Garden planning - no budget

First, you should make a list of what you absolutely have to / want to do.
Something like: curbstones, a fence or similar. In our development area, some houses are required to have a border stone because the plots lie higher than those of the neighbors. A fence is also important for us because many dogs run around. That can cost a lot of money, even if you do it yourself (and time).
Something like paths -> you can just throw the €2.5 slabs from the hardware store onto the lawn and have an adequate path with stepping stones,...
A hedge is nice, but with 650 sqm it can also get expensive,...

Actually, has already said everything.

For the soil replacement/topsoil, hope that construction takes place in the area and usable soil is generated there. Then speak directly with the earthworks contractor and "redirect" the trucks. Instead of driving long distances and possibly having to pay landfill fees, your garden can also be advantageous for the earthworks contractor.

First, you should make a list of what you absolutely have to/want to do. Something like: curbstones, a fence, or similar.

Good idea. On my list were:

- gravel gutter (cost us 1000 euros)
- compacting and graveling the paths (included in our house price)
- site planning (also included in the house price)
- grass seeds (about 400 euros for us)
- lawn tractor (1400 euros)

Still missing today:
- fence (I like dogs ).
- paving paths
- terrace

What we have achieved after almost 1 year:
- planting a hedge - yeah! 160m!
- planting trees
all done ourselves with help from family.

I finally managed it faster with colored pencils and pre-built the terrace for the landscape gardener with Lego, because the walls and staggered levels made it a bit difficult for people to imagine it

I also think the Lego idea is cool, I will try it right away for our paving planning.

already wrote it: back in the car and playing tourists in residential areas again: this time in older residential areas to see how they have arranged front gardens or what it looks like when fully grown

Nice if I have made Lego appealing to some of you again. You can also use it well to reconstruct floor plans and recognize non-harmonic room layouts! Later you can pass the Legos on to the kids or invest in roofs again and build a house model

Regards Yvonne

Hello
: But the thing with the excavation dumped elsewhere only makes sense if it’s topsoil, right? Most just want to get rid of their stone-filled clay soil, which we already have ourselves.
For the visiting dogs, I’ll put out a water bowl, hehe.
For the lawn, I was thinking of a non-motorized reel mower. I’d rather do quiet work for longer than short noisy work... Fortunately, those reel mowers don’t cost a fortune. Even though my husband might have more fun with the tractor.
: Yes, the surrounding neighborhoods actually already know us from our house planning exploration tours. ops: