There’s a special kind of feeling you get when you drive into your street and see your freshly landscaped home greeting you with open arms. But for a lot of new homeowners, landscaping can be one of those things that gets pushed to the bottom of the budget list until you’re left with a naked patch of dirt and an empty wallet.
Hope isn’t lost! There are plenty of tips and tricks to budget landscaping and DIY landscaping that will impress the neighbours and have you pulling up in pride.
Driveways
Typically aggregate cement driveways are the go-to for many new homeowners, but once you factor in colours, patterns, and added materials, they can start to get steep.
Some budget-friendly driveway alternatives could include:
- Crushed concrete driveway (limited in colours and styles)
- Stone driveway (cheaper and replaceable with lots of colour and style choices)
- Asphalt driveway (needs more regular maintenance, but very cost-effective)
- Plain concrete driveway (unpainted and not styled to your home)
Garden Landscaping
Depending on how elaborately styled or particularly framed you like your garden, costs can start growing more rapidly and aggressively than a yakka.
Geelong’s ‘four seasons in one day’ weather history also makes it difficult to choose hardy plants and grasses that can withstand a harsh Australian sun one minute, and hail the next.
A few low-budget and low-maintenance DIY garden options might include:
- Densely packed high-growth plants that will give a lot of ground coverage
- Low maintenance plants such as natives or succulents to reduce the upkeep
- Recycled raised garden beds you can stain, paint, or varnish
- Second hand stones or river rocks that won’t cost much more than a trailer and some manual labour
- Using gravel as a space filler between plants, rocks, or décor
DIY Lawns
Lawns are one of those landscaping elements that can make or break your home’s aesthetic. Whilst most of us dream of a perfectly green, trimmed, and hedged lawn, it can take a lot of time, money, and patience to get there.
A few ideas you might consider for DIY lawns include:
- DIY turf laying using online tutorials and advice (Bunnings have some great resources)
- Laying fake grass (it’s low-maintenance and looks pretty convincing!)
- Growing grass from seed (it takes time, but the results are worth it)
Letterboxes
Letterbox designs can range from a basic freestanding pole to artistic and contemporary designs that suit your taste, and with new homeowners, your letterbox is left to your discretion and responsibility.
If you have your heart set on a particular letterbox style to suit your home’s aesthetic, achieving it on a budget could be done in a few ways such as:
- Sourcing recycled timber, painting/staining it, and mounting a letterbox to it
- Embellishing a plain letterbox with custom lettering/numbers, or paint to match your palette
- Building your own letterbox using online tutorials (if you fancy yourself as a bit handy!)
Fencing
Your home’s side and back fencing costs should be shared by your neighbours, but if your local council or estate allows front fencing, you might find yourself out of pocket for more than you bargained.
Fortunately, there are a few ways you can achieve DIY fencing on a budget and still have the privacy and style you’re dreaming of.
You could consider:
- Screening plants (great for maintaining privacy in areas that don’t allow front fencing)
- Rolled bamboo fencing (easy to install and easy on the budget)
- Gabion fences (low maintenance, lots of styles, and relatively simple DIY project)
Where do you land on your landscaping?
