Here in NY, Dutchess County homeowners get to experience the beauty of the 4 seasons. And with that beauty also comes the opportunity to plan, design, and build different home improvement projects according to Mother Nature’s schedule for best results. For landscaping and outdoor living projects the best time for gathering those ideas and inspiration is in the winter months.
Coming out of the gates when the warmer weather breaks with a completed landscape design plan and a landscape contractor chosen for your project means a huge leg up. Because you worked with the landscape company in the “off” season hashing out the all the details, chances are great that you will be enjoying your outdoor spaces by late spring or early summer. That beats a torn up backyard construction site any day!
So where do you turn for backyard landscaping ideas and inspiration?
Websites of Hudson Valley Landscaping Companies
A great place to start is by browsing the websites of professional landscape contractors in your area. Like with any industry, there is a huge variance in quality of workmanship and skill across contractor options. Browsing websites will help you begin to narrow down the choices of available landscapers.
Houzz.com for Landscape Design Inspiration
An amazing resource for planning outdoor living spaces is Houzz.com. Projects from all over the country are featured on the site and you can search by project type. Awesome, right? Yes, it really is. Houzz will give you the big picture of what is possible, bit remember to keep your budget in mind. The luxury on the website can be intoxicating :)
Product Catalogs from Manufacturers like Unilock
Catalogs displaying products for outdoor living like concrete pavers and retaining wallstone, pergolas, outdoor kitchen kits, and water features are a great place to look for landscaping ideas. Most always free, these catalogs are beautifully printed and the project photography is most often superb. Great inspiration abound in these books.
Gathering ideas for your landscaping project is a fun process for sure. Just be sure to not wait too long to engage with potential landscape contractors so that they can help provide advice along the way. Here’s to winter planning!
