Your garden, just like any other space outside your house, serves as an extension of your home. Call it a room outside your house. You can find ways of bringing this room to life and making you enjoy it more than just being happy with extra outdoor space. But how can you do that?
Constructing a garden in your home might be a challenging task. In addition, it comes with a lot of responsibilities especially when it comes to maintenance. That notwithstanding, here are a few tips for smooth and successful garden construction projects.
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7 Tips for Smooth Garden Construction Projects
Check Stairways and Steps in Your Garden
Chances are that you are going to have outdoor stairways and steps in your garden. You need to make sure that they are gently ascending. If not, they will look difficult and tiresome to use. Ensure that they do not exceed a rise of about six inches.
The depth of every step and twice the height should not be more than 26 inches. This means that if your steps have a rise of six inches, then you need a maximum run of not more than 14 inches.
In case you have a staircase in the garden exceeding ten steps, make sure to include a landing in the fourth step. This is essential in making progress easy. Make sure that your landings match the wideness of the stairs.
Provide Elbow Room to Your Deck and Patios
Decks and patios are some of the best spaces you can have in your home, especially when entertaining family and/or friends. If you will be doing this, then you need to make sure that you have enough space that can accommodate mingling and dining.
The first thing is to look at the average number of people you will be hosting. After that, and depending on the size of your garden, give each of your guests not less than four square feet. You will also need to plan enough space for your furniture.
Avoid Loose and Slick Paving
You might decide to add paving on your pathways or certain areas of your garden where you will not be planting anything. When doing this, you need to make sure that the paving you install gives you safe footing.
You should avoid using loose or slick paving and surfaces that might wobble. Some materials you need to avoid include smooth tiles and polished granite. This is because such materials might be slippery, especially during winter or the rainy season.
Instead, consider using gravel walkways, especially unsifted gravel. This is because such gravel comes with different sizes of aggregates that can provide you with safe and solid footing.
In addition, ensure that your pavements are slightly sloped to avoid the pooling of water.
Get to Know How the Construction Process Works, Including Key Terminology
You might think that garden construction projects are small projects that should not bother you as long as you have hired a person or a garden construction company to take care of everything for you.
Well, this is not true. Any construction project needs a lot of work. If you want the project to be successful, make sure that you understand the entire process and key terminologies.
For instance, you do not have to ask your contractor what RFI is. These are some of the terms you need to keep at your fingertips. With such knowledge, it will be easy for you to see any anomalies and keep your contractors in check throughout the project.
In addition, this will ensure that your garden construction project proceeds without any problems.
Set Up Watering Near the Garden
Perennial plants are among the least demanding you can have in your garden. However, they also need watering just like any other plants you might have. This means that you need to think about watering when working on your garden construction project.
If you plan to have vegetables, annuals, or planters, then make sure that you have set up watering near the garden. There are different options for you to choose from, but one of the best is to have a hose snaking through the garden bed. This can be controlled by hose guides.
In addition, you need to attach your cleaning and watering nozzles and store them near the garden. This does not need an expensive setup. All you need is a plastic container to store the nozzles.
You can attach the watering nozzle to your hose. This ensures that everything to do with watering and cleaning is easy instead of having to look for the tools whenever they are needed.
Include a Wide Pathway
One of the most important things when working on a garden construction project is to make sure that you have wide pathways that offer comfortable passage. You will be using this pathway to inspect your garden and enjoy its scenic views.
How would you feel if you had to squeeze via small spaces in your own home? If you want to add thoroughfares, make sure that they are wide to fit at least two people without any problems. This means that they should be at least five feet.
You can also add secondary pathways that are comfortable for a single person to walk comfortably. These pathways should not be less than three feet. When planning your pathways, consider how tall your plants will be. Taller plants might require you to have wider pathways.
Check the Health of Your Soil
Most people think that sunlight and water are the only important components they need to look at for their gardens. Even though their importance cannot be underlooked, the soil is also an important factor that determines how successful your garden project will be.
Before starting the project, inspect the soil to ensure that it is strong and rich for your plants. It is essential for you to learn how to adjust your soil's ph for this task.
In addition, you do not need to till the garden. This is because there are living organisms in your garden soil that work the soil naturally and add nutrients to the soil. If you till it, you will be killing the life in the soil.
Start Your Garden Construction Project Today
When it comes to garden construction projects, there are different options for you to choose from. Unfortunately, most gardeners do not know how and where to start.
Others do not know how to handle the project and the things they need to do for a smooth and successful garden construction project. Fortunately, these are things you do not have to worry about.
This article discusses some of the best tips you need to follow and look at to ensure that your project is successful. Even though some of them might not be applicable to you depending on your requirements, most of them will work on any garden project to make it smooth and successful.
Following these tips, you will find it easy to manage a smooth and successful garden construction project.
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