What to know about DIY landscape
It’s possible. You can do it yourself and definitely save money! IF you’re willing to put in the work. My husband and I like to get our hands dirty, but we still hired out for some aspects of our outdoor spaces. Here are a few things to think about when you’re considering doing the work yourself.
How much is your time worth?
This applies to any house project. Putting plants in the ground is a simple and straightforward procedure. We ended up hiring out install in the backyard and I’m so glad we did. We’re busy parents who knew a days worth of work would only consist of a few hours with toddlers running around. When the crew was installing plants in our backyard, I replaced a single dead plant in the front yard for a new one. In the time it took me to plant that ONE plant, they had planted four. FOUR! That being said, we had planted our front yard ourselves and it’s a success. If it’s a small area with small plants, I think it’s easy for anyone to try their hand at it.
What are you working with?
Our backyard consists of a huge slope of clay soil. Otherwise known as, a huge pain. Standing on a 2:1 slope trying to dig a hole big enough for even a one gallon plant was exhausting and time-consuming. I didn’t want to do it. Planting in a raised planter of new soil? A completely different story. Take into account the topography, soil type, and location. My favorite mantra to apply to most projects is: buy the butter, make the bread. You don’t have to do every single thing for it to feel like YOURS. Spend money on the things that just aren’t worth it or would turn out much better if someone else did it, and take on what feels right.
know your limit
Honestly, this is where I struggle the most. I’m more likely to take on more than I can actually do, but I’m learning every day. Like, here I am building a retaining wall 8 months pregnant. Is that a smart idea? No! Was it worth it? Questionable. But in the moment, I hated feeling limited and needed to prove to myself that I was capable. THAT BEING SAID…we hired out for our concrete retaining wall because while we could probably figure it out, I didn’t want to take the chance. It relied on a certain level of engineering and that’s where I draw the line.
What’s the benefit of DIY?
My husband and I ended up building our own floating deck. We’ve never built anything of that scale ourselves and the cost of wood was intimidating to mess up! We took our time and made adjustments in the process that made it more functional and attractive. It was something we wanted to do because not only would it save us a bunch of money, but if we had hired someone to do it the way we originally planned, I don’t think it would’ve turned out well. With every project we’ve taken on ourselves, we’ve learned so much about construction even though we both have related degrees in the subject! Is the deck a work of art? Let’s just say, we look at it the way our daughter looks at her finger painting: it’s magnificent…..to us. It definitely is amateur, but it works for us and it was empowering to have that under our belt. We’re proud of it and it gets so much use from the girls as a stage, a place to dry off after running through sprinklers, and where they like to have snack when the weather is nice.
And that’s all, folks! I love trying to do things myself, but sometimes it is best to leave it to the professionals. I think it’s worth trying something new, adding a new skill to your reticule, and being proud of it. See you in the garden!
