Gardening - DIY or hire a pro?
Isidora Markovic
6 years ago
Houzzers - when you hear "gardening" do you think "therapeutic pastime" or "stressful ordeal"?
Fulham 1, London · More Info
Do you have green fingers, loving to spend spare hours tending to your garden, or would you never dream of taking matters into your own hands, resorting to professional help every time?
Vote and leave us a comment below letting us know which side of the fence you fall on and why!
Always hire a pro
Always DIY
Depends on the job
Other - comment below!
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Comments (18)
angelboyman
6 years ago
Louise Clark
6 years agoRelated Discussions
meet the Pro's and fellow Design Enthusiasts !
Comments (59)Hi all I'm Carolyn from Brampton, Ontario. It's nice to read the bios and meet everyone who is so committed to décor and design. I studied Interior Decorating at Sheridan College about 30 years ago - yikes, I think I was 10 - a real prodigy :-) Kidding aside, it's a wonderful time to be in this field with all of the new technology, resources and product available to us. Like Keitha I started when my children were small. I remember having to design and water colour render a 2500 square foot house for our final project and now it's almost all done on the computer. A "Diva" I'm not. For me my job is about helping my clients create spaces that reflect them, who they are, where they have been and how they live. Helping them to define what they want and show them how to achieve it. The process is a collaboration and usually involves a team of contractors, trades and suppliers who all value the same commitment to providing exceptional, professional and timely service, whether it be a small or large budget. I guess it stands to reason that since my second passion is cooking my favourite spaces to design are kitchens. Creating a kitchen that not only looks good, but works and is a pleasure to be in is a great sense of accomplishment. I don't profess to know everything there is about design but I do know where to find the answers and am definitely a pit bull when it comes to a challenge. Not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse, but my mind doesn't stop exploring the possibilities until we find the best possible solution. It's definitely a profession where you are always learning, revaluating, exploring new possibilities and ideas and growing. I feel privileged to have worked with so many wonderful people over the years, as clients and associates and have made many lifelong friends through the process. My clients range from Baby Boomers who are downsizing and starting on a new path in their lives to young urban professionals who are just starting their lives and families. I look forward to learning and seeing all of the new projects here on Houzz and wish you all well. I'd also like to thank OnePlan for starting the post. It's a pleasure to meet so many like minded people....See MorePlease help ! - Trying to create a Garden with Privacy
Comments (60)If you want privacy at the front of your home to stop people to seeing in, then you could either change your gates to completely enclosed the area and have a CCTV system set up so visitors can alert you when they arrive. Or preferably, you could separate the two drives by erecting a fence between the two garage doors and plant a nice tall hedge 3/4 of the way along the front boundary to obscure the view of the main house. You could then reverse round the hedgerow and park the car at an angle so it is partially obscured by the hedgerow, with CCTV and security lights shining down from the top of the garage to give you peace of mind. It would be lovely to remove the gates and be able to look out of your front door and see the hedgerows, and they would also help to muffle the sound of the traffic...See MoreRoom you are most likely to hire a pro for?
Comments (13)Kitchens have the most demand of function placed on them and more than ever as homes are extended and re-purposed. Home owners have usually already got ideas of style and colour but it is really important to make a kitchen function at its best - and that includes clever storage and the correct materials. As this differs from home to home and family to family an experienced eye is invaluable. Help from a knowledgeable Pro to find the latest solutions in materials, storage and appliances will ensure the home owner doesn't miss a trick and that the final scheme is right for them and their situation....See MoreNew kitchen remodeling - architect or designer? SW11 London
Comments (12)Hi Paula, Wow loads of great advice already ! I'd suggest you ask your builder if he can recommend a structural engineer, that he's worked with previously, to come and view the stack - it may be that by extending the thick nub on bottom left of that area marked, that you can then put one beam across to support above? ( but I'm not a SE - so you will need on site advice for this !!) I'm the concept planner that Minnie added the link for ( thank you Minnie !!) We sell purely design, no product. So charge for our services, rather than making a mark up on what you buy, like a showroom would. (We have a few types of service - the most expensive, for a project this size, is about the same cost as a good dishwasher) But that does mean you get a PDF with all the plans/elevations/colour perspectives, panoramics and item listing to shop around with, which means you can compare like for like and negotiate great deals with showrooms/studios/even online suppliers of kitchen furniture and appliances etc. We can even supply colour A3 prints, if you want, too ! So we are a bit different to a free studio service - but can work well for busy people who want an input into the design stage ( we have a service that involves you throughout the design process over a five day period) and those who want to approach a few different studios or online suppliers to quote, but that don't have the time to deal with several site visits from several designers and to sit through several presentations that are all different - so it becomes a bit confusing to see who's offering the best deal ! You simply email them your design PDF - or drop them in a printed copy, ask for their best price as you are shopping around. All they need to do initially is price it - so much easier for the studios too ! Anyway enough of the 'sales pitch' from me ! Best wishes for your project, which ever route you choose ! :-)...See MoreIsidora Markovic
6 years ago
Heidi Cullen
6 years agoI have a rule - NO-ONE touches my plants but ME. We have a relationship as most have been grown from seed or cutting. I know what they want and how they like to be treated. However, any building, hard landscaping or fencing etc. I leave to my tame professional Ollie. He has just completed a cat climbing frame, a bench and a raised bed for me. The frame will have climbers all over it eventually and won't look quite so bare. The cats love it and so do I.
Isidora Markovic
6 years agoHeidi Cullen
6 years ago
Marcella Quail
6 years ago
Sonia
6 years agoS Sanders
6 years agoI recommend a combination of professional help and DIY. Since In recent years I had been doing the garden myself but last year I injured my back and the weeding and maintenance got away from me. I had a real problem to locate a gardener rather than a garden clearer! Now my wonderful female gardeners have got on top of the garden for me so that I can do the enjoyable aspects such as planting and designing.
- PRO
User
6 years ago craftycountess
6 years agoI designed my own but got the landscapers in for a complete transformation, now it is low maintenance and a relaxing place to sit....
Not to everyone's taste but suits me now I'm approaching the 70's
User
6 years ago
Emmeline Westin
6 years agoIsidora Markovic
6 years ago
Liz Mooney
6 years agoWe did both our front and back gardens our selfs .A lot of hard work but now we can enjoy it :)
PROBlooming Planters Garden Design
6 years agoI started by designing my own garden & then building it before training as a Garden Designer. If you have time to do it yourself, you will save money but you could also make expensive mistakes. I would suggest hiring a pro to do the planning & building as structure is something you see all year round. Plants are relatively cheap to buy & experiment with but hard landscaping is better done by those with experience.
Here are some photos of my garden.
PROMark Lane Designs
6 years ago
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