Why DIY Landscape Makeovers Often Take Longer Than Homeowners Expect

If you’re looking to upgrade your landscaping, you might be thinking about tackling it as a DIY project. But it’s important to have a good understanding of what you’re getting into. We find that homeowners tend to underestimate how much work is involved in a DIY landscape transformation. In turn, that means they tend to take a lot longer than they anticipate.

In this article, we’ll provide a realistic understanding of what’s involved in a landscape project so that you can have a better grasp on whether it’s something you want to handle yourself.

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Understanding the DIY landscaping timeline

Why DIY landscape makeovers take longer: Common DIY landscaping delays

When to consider hiring a pro

FAQs on DIY landscape makeovers

Choosing landscape design/build services in Memphis

Understanding the DIY landscaping timeline

We know that you’d like to understand how long a DIY landscape project takes, before you commit to getting started. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to think that they’ll get it done faster than hiring a pro but they’re personally invested in getting it done. But the opposite almost always turns out to be true.

It’s impossible to say exactly how long a DIY project will take as it depends on the size and scale of the project. But major projects that include a patio, retaining wall, or maybe even drainage can take months for a homeowner, when only done on the evenings and weekends. In fact, a project of that complexity may get a homeowner in over their head.

The biggest difference is that homeowners are usually working a few hours at a time rather than having a crew work continuously.

It’s not uncommon for a DIY landscape project that looks like it’s going to take a couple of weekends to easily stretch into a couple of months. That can quickly become discouraging for homeowners. People tend to also think they have more free time than they really do. When tackling DIY landscaping, you’ll have to juggle your schedule around work and the family calendar.

Why DIY landscape makeovers take longer: Common DIY landscaping delays

One of the biggest reasons why homeowners tend to underestimate how much time is involved in DIY is that they don’t fully grasp how much work happens before the project even starts. Planning takes time and you can’t just skip over that stage.

Let’s look at some of the most common DIY landscaping delays, including underestimating the planning stage.

• Planning takes time: Homeowners will have to figure out key details about the project before getting started like the layout, plant choices, necessary materials, measurements, and more. If you’re not working with a Landscape Designer, this can be a lot to figure out on your own.

• Site preparation  is labor-intensive and complex: Once you do have the planning stage figured out, you’ll move onto site prep. But this stage is also more time-consuming and laborious than people tend to realize. It involves tasks like removing old plants, digging out beds, grading areas, and prepping the soil.

• Homeowners don’t have as much spare time as they think they do: Life is busy and people tend to have even less free time than they think they do. That can really delay DIY projects. When you’re only working with spare time like days off, nights, or weekends, there’s not a lot that can always get done at once. What a landscaping crew could accomplish in a concentrated work day might take several weekends for a homeowner to get done.

• Unexpected problems: Unexpected problems can arise for anyone (including pros), but homeowners often don’t know what to do about them. Issues with grading, drainage, compacted soil, difficult access, rocks, roots, and other surprises can be major hold-ups, particularly if you don’t know what to do.

• Underestimating the time involved in material runs: A landscaping project likely involves getting all sorts of material like mulch, stone, soil, plants, pavers, and more. But these trips on their own can be very time-consuming…and there are often many of them. It’s not uncommon to estimate the wrong quantity and need to go out for more. Or, you might only have a vehicle that can fit so much at a time. This ends up being a delay.

• Realizing it’s a big learning curve: Landscaping projects can also be complex and homeowners can get over their heads quickly. You might need to learn as you go, but that can slow the process down even more.

When to consider hiring a pro

Having a landscape professional handle all aspects of your project (from landscape design to installation) is incredibly valuable not only for their expertise but also for gaining back your time.

As we’ve mentioned, landscaping projects often end up being a lot more time consuming than people tend to realize. And your time is valuable. We know that you have better things to do on your weekends than to work in your yard all day.

Professional help can also be extremely valuable for any projects that involve complexities like grading, drainage, hardscaping, irrigation, and other major changes to the landscape. A professional can give you peace of mind that all aspects of the project are being handled properly so that you don’t wind up with frustrating (and costly) mistakes down the road.

FAQs on DIY landscape makeovers

Why do DIY landscape makeovers take so long?

DIY landscape makeovers tend to take a while because homeowners often underestimate how much time is going to be involved, starting with the planning stage. Working primarily on evenings and weekends can extend the DIY landscaping timeline further.

What is the most time-consuming part of a DIY landscape makeover?

Site preparation often ends up being the biggest time commitment and is often the part that homeowners don’t even think about. Removing existing plants and materials, dealing with rocks, preparing plant beds, grading, and other site prep tasks can be very time-consuming.

Why do landscaping projects run over schedule?

Common unexpected delays to landscaping projects include rocks, roots, drainage problems, compacted soil, difficult terrain, and weather, to name just some. These unexpected delays can pop up for anyone (homeowner or pro), but a pro is generally better equipped at knowing what to do.

Why does a DIY landscape project often require multiple trips to the supply store?

It is easy to underestimate the quantity of materials needed for a landscape project. Soil, mulch, plants, stone, and other materials can end up requiring multiple trips. Running short can also mean repeated trips are needed.

Choosing landscape design/build services in Memphis

If you’re going to hire a landscaping pro, it makes sense to handle a design/build company that handles everything in-house. We have seen too many projects go wrong with mistakes that could have been prevented because two different companies were involved in the process. Hiring separate landscape design services in Memphis and separate builders doesn’t make sense.

It’s also critical what kind of oversight your project is getting. Who is handling the big decisions and overseeing everything from a higher level?

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 two or three 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 the expert installation of your outdoor living area, including the retaining wall.

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.

Are you ready to enjoy more time outside? Give us a call. We’re excited to get started bringing your vision to life.

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