HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON LANDSCAPING

To get the most out of your time and money the landscaping aspect of a build should be planned in from the start. Quantity surveyor Tim Phillips lays the groundwork…

- TIM PHILLIPS

Landscaping is all too often an afterthought when constructing an extension or a self-build house and so it isn’t always taken into consideration in the initial budgeting. As a quantity surveyor, I always build a landscaping cost into the overall budget, even if it’s a provisional sum at feasibility stage, to allow for a new lawn, decking or patio.

If you’re having a new extension, it’s almost inevitable that your existing garden or patio area will be left with skip damage, or become a dumping ground for old pallets and waste materials. And if you’re undertaking a self-build, it’s very likely that the surrounding land or garden will be barren during the works and once the build is completed, it will need to be turned into a garden from scratch using turf or seed or artificial turf, with flowers, trees, shrubs and some hard landscaping, too.

By treating the landscaping as part of the whole build instead of considering it as a separate project, the end result will work better with your home and, in some instances, be more cost-effective. Here, we answer some of the most common questions about the costs involved when landscaping and reveal how you might make significant savings.

WILL LANDSCAPING INCREASE THE VALUE OF MY PROPERTY?