One of the main appeals of homeownership is the yard that comes with the house. Not only does a yard allow for personal space, room for pets, and a great place for barbecuing, the yard is also a source of pride for many. The yard’s landscaping provides an avenue to express one’s personality and interests. From the lawn, to the planters, and the trees, landscaping has the potential to tie the exterior of the house together.
As a custom homebuilder, we package the landscaping into our contracts as an allowance item. Allowances items involve homeowner selections, and are thus difficult to estimate prices at the time that the contract is signed. Towards the end of the house’s construction, our homeowners have a walkthrough with our landscaping contractor, during which they note any personal preferences or design ideas. The landscaper then drafts a landscaping plan with an estimate.
We’ve overseen quite a few landscape installations during our sixty-three years as a homebuilder in Brevard County. So, I’d like to review some particular features that I’d recommend you consider during the homebuilding process. We’ll break the items down into more practical features, and plant features, saving you time, money, and benefiting the environment.
Practical Features
You’re bound to have several planting beds scattered around the house for your shrubbery. Do you choose to fill the beds with mulch or stone? Mulch is considered organic, and as it decomposes, it replenishes the nutrients in the soil for the surrounding plants. Mulch is significantly cheaper than stone, and comes in a variety of colors. However, mulch needs to be replaced, or topped off, when it starts to thin out. Mulch is prone to being blown around in the wind, breaks down over time, washes away, and loses its color.
On the other hand, planting beds can be filled with stone, which I recommend whenever possible. Stone is expensive, but requires far less maintenance and lasts indefinitely. Stone also allows for water to drain quicker, helping to keep the yard more dry in wet climates. Additionally, stone is more weed-resistant. Unlike mulch, a layer of weed barrier goes down before the stone is spread, preventing unwanted growth. If stone is too expensive, consider doing a stone perimeter around the house to keep moisture away from the foundation, and discourage termites from finding their way inside.
While discussing planting beds, I’d suggest that the landscapers install edging. Landscape edging forms a border between your stone or mulch beds, and your sod. This accomplishes a few things. Primarily, it will prevent the sod from growing into the planting bed, which has the potential to become a maintenance nightmare. Landscape edging also helps to hold the shape of the bed, and prevent mulch from being blown into the yard. Moreover, the solid barrier makes cutting the lawn simpler as you aren’t avoiding mulch or stones while you mow.
Lastly, I recommend whole-house gutters, or in other words, gutters around the entire perimeter of the house. Gutters help to keep the yard dry and may alleviate some flooding in heavy rain. Too much water in the soil is bad for the grass, and excess standing water can easily ruin a yard and attract mosquitoes. If you choose to have mulch beds, gutters will redirect water and prevent rain running off the roof from washing the mulch away.
Plant Features
Over the last several years, intentionally seeking to incorporate native flora into landscaping design has become more popular. Florida has some incredible biodiversity, and offers a wide range of beautiful plants that are native to our area. Choosing to plant native species in your yard is beneficial in several ways.
First and foremost, native plants will not require much maintenance, if any at all. As they’ve adapted to our local ecosystems over thousands of years, they’re built to survive the temperature and water levels. Minimal irrigation, fertilizers, or additives are required. They have a tendency to survive with minimal assistance.
On an equally important note, native species help the local birds, insects, and other pollinators. Native plants attract wildlife like hummingbirds, bumble bees, and monarch butterflies. Simply installing a few native flowers, trees, or shrubbery can suddenly make your yard much more vibrant with activity, on top of contributing to the ecosystem.
Finally, I suggest planting shade trees around the house. As their name suggests, shade trees provide just that: shade. Keeping the direct sunlight off the house will in turn, keep the house cooler and lower the electric bill. Shade trees will typically require occasional maintenance, but they do a phenomenal job of emboldening a house’s landscaping design. A massive southern live oak, southern magnolia, or even a gumbo limbo (all of which are native to Florida), can make a house feel like home.