Butt Bites - The Hidden Costs Of Landscaping
Landscaping can be expensive. To do a complete makeover of your landscape may not be possible due to monetary reasons. Even small projects may hold hidden costs that will surprise you. You need to consider ALL costs before beginning a project. This article will help you to find the hidden costs so you can plan your project more realistically and not be disappointed afterwards.
Know Ongoing Expenses
What do you need to pay for to have a nice waterfall lit with lights in your landscaping? Just the materials and installation? The answer is - NO.
The often overlooked hidden cost here are the costs of the water and the electricity bill. You can help to reduce this by using more energy efficient light bulbs, and only using the lights when needed for special occasions. To have the lights on daily or nightly to impress your neighbors is foolish. Reserve it for personal enjoyment or when entertaining guests. Water features use electricity and water, so add significantly to the hidden costs.
You can find a feature that recycles it’s water, which helps save the water bill. Also, some features use less energy than others. Having a small pond or waterfall instead of a large one also helps avoid major costs.
Irrigation
Another hidden cost is paying for water used to irrigate the lawn. Having a sprinkler system set up ensures that you won’t forget to turn off the water. Most people water their lawns two to three times as much as is needed. Watering each section of your lawn for 15 minutes a few times a week is usually plenty. The specific amount of course is related to your specific climate, and another exception is that new sod needs to be watered much more for the first week. The hidden cost of the extra water to help get new sod or a new tree started healthily can be significant.
Poor Soil Quality
The next hidden cost occurs if your soil quality is poor. If you spend a lot of money on plants that need a certain type or quality of soil to do well, and your soil is not right, you will have wasted a lot of money for unhealthy or dead plants. If your soil is bad, you will have the cost of adding fertilizer or gypsum to make it better. The best way to deal with this hidden cost is to research what types of plants naturally grow well in your area, and choose those native plants for your landscaping. Research can be done online, in books, or by asking a local master gardener.
Make sure to carefully consider any cost that might arise from your landscaping decisions. While it may be possible to have a beautiful lawn with tropical plants and a waterfall in a cold, dry climate, for example, it will cost much more than the cost of the plants and features themselves to make it work.
Join Keith Markensen as he examines the unique challenges of
landscaping a small yard
Keith pulls from his years of landscape experience and freely shares his professional landscape
knowledge at www.Plant-Care.com
Tags: expenses, hidden costs, landscape, landscape lights