Landscape design isn’t just about selecting plants for your garden, it includes all the elements of your outdoor living space. When you are renovating or building a new home it’s important to start planning your landscape early in the building process. It can be tempting to forget about the outdoor area until the home is well and truly underway, but you will save time and money planning this early on.

Often the most successful landscape designs are those that have an effortless connection with the building they surround, so planning the location and aspect of your gardens early in the design process is key. A seamless transition between an open plan indoor/outdoor area can be achieved by maintaining the same floor level inside and out. To do this you will need to consider the height of the flooring materials you will use and whether the slab will need adjustment to allow for these. Another great way to link the two areas is to use a similar floor covering indoors and outdoors, whether that be in the materials, finish or colour.

There’s other behind the scenes details for a garden such as electricity and plumbing which, when incorporated into your house planning and building timelines, can save you money and double handling. For example, getting a tradesman to install drainage for pathways or electrical conduit for lighting an outdoor structure as part of the work they are doing within your home will ensure it’s done logically instead of being an add on at later stage.

Access is another important consideration and if you have a tricky site or narrow access pathways, then getting machinery and materials on site early in the building process can make things much simpler and avoid the need for expensive crane costs when it comes to installing your garden later. Likewise, if you’re thinking of installing a pool, planning this into the home building timeline is a must.

So even though you may not have the headspace to think about plant styles and turf variety when you’re getting into a home build, taking time to plan out your hardscaping and the location of the big ticket items in your garden can save you a lot of stress and dollars down the track.