Amid the COVID-19 crisis, many households have pursued improvement projects for their residential properties. While Forbes tagged 2020 as the Year of the Home, they considered 2021 as the year of the yard. But it appears that outdoor landscaping will remain ‘in’ next year.
As such, it’s a good idea to launch an outdoor landscaping business while the pandemic is here to stay. But before taking the plunge, do your research and perform due diligence. Check to see the landscaping needs of your local community. On top of these is to consider the type of landscaping services to offer.
Know that landscaping services come in various forms. As such, have specialization by providing certain landscaping services. That said, here are types of outdoor landscaping to offer:
1. House Extension Project
When it comes to outdoor landscaping services to offer, you can venture into some house extension projects. There are some outdoor structures you can construct extended from houses. Below are a few recommendations:
- Deck: This is an open porch that extends from a house. However, this outdoor platform doesn’t have a roof.
- Patio: This is a paved area installed directly on the ground. This outdoor structure can be attached to or detached from a house.
- Pergola: This outdoor structure typically has four columns supporting a roofing grid. It is usually attached to a house.
- Arbor: This is a relatively simple version of a pergola. This small structure is typically freestanding, unlike a pergola.
2. Pavement Construction
As far as outdoor landscaping services are concerned, you can get into pavement construction. The most notable ones for residential properties are the driveways and walkways. While driveways enable homeowners to have a smooth driving towards the garage, walkways allow them to stroll around the garden.
There is a handful of paving materials to consider for aesthetics and functionality. These include concrete, pavers, bricks, natural stones, and asphalt. Aside from pavement construction, you can also offer specific paving services such as asphalt paving repair.
3. Hardscape Installation
Another outdoor landscaping service you can offer is hardscape installation. For the uninitiated, hardscapes are outdoor structures considered non-living elements in landscaping or in a garden.
Some outdoor structures have already been discussed above, such as a deck, patio, pergola, and arbor. Other than these, you can consider the following hardscape elements:
- Retaining walls for garden
- Water features (such as water fountain)
- Bridge
- Firepit
4. Gate and Fence Installation
Many households aspire to have the main gate and fences around their residential properties. Installing them serves a handful of purposes: aesthetics, functionality, privacy, and security.
As a landscaping business, you can specialize in gate and fence installation. Be sure to offer various options to cater to the needs of different households. Opt for materials such as metal (wrought iron, aluminum, chain-link, etc.); wood (raw, stained, or painted); vinyl, PVC, or Polyresin; and composite (resembling other materials).
5. Lawn Care Services
It’s easy to see many households installing and maintaining a lawn, whether in their front yard or backyard. As such, consider offering lawn care services for your landscaping business.
That said, you can provide lawn services such as turf installation and lawn maintenance. You can also offer specific upkeep services such as water irrigation, soil aeration, weed removal, and pest control. You can even go as far as providing shrub trimming, tree pruning, and tree removal services.
6. Outdoor Gardening
Of course, we cannot proceed with landscaping services without highlighting outdoor gardening. As you can see, many households hire outdoor landscaping to help them set up and maintain a garden.
Why? A garden doesn’t only beautify the outdoor surroundings. It can foster the family’s overall health and well-being. Lastly, it can boost the property’s curb appeal and home value.
As such, you can specialize in home gardening for your landscaping business. It’s best to incorporate a theme garden or a customized one for your clients. Below are some theme gardens you might want to consider:
- Tropical garden
- Woodland
- Prairie
- Japanese garden
- French landscape
- Spanish garden design.
- Zen garden
At this point, you now know your options as far as landscaping services are concerned. When launching your landscaping business, consider offering those services recommended above, from house extension projects to hardscape installation to lawn care services.
Before taking the plunge, study your market and the needs of the locals. Also, be sure to factor in your business objectives, finances, workforce, and resources. From there, decide on what landscaping services to offer. With all these in mind, you’ll be able to launch your landscaping business on the right footing.
