This post is sponsored by Yardzen. 

Now that we have wrapped up the garage addition, it’s time to focus on our yard and curb appeal. I am so excited to share all the details about our landscaping and yard makeover with Yardzen! So far, the process has been fun and exciting.

Yardzen is the leading online landscape design platform. They create a detailed custom landscape design specific to your home and climate. They offer several packages from custom planting for your front yard to custom planting and hardscaping for your full yard. They even have packages for exterior design which include exterior paint, windows, doors, and roof selections by Yardzen’s team of exterior designers. How cool is that! We were gifted the full yard package, including custom planting and hardscaping design for the entire property (up to half an acre).

Yard Makeover with Yardzen

The Process

After you select your package and create an account, everything is managed in the dashboard. The first step is completing their onboarding process. It includes uploading photos and videos of your house and yard and outlining your wish list, must-haves, and goals for the project. It is very detailed and covers whether or not you want to include hardscape, water features, entertaining elements, etc. There is a style quiz and a plant quiz. The initial onboarding also includes your target budget and allows you to submit inspiration images and any house plans you may have. The interface is user-friendly and thorough. I appreciated all the details they covered up front.

Here are a couple of screenshots of the dashboard. As you can see, the onboarding is an 8-step process and includes everything they need to get a feel for your goals for the project. Below you can see the 4 inspiration images I submitted.

Once you complete the onboarding and submit your information, the first thing Yardzen does is create a 3D model of your property for approval.

Here is the 3D house model Yardzen created based on our photos, videos, and plans.

After you approve the 3D design Yardzen says to allow 4-5 weeks to create your custom design. The Yardzen team focuses on your priorities and works with a horticulturist to prepare a plant palette unique to your home, considering factors like sunlight and your local ecosystem. Then the designers work to determine hardscaping options and outdoor furniture and decor to fit your budget. They may or may not email you with questions from the design team along the way. Finally, Yardzen delivers a set of realistic drawings for your review.

Our Initial Conceptual Design

Within a week, Yardzen sent the initial 3D plan of our house with landscaping, hardscape, furniture, and decor selections. They list all of the recommended plants, how many you need, and the sun and water needs of each plant. They provide direct links to furniture and decor selections. When I opened the design I was blown away. Right now our yard is in such despair, so it was very motivating and exciting to see it landscaped and pretty. We’ve spent so much time, effort, and money on fixing up the house, the landscaping really is the cherry on top that is going to showcase all of the work we’ve done.

Isn’t it just stunning? I love the mix of greenery and textures. They included a fountain and a tree in the breezeway nook. I requested a water feature but I never considered a small tree there! I love seeing the house with a hardscape path from the driveway to the front door.

The planters on either side of the front door are so gorgeous. I love the mix of plants they included and the large boulders worked in, again, something I never considered.

How gorgeous are the nighttime photos? I am dying for path lighting!

What’s Next?

After you review the initial conceptual design, you enter the “feedback studio” within the interface. It allows you to click anywhere on the design itself and input a comment or chose to “eliminate” or “replace” any element in the design. There were a few plants in the initial design that I wanted to see replacements for and a couple of details I wanted to execute a little differently so I included all of my feedback and sent it back to them. You are invited to schedule a project review call if you prefer to speak to the design team directly. They call the initial design a stepping stone to the final revised design. Overall, our changes were minimal and Yardzen really nailed a lot of what we are trying to achieve in the first go around.

Yardzen Pro Network

During your design process, you are asked whether or not you would like to be connected with local contractors to execute the design. Yardzen has a network of vetted contractors all over the US and they make the introduction on your behalf. I opted in and someone from a local landscape company reached out to me within a couple of days. You are not obligated to use their recommended contractor, but it’s nice if you don’t want to do some of that leg work of calling local companies.

We have received our final Yardzen designs and are in talks with a couple of local companies so I will share more soon!