If you’re building a new custom home, you definitely want to think about what the exterior will look like—and that includes the landscaping. A well-thought-out landscape design can enhance and beautify your home. In fact, curb appeal is one of the first things your guests and neighbors will notice. Here are helpful tips to consider as you design the yard of your dreams:

Budget Accordingly: Creating a budget is the first step to take when making landscape design choices. Knowing how much you want to spend will help keep your ideas realistic. It will also allow your designer to develop an achievable landscaping plan and help hold them accountable to the agreed upon budget.

Plan the Design: Just like any other major home improvement project, you want to outline a plan before breaking ground. Your home builder may offer landscaping services, or, you may want to hire a professional landscaping design company. Work with them to brainstorm ideas, talk about materials and sketch out a design. That way you can ensure what you envision is brought to life.

Balance Form and Function: Another factor to consider is your lifestyle and what activities you love to do outside. Do you want to incorporate a backyard patio for those summer BBQs? Or an open space for your kids to play? What about a water feature or a fire pit? All of these will play into your landscape design plan, so it’s important to think about them at the beginning of the process.

Make Sure It’s Manageable: You may have lofty goals for your landscaping, but you also want to create a design you can maintain. Whether you plan on doing it yourself or hiring a lawn maintenance company, make sure your landscape design is sustainable for how much time and money you’re willing to spend on it each year.

We hope these tips help you during your custom home building process. Just remember to get creative and have fun! At the end, you’ll have your dream home and a beautiful yard to enjoy. Looking for a great place to build in Louisville? Check out our custom-home communities: The Woods at Landherr and The Reserve at Fox Run.