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Landscaping your brand new home

Metricon

When you have built and moved into a brand new home, the next project on every homeowner's mind is landscaping. From garden beds to retaining walls and water features, now is the ideal time to give your front garden and backyard the care it needs to bring your outdoor living dreams to life.

When evaluating the right landscape ideas for you, the first step is to choose a garden design that will complement the new home design you've probably already put a lot of heart and soul into.

The next step is to put some extra consideration into who lives in the house. A backyard built for kids will likely include a pool and plenty of lawn area for play. Meanwhile, a more adult home built for entertaining could be bolstered with an outdoor kitchen or a fire pit.

With those two considerations out of the way, the next step is to do some research and speak to some expert landscape designers. There are plenty of great gardeners and landscapers around to assist you with your backyard makeover, from providing landscape architecture to helping out with the manual labour. Below, we speak to gardening guru Charlie Albone about his top landscaping tips.

Of course, if you're keen to take on landscaping your new home as your own DIY project, here are six things to consider when you're planning out your brand new front and back yards. Doing so will complete your new home and have a significant impact on your property's value.

Six things to consider when it comes to landscaping your new home:

  1. Out the front of your house, one of the most crucial design elements will be the front pathway. Both the style and location are important considerations, along with the types of materials you want to employ. For example, a concrete path heading directly to the front door will become a more dramatic focal point than a few cleverly placed pavers.
  2. How are you for time these days? Though gardening is a passion for many, keeping a garden alive and thriving can also be a considerable commitment. Choose plants, trees and garden beds that reflect how much time you are willing to put in the yard. If you're time-poor, you may also want to rethink large lawns and opt for paved areas and other low maintenance hardscaping instead.
  3. Keep in mind any local council guidelines when it comes to your garden, especially around water restrictions. You don't want to be wasting a precious resource just to keep your roses blooming. When deciding which flowers and trees to include, experts often recommend sticking with Australian natives, and add plenty of mulch for maximum water retention.
  4. When choosing trees, always find out the mature height and rootball size the tree will reach. You should plants trees a safe distance from your home to avoid damage as they grow, both above and below the ground. The same goes for shrubs: one minute it may be a sweet little thing but next thing you know, it could be growing into (and damaging) sewer pipes. Your local nursery can provide you with useful advice and gardening tips.
  5. Children need appropriate spaces to play, and it's no secret that kids and parents alike favour large backyards. While it may be tempting to fill your garden with beautiful trees and vegetable gardens, be sure to allocate a generous amount of space for your little ones to run around or kick the soccer ball, with adequate fencing to keep them safe. The same applies to pets.
  6. During your next landscaping project, it is also worth keeping in mind that many property developers and local councils have specific guidelines about what you can and can't do when landscaping. Make sure that you take the time to speak to them before you get started on the landscaping.

When it comes to budgeting for your new home's gardens, remember that you don't need to blow the budget and go all out on landscaping your back and front yards.

If you plan on selling the home later, you will learn that simplicity is often favoured by property agents who like to provide prospective buyers with a blank canvas they can fill with their own dreams.

Likewise, if you do plan on staying in your home for some time, enjoy the journey of gradually transforming your piece of land into your private paradise over time.

Whatever you end up doing, always remember that an excellent outdoor living space will potentially increase the value of your new home. Therefore, make sure that you take your time, do your research and speak to experts.

If you want further inspiration on landscaping, make sure you revisit our great display homes as they can provide some ideas on landscaping to make your home really stand out.