Step (9/9): Maintenance

       Maintenance issues are important cost considerations, and should, of course, be addressed in earlier planning stages. For each proposed design, you should ask your contractor or designer what the maintenance issues will be, so you won’t have any surprises once your project is completed. Once it is complete, you’ll then want to ask them to develop a four-season maintenance plan to help protect your investment. If you’re doing it yourself, you should study your base plan and ask yourself the following questions

• When do you fertilize and with what?
• When do you prune trees and shrubs? And what trees and shrubs do you prune?
• When and how do you cut dead branches from trees?
• How and when do you apply treatments for diseased plants?
• How do you clean and maintain paving surfaces?
• When do you silicone or apply a finish to hardscaping?
• How often should you paint or stain a deck or fence?
• At what height should you keep your grass cut?
• When should you aerate your lawn?
• What effects will air pollution have on your hardscape, and what are the remedies?
• Will you need to lift and re-lay any settled paving stones in your walkways or driveways?

Armed with your maintenance plan, base plan, and construction drawings, you can now begin sourcing materials for the job.