Do’s and Don’ts When Creating Your Dream Outdoor Living Space
- Posted by livewell in Landscaping Tips
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At LiveWell Outdoors, our team has decades of experience helping area homeowners achieve their dream outdoor living spaces. In some cases, it’s easier than others. That’s why we’ve put together our list of Do’s and Don’ts to help you have a smooth process, from start to finish.
Do Have a Good Idea of What You Want
Would you love to have an inground pool? Do you want an outdoor kitchen? Perhaps you want both. Maybe you want a patio area dedicated to yoga. Make a wish list.
Save inspirational images that you find to a Pinterest board or Houzz ideabook so that you don’t forget about them.
Don’t Forget the Landscaping
When thinking about your ideal outdoor living space, it’s important to think about the landscaping as well.
– Do Hire a Landscape Design Team
Hiring a landscape design team has a lot of benefits for a homeowner, including:
- Full design services with correct placement of everything.
- They can help with appropriate plant choices, including native plants where possible.
- Professional installation means no backbreaking labor for you and the peace of mind that everything will be installed to code.
– Don’t Use Invasive Plants
Trust us. Avoid using invasive plants. They will try and crowd out other plants, shrubs, and trees. And they can spread like crazy. They’re just not worth the trouble.
Do Set an Estimated Budget
Chances are, you wouldn’t even be thinking about backyard renovations and improvements if you didn’t think you had the budget for it.
– Do your homework
Start researching the average cost of things in your area. Determine what elements are essential, and where you might be able to compromise.
There are a number of online calculators to help you estimate the cost of certain projects. Keep in mind, these are ballpark figures, and the actual cost will vary based on who you hire, what materials you use, and the size and scope of your project.
– Do check financing options
And remember, many outdoor living contractors, like LiveWell Outdoors, have 100% financing available.
Do Meet With Outdoor Living Contractors
Once you have a good idea of what you want, and you have an estimated budget, it’s time to find the right contractor. Ask friends, family, and neighbors for recommendations of who they used, and if there is a contractor you should avoid.
Check out their websites, including their Portfolio to see if they do the type of work you’re looking to have done. Read their online reviews. Then you can schedule a consultation.
Have a list of questions ready and expect them to ask you questions as well. Contractors often want to know the challenges you have in your landscape as well as the dream features you’d love to have.
They might also show you images of similar projects they have completed and often use software design programs to show you their design plans. A rough sketch is not appropriate for a high-level outdoor living project.
– Don’t focus solely on price
When it comes time to choosing an outdoor living contractor for your project, be willing to compromise on price, but not quality. Perhaps to stay within your budget you might use some mid-range materials rather than the high-end equivalent. That’s perfectly fine.
But don’t hire someone if you’re not completely confident that they can deliver the outdoor living space of your dreams.
Dream It. Build It. Live It.
Are you ready to create your own personal paradise? LiveWell Outdoors is a premier outdoor living contractor. We design and build custom shotcrete pools, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, patios, and decks. And of course, we can create a custom landscape design to complement all of your hardscaping elements.
We serve homeowners in the Capital Region of Maryland, as well as DC and Northern Virginia. Schedule a consultation to get started on creating the outdoor living space of your dreams!
