u/Sorry-Restaurant8058

My backyard has a pretty clear grade change from the house toward the fence and I am thinking about getting the yard redone soon, the slope is easy to see and some areas sit higher than others, I am trying to figure out if better grading would be enough or if a retaining wall makes more sense for this kind of yard, I am going to look at getting someone out to check the slope and drainage before I decide what work to book, the main thing I want to understand is how contractors usually decide between reshaping the soil and adding a wall, especially when the grade change is close to the house,  if you have dealt with this before what did you end up doing ?

I am about to have irrigation designed for my backyard and I am still working on where the plants are going to go, some areas are pretty clear but may move a few plants around once I start choosing everything, so I am trying to figure out if the irrigation layout needs the final plant spots first or if the main zones and lines can be planned now and adjusted later, I am thinking about the lawn, garden beds and a few larger plants, so I want the water coverage to make sense for each area, would it be better to finish the plant layout first and then have the irrigation designed, or can the irrigation plan come first and the planting details follow?

I am going to redo my backyard and I will probably get landscaping done after I figure out the layout, the yard has a small slope and I keep seeing people talk about drainage first so now I am trying to work out the order, I will add a patio and some grass later and maybe a few garden beds, I was thinking of  landscape one consulting while planning everything,  I would rather plan it once instead of changing things after the work starts, I see people mention drains, grading and moving water away from the house, for anyone who started with a yard like this, what did you get done first and what made a difference, would you sort the drainage before the rest of the project? EDIT: Forgot to mention the yard sometimes holds water after heavy rain, but never had flooding inside the house. 

I'm sorting out a backyard project and the plan has artificial turf in one area and plants around the edges so now I'm wondering how this part usually gets handled, does the turf get included when the irrigation layout is planned or does it end up as its own thing later, I was also thinking of going with landscape one consulting but I'm curious how people usually set this up and if the contractor plans both together from the start or if the irrigation team only works around the planting areas and the turf installer handles the rest, just trying to understand what the usual process looks like before I lock everything in, how was it done on your project? EDIT: I am thinking of sharing the irrigation plan with the turf installers early seems like a good way to avoid any issue.

I have an outdoor area space that does not look great to sit in and I have been thinking of redesigning it. Every season brings difficulties for outdoor space to manage from heavy rains, growing plants can easily make the area hard to use and expensive to maintain. I am looking for landscape designers that will make it look good but am unaware of these things from where I can get the trustworthy one. Has anyone ever experienced the same and what has worked for you?

I have some open space in my yard but it is not being used for much tim now. My family and friends used to plan gettogether in restaurants but lately I have been thinking about using the space that I already have. I would like to turn my yard into a comfortable and easy to go relaxing place where we all can eat together and spend time without always having to go out. But first I have to reconsider the landscaping of the area for that I was thinking about landscape one consulting. So, what are the essential things or ideas that would make an outdoor space more enjoyable? I would love to hear what additions ended up being the most useful in your own yard? EDIT: I forgot to add that I would like to keep the project budget friendly so I am interested in ideas that do not require major construction.