As a commercial building owner or property manager in Washington DC, you must consider landscaping design far more than you would as a homeowner. It’s critical to balance staying on budget and providing memorable experiences that keep commercial customers, tenants, and visitors returning.
A potential tenant will judge your commercial space based upon its curb appeal, just as you would judge a tenant based on how they look.
A tenant’s messy hair and torn jeans are red flags for a landlord, like uncared-for water features and fire pits. Tenants’ minds race when they see weeds in the garden or peeling paint on the exterior wall of a commercial property
Low Operating and Maintenance Costs
Everything is an investment, exterior landscaping included. This is why more property managers prefer low-maintenance plantations that are resistant or tolerant to bad weather.
Outdoor spaces with drought-resistant or simply hardier plants often tend to save you in terms of money and time. This is because these plants require less attention.
The more perennials you have in your garden, the more money you’ll have to spend on annual colorful flowers, which require more attention and are sensitive to the harsh environment.
Create Methods that Consume Less Energy
A well-thought-out commercial landscape design can help you save money on your heating and cooling bills. During the summer, a large tree can provide beneficial shade to keep temperatures down.
If a business property manager in Washington DC, is looking to save money, the winter weather should be a significant consideration. Windbreaks are always recommended when our clients are ready to upgrade or implement a new commercial landscape design.
Windbreaks are groups of trees and bushes planted in a specific pattern to direct wind away from a building. Even the coldest winter wind
Enhancements to Lighting
Even though in Washington DC, electricity costs are about average, it is always important to find ways to save money on outdoor lighting that accentuates your business.
If you already have lighting for your commercial property but haven’t had it updated it in a while, a few simple updates could save you a significant amount of money on your monthly utility bills. In case you want the same amount of light for much less money, consider switching from incandescent to LED or even solar-powered light bulbs.
You may already have LED lights if you have recently installed landscape lighting. Even if a complete system upgrade is required for proper energy efficiency, the cost of a new Commercial lighting installation can be recouped in a few years.
Nonetheless, lighting isn’t the only aspect of your landscape that needs to be updated to keep up with technological advances. Your property’s old irrigation system could cost you thousands of dollars in yearly landscaping maintenance and repairs.
Check that the timers and rain sensors are adequately set up and working.
Approaching Commercial Landscaping Holistically
Maintaining your landscaping not only increases the value of your property but also makes the outside area of your business building, such as parking lots and walkways, safer for your customers and employees.
Moreover, adding lush plants and implementing a stone wall makes a bold statement and can direct the flow of traffic into your business space.
Landscaping Design Factoring Environment
Consider not only how beautiful landscaping is but also how beneficial it is to the environment. The environmental advantages of landscaping are advantageous to both the world and you financially.
Most of the time, making environmentally friendly changes to your commercial building results in lower long-term maintenance costs. Planting trees, for example, is one of many ways to reduce the amount of energy a property uses and still have a beautiful landscape.
According to one study, planting 11 more trees in the Washington, DC area would have the same cooling effect as lowering the temperature by 1.9 degrees. This is what District Green Plants are best known for.
Trees also provide much-needed shade, reducing the need for air conditioning in otherwise overheated buildings. Trees can also help to mitigate the effects of both summer’s scorching winds and winter’s biting cold.
Because of these factors, you can maintain the proper temperature in your building while using less energy to heat or cool it.
Some commercial landscape design ideas are created to have the most significant environmental impact. Rain gardens, for example, are designed to collect water from roofs and streets.
Rain gardens, typically planted with native plants, filter rainwater, so it does not flood drainage systems after it rains. In most cases, rain gardens use only native plants.