I’m seeking some advice on creating some resemblance of a garden around our newly completed house project. Quite a bit of backfill soil + top soil needs to be brought in and moved around. We also need to create some kind of decent driveway and stairs with terrace to the entryway. It’s in volumes you could not easily move things around with some kind of machines. So here are some things I was considering:
- renting some kind of earth moving equipment, unsure what is allowed or what kind of license would be needed for the smallest type of machine?
- utilizing companies in Germany to save some costs, since the house is in Schaffhausen
- maybe renting guy with small backhoe vs going with a landscaping company
We did get a quote from a local company for 40k.. This might be quite normal for the amount of work, but it really only got me a temporary terrace and not even a final driveway by the sounds of it.
I guess the overall intention of this thread to find some ways or ideas how to reduce cost with a mix of self work and hiring help for some items.
Judging by the offer I assume the job would include quite a lot of drainage, retaining walls and complicated surfaces, right? If the 'house project' was just completed I think the smartest choice is to just go back to the architect who designed the house and ask if it's possible to simplify the plans for the garden and make it less grandiose while still being in line with local regulations and the environment.
As you can see from the current rainy season it's not a good idea to cut the costs too much as water can quickly take over the landscape. I don't think you could save a lot with a German company as current prices are mainly driven by energy and material prices (hydraulic fluid was in short supply during COVID), so my tips on what is worth reconsidering without knowing the details:
-Using prefabricated building materials that can save time
-Unpaved driveway (stabilised gravel/soil is actually really cool when done right)
-Mines and forestries have their own equipment to maintain roads, move around waste and clear ditches, so sometimes they also do contracting work. They do not really work on residential projects, but you never know - even if they don't, they may be able to recommend a subcontractor that does.
I can't help with things like driveways (ours is gravel, which is a weed magnet), but I come from a landscaping family. Please heed the advice in the above post regarding drainage. It can mean the difference between a thriving garden and a sodden swamp. Also, when it comes time to plant the area, plump for decent soil and additives (sand, perlite, aged manure) that will get your expensive plants, trees and shrubs off to a good start. No sense spending a fortune on plants, only to have them wither and die because you bought cheap field dirt.
this is great advice. I have no landscaping knowledge BUT, when we bought, the constructor used the soil from the house in the garden (we have a basement so there was a lot of soil)... for about 2-3 years our garden was cr*p until we got some proper help from a gardener and the first thing he said was your soil is cr*p
OMG, this is soil that in the US is called "mighty still." It is from deep in the ground where there is a dearth of nutrients and minerals and almost no worm or insect enrichment. Worse than field dirt! First order of the day is to invest in a soil test so you know what to add.
no idea about gardening/landscaping, but to get a feel for the costs you could also put up an add on renovero.ch and invite a few who send in offers to come and view then finalize their offers. I ve done this with other things and it s quite helpful, also the reviews of the companies there have helped me find reliable people.