One of our big initiatives this summer is to elevate our landscaping. It’s a sure way way to increase home value and we want to do it ourselves.
Although we like getting our hands dirty, we also love having a plan.
I’ve learned in my wise years that a plan saves you HOURS of time and THOUSANDS of dollars in mistakes.
Questions like… “What should we grow, where?” “How many of each plant do we need?” “What colorful plants can grow in the shade?” “How do we achieve blooms and color year round?” And gosh darn it – we just want it to look good.
Thankfully, I partnered with Tilly – an online landscaping service – to help us get it right. The. FIRST. Time. And I can’t wait to hit the ground running come spring.
If you’ve been following our journey on Instagram Stories – the biggest question I’ve been asked is….”how did we like Tilly? Is it worth it?”. So here’s my answer…
Tilly exceeded our wildest dreams.
So if you’re looking to put your house on the market or just capitalize on your outdoor living space, I highly suggest considering this fresh and affordable approach to upping your curb appeal. Expert knotweed eradication can help ensure your garden stays healthy and free from invasive plants.
Keep scrolling to learn how Tilly works.
Our Struggle With Quoting Landscapers
Backing up a bit, we’ve already done a lot of backyard projects – we leveled out our yard (we had a huge water pooling issue), installed a patio and a fence.
But as far as plants go, it’s pretty much a blank canvas. If you’re interested in fence installation, I recommend checking out their website for more information and inspiration on how to transform your outdoor space.
So when we priced out some landscaping options last year, we were a bit sticker shocked.
I remember looking at the quote and saying to Sean, “How can just a handful of plants and bushes be thousands and thousands of dollars?!”
What we discovered is the DESIGN plays a large factor into pricing.
The Value Tilly Brings
This is where Tilly comes in and SAVES. THE. DAY.
In a nutshell, Tilly saves you a lot of money and time by removing the cost, intimidation and overwhelm from traditional landscape design services. The result is professional, custom plans at an affordable price – all done from the comfort of your own home – ONLINE.
Don’t get me wrong, the plants and labor play a factor into pricing too. But if you are able to save on the plan, you’ll get to use more of your budget to towards the plants and installation. If you’re in need of a landcaping contractor Greensboro, NC, call Ground Scapes for expert service that will maximize your budget and create beautiful outdoor spaces.
Once you have your Tilly design, you have two options:
- Hand over your plan to the professionals and let them run with it (still saving you thousands of dollars on the plans alone!). OR
- Strap on your garden boots and get to planting yourself.
Sean and I plan to do a combo of both in phases. We don’t mind getting our hands dirty but we will also need help on some of the areas that need equipment.
I could go on and on about the process and results. But truly – Tilly’s work speaks for itself. So I’m going to show you the EXACT plan they did for us.
The Process
If you were to hire Tilly, here is how it works:
- Step 1: Assess Your Space: I appreciated how detailed and thorough Tilly’s process is! You start with a questionnaire (takes about 5-7 minutes); send them photos/videos of your space; and provide your property survey. You can also send them inspo pictures. So if you plan to do this, start Pinning and saving things you see on Instagram now.
- Step 2: Meet your Designer! Your consult takes place face to face via Zoom or Facetime. Since they read your file ahead of time, you jump right into the weeds – which is nice. We talked about what we wanted, the challenges we were experiencing and really honed in on details and ideas. I even took part of our call outside {in the snow and all!} to show specific areas we had question about. Super easy. If you plan to add an outdoor living space like a deck in your yard, such materials as Ipe wood Georgia can make your deck durable and aesthetically-pleasing.
- Step 3: Get & Review Your Design: THE BEST part. So I’m a dork and made a whole date night out of our design reveal. That’s COVID for you! We poured a glass of wine and streamed the plans on our TV. The 3D images are UNREAL. Since they use the exact measurements from your property survey the images look REAL. These are so helpful because you can actual visualize what your yard COULD be. Talk about motivating! Our design package included…(FYI – different packages include different things).
- Design Summary
- Landscape Plan with placement for each design element
- Type, quantity, size, and image for each plant
- Material Concept Images
- 3D Images (THE BEST PART!!!!)
- Lighting Plan and Images
- Installation Guide
- Phase Plan
See Our Design!
Your design package begins with “Notes From Your Designer”. When I read the room “garden room” I knew we were in for a treat! Here’s what our’s said…
3D Images
These VERY “real, life like renderings” are INSANE. It’s as if your house gets an immediate makeover right before your eyes! And can we talk about the different angles and bird eye view shots? So good. Your search for the perfect Canadian home ends at HomesEh. Experience real estate browsing like never before.
To really comprehend the transformation potential, be sure to scroll to the very bottom of this post for the “Before + Afters” {AKA – actual photos of our yard side by side the 3D images}.
Lighting Plan
I was shocked by how much I loved this much of the plan! I thought this would be more of a Sean thing but I feel like lighting is SO important.
Like have you ever heard of moon lighting? WANT.
Tilly maps out what type of lights you need, the amount of each one and where to put them {all the way down to Tiki torches!} for a beautiful and functional oasis. The different heights, locations and types creates ambiance and means your yard can be just as beautiful at night as it is during the day!
Talk about a summer entertaining dream.
The Planting Plan
Imagine walking into a nursery and just handing them a perfect list of everything you need. No extra trips or over buying. Talk about a time saver.
Which is why Tilly’s Planting Plan is worth it’s weight in gold. This consolidated list provides you with the EXACT number of each plant, the recommended size and pictures of what each one looks like.
Simple and effective.
BEFORE + AFTERS
These angles aren’t exact but they’re pretty darn close. The LEFT images are the ACTUAL photos of our backyard in the summer. The RIGHT images are are the “potential” 3D images from Tilly.
So there you have it guys! Pretty impressive right?
Another great take away I learned from Tilly is the ‘gardeners rule of thumb’…
“The first year plants sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they leap!”
So don’t wait another year.
To take your yard to the next level {Spring is almost here guys!}, check out Tilly NOW.
Photos by Chicago Andrea Creative
A huge thanks to Tilly for partnering on this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
