What is the best ROI in Landscaping?
As much as I want to start this article by telling you to not Google "Landscaping ROI", the reality is you likely already did unless you are catching this in your email because you have already joined the Sierra tribe. There is no shortage of articles on this topic. Written from all walks, AI, marketing firms, lead generation services, landscapers, realtors, the list goes on. At Sierra though we want to answer the question a little differently, because the right answer varies from person to person. We will reveal our position later in this article.
Recently, during a post job interview with a family they shared, "It was not a matter if we could do it (landscaping), it became a conversation of how much was right for us." What they meant was, they knew they would be landscaping the new to them home. What they did not yet know was how much landscaping they really wanted or needed to feel right about it.
The Story
Flashback to January. The conversation started when Sean and Kathy started realizing every time that they got snow, when it melted it created a sheet of ice across their driveway. This was totally acceptable for the last resident because it was a summer cabin. The seasonal drainage issues of the property were a non issue. Sean and Kathy loved the area so much they decided when they were ready to take a step back from city life, that this area was their next stop in life. This situation though was deal breaker. Drainage issues are a relatively easy fix, but the property needed a little more.
In addition to the drainage, the home lacked a proper entrance to have guests use. Since it was a less often visited cabin, the landscaping was non existent. This needed to change. The discussion quickly shifted to, "If we are going to do this, what exactly do we want and what do we need." Sean and Kathy though certainly capable of figuring this out, also understood, when you want to get it right you call in the experts. In collaboration with long time associate Mary Stone, author of Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, The Sierra and Stone Associates Landscape Design team worked closely with Sean and Kathy to get to the bottom of the lingering question. "What's right for us?"
The Pain
As the process always does, we started with understanding that drainage was a necessary evil. And I mean evil because it's the equivalent to taking a bunch of cash, throwing it in a shoe box, digging a hole in the backyard, and well you know the rest. I often joke with clients when drainage comes up saying, "I'm fairly certain you did not wake up this morning excited to talk to me about drainage?" The thing with drainage is you rarely see it, you only experience it. If your basement is dry, your driveway is free of ice, and your garden hasn't washed into the lake, then it is doing its job.
The discussion for Sean and Kathy involved so much more though. It became a discussion of the master vision for the property. A multi-phase approach. What is getting done this year, and what is getting done in the future. It was not a question of "if". It became a question of when, and how much at each point. A formal plan was created and comprehensive planning was implemented to ensure that Sean and Kathy got it right the first time.
The Solution
In the end, the new owners were excited to get started, so Sierra broke ground as soon as the weather allowed. Working through early season temperatures and occasional snow, the crews laid the foundation for what was still to come. The hardscape and drainage were set and everything prepped for when late spring rolled around and the correct time to plant came. The video below is the walkthrough of the entire phase 1, captured at completion of the planting.