Hello my tight arses,
I need to save money on doing my landscaping. These landscapers are quoting me 10K+ for my landscaping.
PLease suggest how can I landscape. What can i do? The area is roughly 290 sq. m Where can I buy cheap top soil, grass? what kind of grass?
Planning to put the grass that does not need more water and grows slow.
Thank you :)
Get your kids to landscape and pay them 50c pocket money. Or don't landscape at all.
Or just pay them in gift cards :)
For that big an area you're looking at over 2k just for the turf. It would be a massive job laying 290 rolls as well so the labour would be huge. Are they doing planting and building garden beds as well? 10k isn't that high for landscaping to be honest, although that depends on what's included in the quote.
If you've got family/friends you can call on you could probably do that area yourself for about half what a landscaper would charge you because a lot of the cost will go into labour. But then you won't get a properly designed garden with suitable plant varieties.
With 10K, they are laying the turf, garden bed along the fence.
Thanks
I did a tiny backyard myself (10m2 turf + some garden beds) and with materials (bricks, soil, drainage) and plants it cost me about 2k from memory. It was also a 5 day job with 2 people.
DIY.
You can grow grass from seed, but it will take many months to reach maturity and will require lots of water. The grass you should get isn't universal, but I think most people get buffalo.
Old pavers, bricks and sleepers are sometimes free or cheap on gumtree. Creating boundaries, paths and flower beds looks nice.
You can hire landscaping equipment, buy it second hand or get some cheap new stuff. If you get a little digger you can get topsoil delivered and spread and move it yourself.
Really hard to find buffalo grass seed. Perhaps another variety?
It is really tough to find. Here is the stuff I used https://www.cooyargrassseeds.com.au/product/buffalo-grass-pu…. It isn't suitable for all over Australia.
I grew a half decent buffalo lawn from runners taken from other areas. Takes a lot more maintenance to get it goi g than turf rolls though.
McKays sells something called Compadre Zoysia which is supposed to be good.
just pour asphalt all over it … no maintenance required
can't pour asphalt.
Get plans and details done by landscape designer and then diy the manual stuff?
Buffalo is generally hard wearing, shop around turf farms if there are any in your area. Gumtree n Facebook can be useful for getting building stuff. Get plants at end of season clearances, ie things that arent looking pretty in the pots any more.
Or use Pinterest for landscaping inspiration and design it yourself. Make sure u work out what sort of garden u want, ie native, cottage garden, formal, low maintenance… etc.
Be prepared to buy smaller plants as they are cheaper and let them grow, you will be surprised how quickly this happens.
Oh and look around your neighbourhood and see what plants are working well for others, and what u like the look of.
If you haven't the skills to do retaining walls n stuff, work out what you want and then look for a handyman as opposed to landscaper.
BYO-DIY
Once you have your grass in place, I have a suggestion to save on maintenance costs - get a sheep.
Get a couple more quotes before you decide to try to DIY. Turfing requires a bit of effort to get the surface flat with a good layer of topsoil before putting the grass down. Anything less and you’ll have an inferior lawn that looks like crap after a season or two.
Are you living there currently, and do you plan on staying there for a while?
If so, look at this as an investment option and learning opportunity. Have a look at neighbours places to get an idea of what grows well in your area.
Is it a sloping block?
Consider small pieces of turf as well as seeds, rather than going roll out turf for the whole lot.
Does the figures include watering systems? That’s a fairly easy DIY job, but have a look at irrigation suppliers rather than Bunnings as they might be a bit cheaper.
What’s the soil like now? Do you need to bring in extra soil? 290 sq/m isn’t real big IMO, but it really depends on what you want to do with the area. If it’s just for a lawn, I’d be inclined to try seeding first rather than going the instant lawn road.
Under $30 for a 10kg bag of grass seed. Chuck it on the ground, water and then walk away. A month or so later, go back with another bag and repeat, putting more on any bare/thin areas. Done.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/munns-10kg-superstart-seed-and-t…
and while it is taking hold, don't forget to keep the weeds at bay.
1 year of seeding (of unwanted plants) = 7 years of weeding
These products are often not worth the savings if you ever want to use the grass. In sydney any turf other than buffalo will struggle (except for Kikuyu which will grow fast and need more maintenance).
Skimping on upfront costs which will result in more maintenance and worse quality is not a saving.
Just jump online & browser thru how to DIY your garden. How complicated can it be?