So much of the time of designing a landscape is devoted to plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, and sod ... all too often, forgetting about the functioning items of a landscape. The Denver metro area is littered with tracks of homes that sit on 50'x100 'lots. In new construction, a builder only has to devote a 3'x4 'piece of concrete to the backyard. Even after a homeowner purchases a house, time after time you see a homeowner putting a 10x10 piece of concrete, then leaving the majority of the backyard grass. You see homeowners and designers putting trees and plants in sod areas instead of islands or mulch beds. There is no design for lighting and no design for outdoor living. With Denver's 300 plus days of sunshine, this is a perfect state for outdoor living. In designing a backyard in Denver, a person should really consider things like ...
· Where am I going to put the BBQ?
· What is my focal point area? (You should consider fire pits and outdoor fireplaces)
· Where is the shed going to go?
· Are we going to have a play structure?
Now we all know that price is a final factor in building outdoor living spaces, but I can not tell you how many times we have come to a two year old house with a skid loader to tear out an existing landscape that the homeowner thread in half-heartedly. If you look at it with the money spent in the long run, they spend double. We always encourage homeowners to start with a professional design that includes the "big picture". This is the # 1 item we encourage people to spend money on. It will prove to be a worthy investment. We feel it is better to wait on a 3 "caliper tree or buy smaller trees than to skimp on patio size and other hardscape items.
We get a lot of people that think that they can do without a sprinkler system. They say "We will just water with a hose." In 6 months they are always calling and asking if we can help with the watering of the trees, shrubs, and sod as they are dying. Unfortunately, it is too late at this point. The just of this story is to invest in the planning ... get the hardscape items in the size that you need them in, do not skimp on the mechanical portion (sprinkler and drainage), and if you have to wait until next year to bring in the trees and shrubs you will be much happier in the long run.
