Should You Landscape Your New Build Right Away or Wait? Here’s What Experts Recommend

While the timeline for planning your new build’s interior features is straightforward, deciding when to complete landscaping and exterior projects is less clear.   

Landscaping plays an important role in curb appeal and makes your new build look and feel finished. But is it better to do outdoor projects right away, or should you wait?  

Typically, your new construction home comes with grading, grass/sod, topsoil and possibly a few foundational shrubs, but here are some tips on how to build on that blank canvas and how to time your projects.   

What’s the Budget?   

Your budget will influence timing, so that is a sensible place to start landscape planning. Generally, homeowners should expect to spend about 10-15 percent of their home’s value on landscaping, depending on the home’s size, available outdoor space, and complexity of outdoor projects.   

• Some homeowners find it easier to roll their landscaping budget in with their home purchase, to manage expenses better.  

• Other homeowners prefer to defer landscaping, or to phase projects to aid with affordability. 

Regardless of when you intend to complete your projects, it is beneficial to plan them during the construction phase and then earmark the funds when for when it suits your budget.  

 “The thing any new homeowner should do right away is come up with a complete, comprehensive plan before starting any landscaping,” says Jeromie Roberts, president at JNR Home Improvements, adding that “having a complete plan will help avoid doing individual portions or phases in the wrong order.”   

Benefits of Landscaping Right Away   

• Preserve design continuity. Tapping into the popular indoor/outdoor living trend, spaces should seamlessly flow, or intentionally contrast, with indoor living spaces. Planning indoor and outdoor space in tandem can keep design consistent. This is especially important with outdoor kitchens and entertainment spaces.  

•  Start tree and shrub growth early. An idyllic tree canopy adds value, curb appeal, and privacy, and can help with energy efficiency by keeping your home cooler during hot weather. Trees and shrubbery can take years to mature, so you may want to plant sooner rather than later. 

 A side note: it can be difficult to transplant growing trees and shrubs healthily, so ensure your planting plan is well-researched.   

• Assist with erosion and drainage. Initially, your new build will be surrounded by loose, uncovered soil that will be vulnerable to erosion from rainfall. Applying ground cover as soon as your home is built can direct rainfall away from your home and keep your lawn area intact. 

One more consideration for planting now vs waiting: if your home is one of the first or last in the neighborhood to be built. Dust and debris from ongoing construction can be harmful to plantings. However, if construction is mostly done, heavy equipment kept to a minimum, and final touches such as curb and sidewalks completed, it makes sense to complete your landscaping right away.   

Smart Reasons to Postpone Landscaping   

• To allow the soil to settle. The ground around your new build has been through a lot, between excavation, backfilling and grading, and it can take several months to a year or two for the soil to settle properly, which matters when putting in patios and walkways.  

• To give yourself time to observe natural conditions. Wait and see how light, wind or other elements interact with your outdoor space. These will ultimately affect how you use your outdoor features. 

• To accommodate seasonality and plant health. Depending on location, some plantings have a specific window (often spring or fall) where they are more likely to root and thrive when planted. If you proceed with planting outside that window, those plantings are more likely to fail. 

Taking a Phased Approach   

A phased approach can be helpful to spread out costs, or to give you time to consider your options.    

"First the site is graded, and the utilities are installed. Then hard surfaces and drainage, and only after that they do the planting and the lawn. [A phased] approach allows you to use the yard gradually and at the same time avoid alterations,” says Josh Heston, co-owner of  ALC Property Maintenance.  

Generally, you should do the backyard before the front yard, and hardscaping before softscapes to avoid damage to work you have already done. The following is a generally good plan to follow:  

1. Infrastructure  

• Install irrigation systems.  

• Complete lighting, electrical, plumbing, and gas installation (or rough ins) during construction for outdoor living spaces. 

• If you intend to have a backyard pool, install the shell early, to avoid damage to new landscaping with heavy construction equipment. 

• Use planters or small garden beds for low-commitment curb appeal until the soil has settled. 

  2. Landscaping 

“Install your hardscape and structural components soon after the main construction is finished to establish the framework and prevent damage from ongoing work,” says Javier Lazaro of Lazaro Contracting Inc.  

• Install decks, patios and walkways.  

• Add backbone plants, perennials, and planting beds.  

• Plant trees and shrubs. 

  3. Design and Decorate  

• Finish outdoor kitchen, living spaces, and seating areas. 

• Install lighting and sound systems. 

• Include a fire pit 

• Decorate with potted plants, privacy screens, and outdoor rugs.

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