Plans are Important for Home Design AND Landscape Design

Everyone building a new home spends a great deal of time and money during the planning stage, whether they purchase northwest home plans

or work with an architect or contractor on the design of their new home. Unfortunately, all too often landscaping is an afterthought, something to deal with after the builders are done and your beautiful new home is surrounded by little but dirt and construction debris.

Developing a landscape plan at the same time you start your home plan will save you money and time and will result in beautiful outdoor living areas that suit you and your family and complement your new home no matter where you live, city or country, Northwest or Southeast, by the sea or in the mountains.

Start planning by considering your location. Once again, as in all real estate considerations, think: location-location-location. First, where are you located geographically? Climate has everything to do with what you will plant around your new home. In the Midwest, huge lawns surround many of the homes. Why? The land is flat and the weather conducive to growing lots of grass without worrying about expensive sprinkling systems to keep the grass green. But you’ll see very little grass in the Southwest and no Yucca trees or cactus in the Northwest. In other words, don’t fight Mother Nature. Grow what works for your area.

The second location to consider is your neighborhood. Drive, or better yet, walk around
The area where you are planning to build your new home and determine what seems to work, or not work, for your neighbors. You don’t have to be a copycat, but you want to plan something that complements the neighborhood.

The third location is your building site. How is your home oriented to nearby structures and trees, where will the sun hit your yard and house in the morning and late in the day, are there prevailing winds that you want to protect your patio from? Measure areas to be landscaped carefully, so you’ll know how much room mature trees will require. How many times have you seen a small yard engulfed in overgrown trees and bushes that were planted too close together?

Once you have a good sense of your location and its opportunities and problems, you can start the fun part of determining what will go where. Do your research. There is a wealth of information about landscaping on the Internet. Talk to people at your local agricultural extension service and at local nurseries.

With a good landscape plan integrated with your home plans you will save money and reduce maintenance, have an outdoor area you and your family will enjoy and increase the value of your home.