Start Planning Your Spring Projects in Winter

As the temperature drops outside, it’s the perfect time of year to plan your spring project.

Too many people wait until spring to start their hardscape patio, retaining wall or other outdoor living space. They soon find that if they’d spent some time doing three things a few months earlier, their dream space would be done more quickly and without as many headaches.

Step 1: Create an inspiration gallery

The most important thing is to come up with ideas for your outdoor living space. How big of a hardscaped patio do you want? What color and size pavers? Where will a retaining wall go? The options might seem endless. That’s where an inspiration gallery can help.

Spend some time looking around the internet and flag design ideas that appeal to you. If you see something at a friend’s house that’s especially appealing, snap a picture and add it to the gallery. Have your spouse and family do the same. If you need help getting started, check out some inspirations online.

Then share your ideas. Discuss what would work best for your aesthetic tastes and functional needs. You don’t need to make every decision now, but when you sit down with your designer and contractor, having some ideas will help them understand what you’re looking for.

Step 2: Talk to contractors about your outdoor living space

Spring is a busy season for contractors. Smart homeowners start talking to them months in advance. They share their inspiration gallery and work with designers to finalize plans for hardscapes, retaining walls and firepits.

They find the one they like best – and who has the best prices – and get on their calendar well in advance. Then, when spring comes, everyone is ready to break ground so that you can enjoy your new outdoor living space by summer.

Step 3: Find a supplier with the colors and styles you want

Pavers and other building materials for outdoor living spaces can be in short supply come spring. Available inventory of popular colors and shapes dries up. The sinking feeling in your stomach when your color choice isn’t available is awful. You don’t have to compromise if you do some work in advance.

Your contractor can help you identify suppliers months in advance so that you can lock down the supplies you will need for your dream project.

Winter preparation sets up spring success

By starting planning for a spring project in fall or winter, homeowners and DIYers can avoid a lot of pitfalls that plague procrastinators. By assembling an inspiration gallery, talking to contractors and finding suppliers, your hardscape patio, retaining wall or other outdoor living space project will be on track for spring success.