Articles - Creative Design
When you reach the landscaping element of a development, balancing aesthetics, quality, compliance, and budget is key. Understanding what impacts cost can help you make smart design and procurement decisions. There are always opportunities for you to optimize value through strategic material selection, production techniques, and design considerations. Importantly for the construction industry quality, safety, compliance, and best practices should never be sacrificed.
In this article, you’ll be given a good understanding of what elements affect the commercial aspect of planter edging and seating, this will ensure you make informed and confident decisions on projects.
Materials such as steel and timber are highly affected by inflation and the state of the economy, this can cause unexpected variation in price, most manufacturers hold their quoted prices for a limited period to allow for this.
Comprehensive technical drawings which outline exact product specifications, designs and fixing details are included in some manufacturers’ offerings. Whilst this will ultimately add to the overall cost, it is a crucial step to ensuring a compliant and quality result.
Providing extensive product guarantees is crucial in minimising risk but could result in higher expenses.
The extra step of galvanizing metal planters before powder coating adds a layer of protection, this extends the expected lifespan of the finished result. This process adds another step in the manufacturing process so will contribute to the cost. Alternatives such as a Zinc Primer can be utilized but provide significantly inferior protection, risking flaking and corrosion.
Where budget is posing a challenge to a project, small changes can be considered to reduce costs. It is important that quality and safety is not compromised, and savings are only achieved based on design. It is also strongly recommended that all those who are involved in this element project are made aware of any proposed changes.
By working with standardized planter heights, manufacturers can optimize steel sheet usage and minimize waste, which brings down material costs significantly. Different heights will require different sizes of sheet steel. By collaborating with a specialist manufacturer to optimise material usage, costs can be reduced without affecting the quality of the product.
Opting for timber species that are grown in the UK cuts down on the costs and environmental impact of long-distance transport. UK Grown timber is a more cost-effective choice. There are both hard and soft wood timbers available that have been grown in the UK. Durability, the environment, expected lifespan and aesthetics are all important considerations.
Choosing a powder-coated finish for planter panels is a more cost-effective option compared to finishes such as weathering steel or bespoke options. Whilst the lifespan of the planter edging will not drastically change, there is a significant difference in aesthetics between the finishes.
Lighting features can increase manufacturing complexity and thus impact cost. More straightforward lighting options such as inset or up-lighting, will mean the production process can remain straightforward and budget-friendly. See Article – The Three Main Lighting Designs.
Creating curved shapes with planter edging can be achieved by assembling straight planter panels. This creates a faceted design which is more economical. The overall aesthetic and feel of the space will change with this method, as vertical lines will be visible in areas with a tight radius.
The cost of planter edging and seating in landscaping projects depends on various factors. Balancing aesthetics, quality, compliance, and budget is crucial for successful projects. Strategic design and procurement decisions can maximize value and minimize costs.
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