Landscape Makeover: 5 Tips to Get You Started

Looking for some tips to help you get started on your home landscape project?

Mark McClure, residential sales director with south-suburban Beary Landscaping, has nearly 25 years experience to call on when answering your questions. He offers a five-step approach to tackling big and small projects.

1. Identify a need or want.

2. Select a contractor.

“You have to have a couple in mind,” McClure said. “Obviously, I’d recommend somebody that has been around, withstood the test of time here recently, that is still in business, somebody that is insure and somebody that is going to be able to see your project through to the end. And stand behind all the warrantees and guarantees that come with it. It is landscaping. Things do happen.”

3. Settle on a budget.

“That’s very key,” McClure said. “That prevents something coming back way under budget or way over budget. Both are equally as bad. And sharing that budget with the landscape contractor is very key. Then, you can work within those parameters.”

4. Settle on the scale of the project.

“What size, how much area is it going to encompass,” McClure said. “What are you going to do? Then, you start talking briefly about products. Have in mind whether you want pavers, whether you want concrete, whether you want special features built into the yard like fireplaces, bars, pergolas.”

5. Devise a landscape plan/concept.

“Once the layout, the design and the concept is agreed on, then you move into picking out specific products, like color choices and styles and patterns and borders and colors of flowering plants,” McClure said.

The only question left is, “Can you dig it?” Yep. Now, it’s time to turn over some dirt.

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