading issues come out and look at your yard before making any plans.
When planning where to plant trees, keep in mind:
What is under that area? Sewer, gas, or water pipes? Electric, cable, or phone wires? Septic tank or field? Water well? Roots can cause a lot of damage.
Plan for the size of the mature tree: Keep the drip line of the tree away from the house. Again, roots can cause a lot of damage to the foundation and basement walls.
How deep is the soil before bedrock? Shallow soil may limit your tree options. How acidic is the soil? Some soils can kill some types of trees.
How much do you care about the local ecology? Native critters prefer native trees.
It might be worth it to hire a landscape architect to give you a plan for your yard; where to plant trees and which ones to plant where. They can tell you things like that planting that tree that close to the house is a bad idea because when it grows, it’s going to cause problems for your gutters, or that another plant might not be appropriate for your area. Yes, the landscape architect may want to take on the whole job of redoing your lawn, but if you’re clear with them upfront that you’re just hiring them to give you a plan for you to implement, that might be worth the few hundred dollars (or a couple thousand dollars; I really have no idea what this costs) for a written plan.
Also, make sure to plant a variety of trees. You don’t want to lose them all to whatever the next version of dutch elm disease, emerald ash borer, etc. Hedge (heh) your bets.
Native plants are going to be healthier and easier to maintain, generally, than non-natives. And whatever you do, don’t plant invasive species! Check online for your area.
As a Landscape Designer, I’ve done designs from as low as $250 to $7,500 depending on how much time is required, scope, details et al. The actual work to be done can be done by others, as long as that’s clear from the start. A talented LD could be a great help, and a poor one worse than none. This is also the perfect time to consider long term goals that could be incorporated into a plan to be done in stages.
I’m sure you can find someone to work with you for a reasonable price, especially in this economy. A Landscape Architect may be needed if conditions require, but not likely. Some LAs are very talented designers as well, but others may be stuck with using only the plants they learned many years ago and have little interest in gardens.
I would recommend that you and your husband discuss what you think you want and maybe do a little reading about basic landscape design. Not flowers and decorating but parking areas, entrances, patios, pools etc. Even if those things may be off in the future, the trees you want to plant now, will be in the right place then, and have been growing in the meantime.
If you, or anyone are interested, one of my very favorite books on the topic was a great surprise to me, very enjoyable and informative. Readers Digest Practical Guide to Home Landscaping. 1972 There are newer versions, I don’t know if they’re the same. The Time Life Encyclopedia of Gardening series was also excellent, especially the Landscape Gardening edition.
As others have mentioned, grading and drainage are very important as well as invasives, native plant and other important considerations. Good Luck & Enjoy!