How to Plan Your Landscape Design Budget in Memphis

Budget is often a topic that people don’t want to talk about. We know it’s the less-fun part of planning your dream outdoor living area.

But the truth is, it’s important to at least have some idea of what you’re planning to spend as you start planning your project.

Planning landscaping costs is important and your budget will ultimately dictate some of the decisions that need to be made. There are often many creative ways to work within the confines of a budget and still get your dream space, but it’s important to have this information early on.

It does not make sense to create a landscape design for you that is entirely out of your necessary budget range.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to plan a Memphis landscape project budget so that you can make wise choices early on.

Landscaping absolutely adds to the value of your home so it’s certainly not an area to skimp on. We’ll provide realistic advice in this Memphis landscape cost guide to help set you up for success.

Jump to:

• How much should I plan to spend on landscaping

• Understanding landscape cost ahead of time

• Your landscape design budget in Memphis: Cost vs. value

• Choosing landscape design services in Memphis

How much should I plan to spend on landscaping

This is an almost impossible question to answer as it’s so individual and there are so many variables at play. A general rule of thumb that we’ve seen used in real estate articles and other places is to plan to spend around 10% to 15% of your home’s total value on landscaping.

But these days, people want to spend more time outdoors than ever before. They’re not just looking for updated plant beds and softscaping, they’re looking for total outdoor living areas. In this way, the landscaped areas become a true extension of the home.

For that reason, we’re seeing homeowners willing to spend even more on their outdoor living spaces. It’s not uncommon at all these days for homeowners to invest in six-figure outdoor living areas, complete with all of the amenities.

At the end of the day, the amount that is right for you to spend on landscaping will be a personal decision based on what you’re looking to achieve.

As you consider planning landscaping costs at your Memphis home, keep in mind it’s not all about ROI (return on investment), but also about ROE (return on enjoyment!). If adding an outdoor living area to your backyards means you’re going to be spending lots of time outside making family members, that “return on enjoyment” might make it worth it to you to spend a little bit more.

Understanding landscape cost ahead of time

Of course, planning landscaping costs can be challenging if you don’t have an understanding of what things cost.

When we talk to homeowners about what they want to spend, they commonly count us with, Well, what will it cost?

But it’s important to understand that there can be a lot of variability in answering that question. One of the big variables is what materials you choose to go with. Like anything, there can be a big range in cost depending what you ultimately end up choosing.

Sometimes it makes more sense to people when we compare it to an interior renovation project. If you’ve ever had to make choices for an interior kitchen, bathroom, or other space, you know that there are price ranges depending on your choices for everything from tile to flooring to appliances. There are various levels of quality and style, and that’s going to come at different costs.

What features (“bells and whistles”) you want included in your project will also impact cost. For instance, are you just looking for a relatively basic outdoor kitchen or patio or do you want all the amenities like outdoor appliances, structures, lighting, fire features, and more?

Naturally, the complexity of your project (and how many add-ons you want to include) is going to impact cost.

The size and scope of your project is also going to impact cost. Are you looking for a very large patio because you entertain a lot? Or are you just looking for a smaller patio that will fit only your immediate family?

These variables do give us options to play around with in order to create your dream space within your budget. For instance, maybe the size of your patio is not compromisable to you but you might be willing to choose a more affordable paver to ensure you get the size you want. This is why knowing your budget upfront can help us dictate important project decisions.

Your landscape design budget in Memphis: Cost vs. value

As you consider planning landscaping costs and creating a budget, we just want to share a few thoughts on cost vs. value. Obviously, you want to make sure that you’re paying a fair cost for any landscaping work that you’re having completed. But what’s most important is that you’re getting premium value for your investment.

This is where the quality, expertise, and level of experience of the company that you’re hiring comes into play.

It’s important that you’re putting your money into quality landscaping that is going to provide you with the most possible value. That is a big part of the reason why it’s important to research the landscaping companies that you’re considering and make sure you are choosing wisely.

There is going to be some variability in the bids that you receive for your landscape project. Just like you might be willing to pay a little bit more for a more premium appliance, you might want to consider paying more for a company that you’re confident is going to be able to deliver the best results.

Not all landscaping companies have the same experience, skill, or expertise to complete the high-level project you’re looking to have done. And at the end of the day, that’s part of what you’re paying for.

After all, the last thing that you want is to end up with a project that falls short of what you were seeking. Even worse, you don’t want to end up with a finished project that has mistakes or needs to be fixed.

An important recommendation that we would make is to choose a landscaping company that handles both the design and the installation in-house. We have seen too many projects go wrong with mistakes that could have been prevented if this process was just streamlined.

A company that handles everything under one roof will help deliver the best.

Choosing landscape design services in Memphis

At the end of the day, the success of your outdoor project is going to boil down to the company that you hire to do the work.

In addition to choosing a company that handles both landscape design and landscape installation in-house, you also want to take a closer look at what that company is all about.

At the helm of any great process is who is leading things. Even with some landscape design/build companies, there are disconnects in the process that are problematic to the end result.

Oversight from a high level is important.

At Mid South Irrigation & Landscape, Owner and President Jesse Wisley oversees all of the landscape design and installation projects.

When you begin a landscape project with Mid South Irrigation & Landscape, you are beginning a landscape project with Jesse himself. Jesse only takes on 2-3 projects at a time in order to ensure maximum service is provided to his clients. Throughout the duration of your landscaping project with Jesse, you will develop a personal relationship with him, and will always be able to contact him directly. That makes all the difference when it comes to getting the best results.

At Mid South Irrigation & Landscape, the process begins with a high-quality and detailed landscape design that incorporates your wants, needs, and ideas.

Then, we move on to expert installation, including both hardscaping and plantscaping. By ensuring these items are installed properly, you’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy the final results.

There are plenty of companies in Memphis offering design/build services, but you want to make sure that you choose wisely. When you make a good choice in landscape design/build firms, you gain valuable peace of mind that your investment in your property is going to get long-term enjoyment and value.

Give us a call! We’d love to work with you on your Memphis landscape transformation.

Ready to talk about ideas and have your new landscape designed and built? Request a consultation today.