Creating a landscape that is beautiful to look at, as well as truly functional, is one of the most effective ways to add value to your home. Stunning patios, inviting walkways, vibrant concrete pavers, and earthy natural stone; the possibilities are endless.
For many Long Island homeowners in Oyster Bay Cove, Glen Cove, and surrounding communities, this process comes with many questions and decisions. Should your landscaping project be done in separate phases or all together at once? Should you select natural stone or concrete pavers for your patios, walkways, and pool decks? Should you include outdoor lighting?
Deciding whether to do develop your home’s outdoor spaces in phases or all together is one of the first big decisions to be made as it will determine the best course of action moving forward. For most homeowners, the two biggest factors in deciding “to phase or not to phase” are budget and timing.
Budget
While budget is certainly important to consider early on in the landscape design process, it is not an end all be all factor. All too often, homeowners will start with a budget rather than identifying the important wants and needs for their family’s outdoor spaces. This approach can lead to a project that doesn’t meet the needs of the owner and one that when added on to later, looks disjointed and incohesive.
A better approach is to work with a trained Long Island landscape professional to determine the elements that make up a perfect landscape design for your situation. From there, you can cross reference your budget constraints and determine whether or not the project can be built all at once. If the cost is too high, consider a few great options that allow you to still get the perfect landscape. Working with your landscape designer, you can divide the installation into phases that make the most sense based on the complete project design and your short term priorities. Before going this route, just be sure to weigh the benefits of completing the job all at once.
Often times installing your landscape all at once will be less expensive overall as the contractor doesn’t have to work around multiple phases, move crews more than once, and buy materials in smaller quantities. When you work with a UNILOCK Authorized Contractor, you can take advantage of same as cash financing through EnerBank which is a fantastic way to get your dream landscape while securing the benefits of doing it all once. To learn more, contact a UNILOCK Authorized Contractor in your area for a free estimate today.
Timing
The second major consideration in the “to phase or not to phase” decision process is often timing. For Long Island homeowners where Mother Nature offers distinct seasonal weather changes, working with her is of upmost importance when installing your home’s landscape. For instance, if you are planning a project with an in-ground pool, outdoor kitchen, hardscapes, plantings, and lighting, the design and installation process could be as long as 8 weeks or more. The start date of this process will determine whether your landscaper will have enough time to complete the project before the winter weather sets in. As building landscapes in the winter is not usually an option as the frozen ground poses many challenges for hardscape and planting installations, phasing your project may be the best choice. If your looking to take advantage of the benefits that come with installing everything all at once as discussed above, consider designing and planning your landscape over the winter and then breaking ground for a complete installation the following spring.
To get a free estimate and to learn about the financing options available, contact a UNILOCK Authorized Contractor in Glen Cove, NY, Oyster Bay Cove, and the surrounding Long Island communities here.
Still looking for inspiration and landscaping ideas? Check out the UNILOCK catalog here and learn about the many design possibilities available with UNILOCK.
