Landscaping, what think you may know may not be sufficient. You've made your decision, you've arranged for your financing, you've decided to either act as the general contractor yourself or you've contracted with the builder of your choice and now you have time to turn your attention to your landscaping. What you may not realize could be costly. This is a case of buyer beware!
Are you aware of your area or neighborhood by-laws in regards to landscaping? Is there a mandatory minimum of shrubs, flowers, trees and/or sod that must be placed in the front yard? Does the developer want a corner lot to have a side-yard fence or do they want the whole yard fenced? Is stone and wrought iron fencing required? Who does the final grade so your final grade certificate can be issued and you can commence putting in place your dream yard project? Does your builder even do the final grade? Do they only do the preliminary and YOU have to apply for the final grade approval?
Are there retaining walls required? Do they need to be engineered? These are all questions you need to ask - and preferably before you have maxed yourself to the hilt with your mortgage.
Same old thing, - remember to ask questions - LOTS of questions. What you don't know could come back to haunt you!
On the flip side, some landscaping controls can be a wonderful thing. It can make a neighborhood go from mediocre to stunning!
