The term phasing refers to the practice of creating a landscape plan, then installing one portion of a project immediately and making plans to install future portions in an orderly fashion.  Project phasing is an important way to implement your dream landscape in smaller portions, so that the overall design does not fall short of expectations.  We all would like a beautiful yard with many amenities including plants, patios, seating areas, and perhaps some specialty items such as a water feature or gazebo.  But when the budget falls short of the project goals, a competent design with a strategy for phased installation is essential.

There are many factors to consider when making a strategy for phasing in a landscape project.  The first factor is access.  The obvious choice in most cases is to complete the phases in the back yard first and work your way towards the front of your home.  This strategy maximizes the ease and cost benefits of the project as a whole.  The exception to this rule would be if there is an alley access or the property backs up to another street or open area.  Having multiple access points opens up options to customize a phasing strategy without adding to the cost.  

Access is not the only factor that must be considered when planning a phased installation.  Areas of high priority must be considered as well as functionally prudent areas.  A utilitarian sidewalk between home and garage, for example, must not be sacrificed completely for future access or be a lower priority than a front entrance or entertaining patio.  In all cases, there must be a balance between high priority areas and the overall functionality of the landscape.  The key, however, is not to install anything that would be in the way of future phases or be too costly to repair or replace as future work is done.  A detailed cost/benefit analysis can be completed to weigh the benefits of prioritizing certain areas and comparing that to the project budget.  

To find the best phasing strategy for an individual site a complete site design is critical.  Looking at the future goal for the entire site in plan form helps to clarify logical work zones, access points and restrictions.  It can indicate items that may need to wait until other phases of the project are complete or introduce possible solutions to access issues.  Future phases may change from the original overall plan, however having no overall vision usually leads to a very disjointed landscape, both visually and functionally.  The overall cost will also be higher when no design is considered, due to a lack of direction from the very start.

At Landscape Renovations we pride ourselves on creating artistic yet functional designs focused on the wishes and needs of the homeowner, their family, and their lifestyle.  The design phase is crucial to the success of the entire project, whether the installation is phased or not.  Once the landscape plan is complete, we will help you plan a strategy to bring your dream yard to reality.