Garden planning

[Chriselle 158]

Haha....that strapping young NHK guy HAS been coming around a lot lately......

[griller 9]

You're not hiding in the one way mirror closet when he comes are you?

 

[grungy-gonads 54]

No, it's the milkman in there

[Chriselle 158]

haha.....

[DumbStick 13]

Just got the first plan back from the more traditional company.

 

2.5 million yen without the garden shed. Oh and without tax. So basically well over 3 mill.

 

I know it's their starting point and all but.

Funny how the numbers add up.

 

The plan is ok but somewhat underwhelming. I can't say I'm particularly excited about it. Given me a few ideas though.

 

It's the other company that we both seem to be hoping will come up with the goods, they have been very responsive to ideas over the last week. Hopefully we'll get their initial idea by the weekend.

[Chriselle 158]

Yikes...!! :omg:

[DumbStick 13]

I must admit that I do have this habit of liking things that always seem to be quite expensive.

And it does include a lot of stuff right through to a complete garden with drainage and very nice fencing etc.

But this costing does seem too much for what it is. He says, without having any experience. Just a feeling. I know nothing!

 

Will be very interesting to see what the other dudes come up with. Perhaps I'll get more of an idea of about what I need to be thinking of.

[DumbStick 13]

Good thing is that they did give a pretty detailed breakdown of costs, not just a big number.

That is very interesting to see.

It's clear that a lot of nice fence (the idea was brick lower + iron/metal design top) is ---- not cheap.

[DumbStick 13]

Apart from a row of conifers, these are the trees they have chosen.

Possibly based on what we said, they said will explain when meet....

 

ヤマボウシ

カリン

サルスベリ

[634-maru 4]

I bet the fence was a considerable chunk of that total, depending on how much there was in there of course. (I think I remember you saying you want quite a bit though).

[DumbStick 13]

I was just looking at that. Fence-related is actually close to 40% of the total. Yikes!

Perhaps fence ideas need to be rethought!

[NoFakie 45]

3 million plus is not untypical from the "20 designer gardens" type books I've seen from the local library, sometimes just for 50 square meters or so.

 

From your description, my guess is that your fence, brick double thickness or brick tile on blockwork below plus vinyl fencing on top would be 70,000 yen plus per metre of length installed. For installation, the longer it is, the cheaper.

 

Even if you put a fence in, I guess most people would still put beds with shrubs etc. (i.e., stuff that costs money) in front of it. A lawn or hard landscaping extending all the way up to a fence will look pretty sabishii. If your fence is just for screening, you can do that with shrubs and trees.

 

A yamaboushi is a Japanese dogwood, a very common garden tree. You get big showy white flowers (the flower is actually the green bit in the center, but still) that mature into berries that are really creamy and quite tropical in taste, though not so many people eat them. Pretty good autumn colour too. A karin is a quince, the apple/pear like fruit used for making syrups and preserves (marmalade comes from the Portuguese "marmelo" for quince). We've got both, and the only thing to note is that a quince will grow very vertically, putting out lots of new vertical shoots every year, so its not the most attractive of trees. Ours was about three meters high when I bought it and it was 4,500 yen at the J Mart home center over where snowdude lives. Unlike apples, they are self pollinating, so you will get fruit off a single tree.

 

I don't know the English for sarusuberi, but its a flowering tree with a twisty trunk that is pink and a bit peely and has flowers that in the ones I've seen are a very showy pink. Again a pretty common garden tree in Japan.

 

Its too early in the year for many to be up yet, but Yahoo Auctions can give you a guide to the price of trees from various merchants. Here's a dogwood, for example

 

http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n126963073

[DumbStick 13]

Thanks Mr Wiggles. Tons of good info as always.

 

 

The initial plan/idea was for a tiered and curvy garden bed in front of the fencing with flowers and shrubs in there.

[NoFakie 45]

It sounds lovely, as does the fence. Its sounds like something an upmarket restaurant in a chic bit of Tokyo would have around its terrace.

 

Go on, show us the plan.

[muikabochi 208]

Does sound good.

 

I suppose the bottom line is - if you want something done really well, you're going to have to pay for it.

 

Good luck!

[DumbStick 13]

Thanks. The plan I was mentioning so far is still only in my head really. I'm waiting for someone to visualise it!

 

The company that sent me their plan yesterday, yappari, while I know it's just an original thing I just get the feeling that they don't have the kind of modern (for want of a better word) ideas I want. They also don't seem to want to communicate by email - I just get the feeling they are....... old-fashioned. I like to throw ideas around quickly and be in lots of contact, so not sure that kind of thing would work with those guys. I'll give them a chance though and meet at the weekend to discuss further.

 

I'm really hoping the other company comes up with good ideas. Meeting them on Sunday when he will show us his first outline. I have been in contact with him a few times since we met and he has pointed me in the direction of companies/catalogues of stuff to look at. Always replies to my emails quickly. I like that.

[SnowJapan#Andrew 6]

DumbStick, talking about garden sheds that are strong and long lasting, especially when there's snow involved, we had a look at some of the things here on recommendation from a friend

 

http://www.deasgarden.jp/

 

Nice.

 

Expensive!

 

Also for fences, Takasho have some interesting ideas.

[NoFakie 45]

If you do go with a fence, especially a solid one, ask the company what they think about air circulation in your garden. I don't have a fence, but we sometimes get a black mould on the leaves of our trees. For sitting in the garden too, obviously things get pretty hot in summer in Japan, so you don't want to shut out any breezes if you've got them.

[DumbStick 13]

Thanks for those recommendations, they look very nice actually! Will take a closer look later.

 

Not been particularly impressed with any 'shed' yet. They're all just.... sheds. Something that looks nice is a plus.

[DumbStick 13]

Had a good day today.

 

The "other guy" really came up with the goods. He was amazingly well prepared and had obviously spent a very large amount of time on our plan. Days, I would guess. Very in depth, explaining each bit of detail for us and having printouts of everything used. As a first idea, we were very impressed both with the idea itself and the amount of effort he had obviously put into it. Lots of ideas and thoughts were thrown around and in about a week he promises to give us a new version. He gave us an 'about' of around the same price as well - while at the same time showing costs of all the bits - though it seemed to us that we'd be getting more for it than with the other company.

 

Old fashioned company. Nothing wrong with them as such, but in contrast they were just so aimai it was unfunny.

They are just so out of it already.

[snowdude 44]

I am still thinking what to do with my garden once spring arrives, looking at the amount of snow we get here and strong winds, not sure I would bother with a fence, or nothing more than a low lying one, but want to do something, because it is just dirt at the moment, and once this snow eventually melts, our back garden is going to be impossible to walk on, but not sure that grass would survive a winter here either.

I guess it will give us something to think about for spring/summer to do.

[DumbStick 13]

It seems Japanese grass actually hibernates in winter and prospers in the heat of summer. If properly maintained.

[634-maru 4]

How are you thinking about the potential costs of all this now DumbStick?

[DumbStick 13]

I'm getting more used to the idea that if we want something to a certain quality, it'll cost around that. Coming up with the money and deciding to do it is a different matter!

 

Both companies showed me the breakdown, and I can see how it all adds up both in terms of materials and people's time.

 

One thing I know for sure, I do not want 'blocks' in my garden - fence or otherwise. Nice bricks ('baked bricks'?) please, not horrid cheapo 'blocks'. Yuck.

[NoFakie 45]

I am still thinking what to do with my garden once spring arrives, looking at the amount of snow we get here and strong winds, not sure I would bother with a fence, or nothing more than a low lying one, but want to do something, because it is just dirt at the moment, and once this snow eventually melts, our back garden is going to be impossible to walk on, but not sure that grass would survive a winter here either.

I guess it will give us something to think about for spring/summer to do.

 

Both Western and Japanese grass will survive a winter no problems. Japanese grass just goes brown.

Hot and dry will kill Western grass, and the usual things like disease, fungus, bad pH, weed invasion etc. will kill both types I guess.