Branching Out into Landscaping as a Renovation Business

If you are reading this, you are a well-established home or commercial renovation business – and you’re looking to diversify. Even though the construction industry is one of the more stable industries going, there is still volatility; volatility best met by diversification.

There is a lot of crossover between the worlds of site renovation and outdoor landscaping, and a fair few shared tools in which you’ll already be somewhat invested. The opportunity is there, but that isn’t all you need to succeed in what is effectively a new market. Here, you’ll find some explorations of what it might look like to branch out into landscaping, and key considerations to bear in mind while doing so.

Understanding the Opportunity in Landscaping

First, let’s examine the opportunity before you in closer detail. Landscaping is a more seasonal business than renovation, being predicated on consumer demand for outdoor spaces – a demand often controlled by the climate.

As demand rises in the summer, so too do opportunities often in line with the work you are already undertaking. Landscaping is often a complement to existing renovation work, meaning you have an opportunity to keep an entire project in-house. It’s a new revenue stream, utilising the same staff and some of the same equipment.

Preparing Your Team and Business for Outdoor Projects

Notably, though, landscaping is not a neat follow-on from the skills required for interior joinery or redecoration. There are plenty of transferable skills, but also a great deal of new information and equipment that employees need to be trained on before you start formally giving quotes.

This is a great chance to expand your business by way of hiring new talent. This, of course, is one of the many additional costs you will need to consider as you reorient your business to include a new set of services. At the same time, you need to be mindful of new health and safety considerations brought on by sustained outdoor work.

Essential Tools, Materials, and Planning

It is at this point that you need to start investing in material items. You’ll need to develop fresh relationships with suppliers focused on outdoor and landscaping tasks; you want easy access to common materials like fence posts before you start promising yourself to projects.

In the meantime, you’ll want to buy up the tools necessary for outdoor work. You will have many already, but there are some specific items that you may need – generators, piledrivers, or even digging machinery if you are a large-scale contractor.

Building Your Reputation in a New Market

The last part is ensuring you are visible in your new sub-industry. This means investment in advertising, and outreach to prior clients to notify them of your new services. One or two completed projects are good fuel for a portfolio, which can then be used to generate more business.