BUILDING A NEW HOME? HAVE YOU BUDGETED FOR THE LANDSCAPING?

Building a new home is exciting. You spend months choosing your floor plan, façade, flooring, cabinetry, colours and all those finishing touches that make the house feel like yours.

Then finally, you get the keys.

You walk into your beautiful new home... and then you step outside.

Builders loam. Dirt. Dust. And a completely blank canvas.

Suddenly the kids have nowhere to play, the dog is bringing dirt inside, and that famous Mildura red loam seems to find its way onto your brand-new floors no matter how hard you try to keep it out.

And don't forget the front of your home. You've invested in a beautiful façade designed to make a statement from the street, but without landscaping, there's nothing but bare ground welcoming your guests.

Landscaping Is Often Forgotten in the Building Budget

One of the most common things we hear from new homeowners is:

“We didn't realise landscaping would cost that much.”

And we completely understand why.

When you're building, there are so many expenses to think about that landscaping can easily become something you'll “sort out later”.

But creating a finished landscape involves much more than laying some lawn and planting a few plants.

Depending on your property and what you'd like to achieve, your landscaping may involve earthworks and site preparation, bringing in the correct soils, irrigation, lawn, garden beds, steel edging, plants, trees, decorative stone, stepping paths, retaining walls, nature strips and other finishing works.

All of those individual elements — along with materials, machinery and skilled labour — contribute to the final investment.

That's why we recommend allowing for landscaping as part of your overall new-home budget from the beginning whenever possible.

Have You Been Watching The Block?

If you've been watching The Block, you may have noticed something that really stood out to us.

Only a couple of weeks into the build and they're already talking about the landscaping budget.

Why?

Because experienced builders and renovators understand that landscaping isn't something you should suddenly think about once the house is finished and the budget has been spent.

It's part of the overall project.

Landscaping can also add significant value to a property. Great street appeal creates that all-important first impression, while a well-designed backyard adds usable living space and makes the entire home feel complete.

Think about two beautiful new homes sitting side by side.

One has builders loam, dirt and an unfinished entrance.

The other has green lawn, established garden beds, a feature tree, defined pathways and a beautifully landscaped entrance.

Which home immediately makes the stronger impression?

That's why landscaping deserves its own line in your building budget.

If The Block is already talking landscaping in the early stages of the build, it's probably worth adding it to your budget early too!

Why Is One Landscaping Quote So Much Cheaper Than Another?

This is a really important question.

When you're spending thousands of dollars on landscaping, it's completely understandable to compare quotes. In fact, we encourage homeowners to understand exactly what they're being quoted for.

But the cheapest quote isn't necessarily the best value.

Two quotes that appear to be for the same finished garden can include very different levels of preparation, materials and workmanship.

For example, a cheaper quote may save money by reducing soil preparation, using less suitable materials, installing a more basic irrigation system, leaving out weed matting beneath decorative stone, using different edging products or simply allowing less labour time to complete the job properly.

Some of those differences aren't obvious when you're looking at the finished landscape on day one.

The difference can become very obvious 12 months, two years or five years later.

Poor soil preparation can affect the health of your lawn and plants. Inadequate irrigation can lead to dry areas and ongoing watering problems. Incorrect preparation beneath paths, turf or garden areas can create maintenance issues that may eventually need to be repaired or completely redone.

A quote isn't just about what you can see when the job is finished.

It's also about what's underneath it.

At AC, We Don't Believe in Cutting Corners

Quality landscaping starts from the ground up.

At AC Landscape Gardening & Earthworks, proper preparation is an important part of how we work. Firstly, we get on site with the bobcat to remove builders loam and debris for a clean canvas.

We use appropriate soils when preparing roll-out lawn and garden beds, use weed mat beneath decorative stone where appropriate, and install quality products designed to provide a lasting result.

We also offer smart irrigation solutions such as fully automated B-Hyve irrigation systems, helping make watering your new landscape simple and efficient.

There may sometimes be a cheaper way to complete a landscaping project, but we won't recommend saving money in an area where we believe it could compromise the finished result.

We would rather help you adjust the project than compromise the quality of the work.

What If Our Quote Is More Than You Expected?

Please talk to us.

Receiving a quote that's higher than your original budget doesn't necessarily mean your landscaping plans have to stop.

We'd love the opportunity to discuss the quote with you and look at ways we may be able to bring the project closer to your budget without compromising the important foundations of the job.

That might mean changing some materials, simplifying certain areas, prioritising the front or backyard, completing the project in stages, or starting with the essentials and adding other features later.

Sometimes relatively small changes can make a significant difference to the overall price.

New Home Landscaping Packages to Suit Different Budgets

We've developed our New Home Landscaping Packages to make the process easier for homeowners.

Rather than feeling like you need to complete absolutely everything at once, we can help you choose the level of landscaping that suits your home, priorities and available budget.

From essential irrigation, roll-out lawn and pathways through to garden beds, decorative finishes, nature strips and feature planting, there are different ways to turn that empty block into a finished outdoor space.

And if one of our packages isn't quite right, talk to us about what you need.

Don't Wait Until You Get the Keys

If you're currently building a new home, now is the perfect time to start thinking about the outside.

Even if your house won't be finished for several months, having an idea of your landscaping budget early can help prevent that horrible moment at the end of the build when you realise there's nothing left in the budget for the yard.

Your landscaping isn't just the finishing touch.

It's part of your home.

It's where the kids play, where you entertain friends and family, where you sit outside after work and, at the front, it's the first thing people see when they arrive.

You've invested in building your dream home.

Let's make sure the outside feels like home too.

Talk to AC Landscape Gardening & Earthworks

Building a new home in Mildura or the Sunraysia region?

Contact us to discuss your landscaping plans, budget and our New Home Landscaping Packages.