You finally have that dream house you have always wanted you have spent many months working on the inside to get your new home decorated just right now the weather is warming up and you look outside and see a blank page just waiting for you design, plan and build a backyard oasis that enhances all the work that you have put into designing the indoors.



A good start is to make a list of everything you want to include in your oasis, write everything down remember the only thing that is permanent is change so even if you do not want a pool or hot tub at this time put it on the list, why? Well when planning a backyard oasis you need to plan for the future certain things such as a pool can only go in certain spots you need to work around things like your well, drain field and underground utilities while it is true you most likely will be able to change the location of these items the cost associated with relocation can be prohibitive.

The next step is to walk around your future oasis get a lay of the land look at drainage issue remember the water needs to flow away from your house, if your oasis is relatively level your options are fairly open however if your lot has steep inclines you may need to build up areas and put in retaining walls to make level areas for decks, patios and pools. This why it is good to try and plan for any features you may want to add later. The lay of the land will influence water features like a small river. Even though the topography of any lot can be changed it is much cheaper to take advantage of the existing terrain than to try and to rearrange nature.

When designing your oasis it is a good idea to work with a scale drawing of your lot and lay out all the major features like pools, decks and patios. Next add all the necessary features these could include things like privacy fences or hedges that you may want to include to hide areas from your neighbors or public areas. You can then move on to items like water features and trees. Remember to keep trees away from your drain field and over head wires. You can then move on to your smaller shrubs and the on to your flowers and smaller items. Keep in mind the colors of your trees, shrubs and flowers and arrange to suit your needs. Consulting with your local landscape supply house and local landscape companies can lead to some excellent design ideas.