Foundation & Surroundings – How To Start Your Landscaping Project In 3 Easy Steps

There’s something so calming and tranquil about being outdoors. Whether you’re trekking through the forest or sitting in your backyard, we all deserve to have that little bit of peace in our life.

It recently dawned on me that many of you may not know where to start when it comes to starting your own little piece of heaven. Well don’t fret, I’m here to help you all get off to a solid start in your journey.

If you already have an area set up in your backyard that you’re just looking to update, then you can probably skip the beginning of this section and wait for the next post, which will go into renovating an already populated space.

Janel Jacobs

Getting Started

Starting with a blank slate can seem like a daunting task, but in reality this is the best possible position you could be in. This not only gives you complete freedom to mold your outdoor space into whatever your heart desires, while also eliminating the need to color coordinate with what you already have.

What does your backyard area currently look like? Is it flat with grass? Hilly? These all play a part in what you can and cannot do with your backyard. If your backyard is currently in an unusable state, I would recommend visiting Dave’s Garden, they have tons of great tips and resources on getting your yard into a more malleable state.

Choosing a foundation

First thing is first. You need to decide on a foundation for your outdoor area. While wood can definitely be the cheapest, it doesn’t offer you the same type of longevity you get from laid concrete, bricks or other types of foundation like pavers or stone.

Though the decision of what foundation you want to go with is solely your own, (and possibly your partners) a few things to keep in mind when making the all-important decision is the amount of work it will take, and how well it will mesh with the type of furniture and surroundings you plan on using around the foundation.

Wood is pretty straight forward. It’s laid inside a frame, and there’s not much room to play with it. Going with cement can also be pretty boring as well (more on spicing this up in a later portion) so if you’re looking to put together a wholly unique and your own area, bricks, pavers, and different types of stones are by far your best bet. From a price-range standpoint, it can be tough to go this route on a smaller budget, but it is definitely doable.

With the aforementioned materials, you can frame your area with wood, and then install the stones however you see fit. Play around with different designs and patterns until you find the one that is you. You’ll know it when you see it, it’s the type of thing that brings a smile to your face every time you look at it, making you think, “that’s so me!”

House Trends

Stay tuned, part one was a bit general thanks to the crazy amount of options available. As we continue into the next parts, things will get more detailed. By the time we reach the end of our journey, you will have all of the basic knowledge necessary to put together something that is totally ‘you’.

Planning is 9/10ths of the battle here guys and gals!