Guides
Short, practical write-ups on the questions that come up while you are moving zones around in the planner: how deep to go, how much to order, and what tends to blow the budget. Each one opens with a calculator that does the arithmetic from your own numbers, priced off the same book the planner uses.
Soil and ground cover
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How much mulch do I actually need?
Bed area, depth, and why bags cost more than bulk past about three cubic yards.
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Gravel: cubic yards versus tons
Suppliers quote both. Converting between them, and why the number shifts by stone type.
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How much river rock do I need?
Yards and tons by the bed, the depth each stone size wants, and rock against mulch over ten years.
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How much topsoil do I need?
Depth by job, what settling costs you, and the difference between topsoil, fill dirt and garden mix.
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How much compost do you need?
The right thickness for a bed against a lawn, how to spot unfinished compost, and why it is not mulch.
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How much soil does a raised bed take?
Cubic feet by bed size, what to fill it with, and whether the bottom half can be something cheaper.
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How much sod do I need?
Slabs, rolls and pallets, what a pallet weighs, and the honest comparison against seed.
Hard surfaces
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How much concrete do I need?
Slab thickness, bags to the yard, and the point where a ready-mix truck stops being optional.
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Paver patio base depth
What sits under the pavers, how thick it needs to be, and how that changes your order.
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How much decomposed granite do I need?
Laid at four to finish at three, stabilized against loose, and what a path or patio of it costs.
Around the edges
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How much fence do I need?
Perimeter rather than area, posts and gates, and the property-line questions to settle first.
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How much edging do you need?
Measuring the run, the depth that actually stops grass, and why the cheap roll never lasts.
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Sizing a sprinkler zone
Head spacing, coverage overlap, and how many heads a typical yard ends up needing.
What things cost
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How much does it cost to landscape a backyard?
Lawn, patio and beds priced together, per square foot and by yard size, and what the number leaves out.
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How much does a paver patio cost?
Per square foot and by size, what is inside the number, and the choices that move it most.
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How much does a gravel driveway cost?
By the yard and by the driveway, why there are two layers, and what delivery adds.
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How much does sod cost?
Per square foot, per pallet and per lawn, with the topsoil under it, against seed.
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How much does artificial turf cost?
Per square foot and installed, what goes under it, whole strips off the roll, and the ten-year sum against sod.
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How much does a fence cost per foot?
What a foot is made of, three yards worked through, and what gates and corners add.