Sometimes unexpected surprises are great, right?
Buy one pizza, get one free!
The power’s out at work so you get the day off!
An extra Snickers bar came out of the vending machine!
Woo hoo!
Then there are unexpected landscape maintenance costs. Storm damage. Diseases. Irrigation issues. Not so great.
But if you plan ahead for them, they’re not so unexpected. Suddenly, you’re a genius for budgeting for these pop-up landscape maintenance costs.
You deserve a pizza! Maybe two!
How to estimate landscape maintenance costs? What kinds of unexpected expenses should you expect?
Let’s take a look.
1. Safety Issues Pop Up
The safety of your property is a top priority, so when issues arise that compromise safety, you’ll want to address them right away.
Like what, you ask? Cracked or uneven walkways. Overgrown plants or trees that impede drivers or pedestrians. Sunken areas of ground that could cause someone to trip.
Landscaping changes over time. When those changes pose a hazard, make sure you’ve planned for unexpected landscape maintenance costs, so you have room in your budget to fix them.
2. Snow Falls…And Falls…And Falls
Landscape maintenance in Idaho Falls includes snow removal — we all know that.
Maybe you consider yourself a pretty good amateur meteorologist, and predict your parking lot can handle this winter’s snowfall, no problem.
Then, the snow keeps falling. And falling. Your snow removal company dutifully pushes it out of the way, so your employees and customers have room to park.
But all that snow has to go somewhere. Too much snow blocks your parking lots and leads to property damage when it’s pushed and stacked in the wrong places — like over curbs.
Budget for snow hauling — not just pushing — just in case. It costs extra because it costs your snow removal company extra. It involves extra equipment and a loader big enough to load the snow quickly.
3. Tree Branches With Minds Of Their Own
What does landscape maintenance include? Always budget for tree pruning.
Maybe it doesn’t sound super important, but if you don't think ahead about tree pruning, you usually realize you need it when it’s too late.
Without proper pruning, tree branches grow into the sight lines of your property, obscuring the safe view of drivers.
Old, dying limbs can topple without warning, crashing onto property or pedestrians.
Skip pruning at crucial times in a tree’s growth and you could end up with a tree that’s misshapen, susceptible to disease or growing into buildings or other structures.
Yikes. Please plan for pruning.
4. Drainage Woes
Zzzzzzzzz….sorry, we nodded off there for a sec. Yes, drainage is one of those boring landscape issues that often get shoved to the bottom of the priority list.
But when you suddenly have a drainage problem, you really have a drainage problem.
Maybe your downspouts drain directly onto walkways. That dripping water can easily become a dangerous slick of ice, and a serious hazard to pedestrians on your property. Suddenly, you need to fix that.
Maybe you realize areas of your landscape are sunken and soggy. Huge puddles form in your parking lot and never seem to go away.
Suddenly, you need water management experts. Now. So think ahead and include it in your landscape maintenance costs.
5. Disease Strikes
How to estimate landscape maintenance costs? Plan for some yucky disease to hit your lawn or plants. It happens.
One day you happily note how green and healthy your lawn has been looking, the next you see a weird orange-colored fungus taking over. What the heck?!
Or the perfectly perky flower beds at your entrance are suddenly struck by powdery mildew or leaf rust.
Ignore plant and turf diseases, and they’ll just spread, often infecting other plants around them.
When disease moves in, you’ll want to take care of it sooner rather than later. Consider it part of your landscape maintenance costs.
6. Storms Make a Mess
Wind storms, snow storms, ice storms — Mother Nature can really do a number on your landscaping.
Set some money aside for debris clean-up, removal of damaged tree limbs, replacement of destroyed plants, clearing of storm drains and any other damage storms might inflict on your property.
Landscape maintenance in Idaho Falls includes storm mess management. You’ll want to get your place cleaned up and looking presentable again as soon as possible.
7. Irrigation Springs A Leak
Maybe you decided to skip your pre-season irrigation system check-up. It worked fine last year, right? Should be OK.
Then, suddenly, it isn’t.
Valves and spray heads get a lot of wear and tear during the watering season. Then they endure freezing and thawing over the winter. When parts of your system are damaged, you’ll want money handy to replace them.
How much does landscape maintenance cost? A lot more if you ignore your irrigation system’s routine maintenance.
Need Landscape Maintenance in Idaho Falls? Trust Outback
Not every surprise is as great as an extra Snickers bar.
Trust Outback Landscape to solve all of your unexpected landscape problems. But it’s really smart to prepare for the unexpected when you budget for landscape maintenance costs.
Then, your problem can quickly become our problem, without busting your budget.
Trust us to solve those last-minute snow removal, drainage, pruning, storm damage and irrigation problems — and any other landscape issue that suddenly strikes.
We serve residential and commercial properties in Idaho Falls, Rexburg and Pocatello, Idaho, as well as Bonneville, Madison and Bannock counties.
Call us at 208-656-3220. Or fill out the contact form to schedule a no-obligation meeting with one of our team members.
We’d love to hear from you.
