Investing a few dollars in some landscape design at home can transform your backyard from ordinary to extraordinary in no time.

"We came up with the idea that we could have a pool, we could have a slide, we could have the spillover spa. They also wanted a pool house so we designed the footprint in," said landscape designer Carl Trinkle.

You'll remember last week we paid a visit to our resident outdoor supply specialist. He talked about how popular bringing indoor comforts outside is right now. That's exactly the type of work that Trinkle and his crew are doing as well. A full-service landscape design firm will work with you through every stage of your vision to make it a reality.

"They were looking to create a space in the backyard where they could vacation at home, which is the trend we're seeing right now. People are looking to add some value into their backyard, some entertaining space," said Trinkle.

Let's be honest here for a second. The average person isn't going to go and put a project like this in all at once. What's great about using a full-service landscape company is that they can phase it in over months and even years if necessary.

"Very rarely do we have a client that's going to do everything all at once. We may do a grand design for the backyard for somebody, that includes all that you see here, but they want to phase it our over a two to three year process. That's where we come into play. We advise them on what to do first," Trinkle said.

Even if you're just looking to spruce up your yard with a few new shrubs, landscape design firms can do it all. No matter what your budget might be.

"If people want to have a single tree planted in their yard, we'll do that too," said Trinkle.

How about a little mood lighting?

"It's low-voltage lighting, so you're going to save on your electric bill with that. We try to shy people away from solar. It doesn't give you as good an effect as the low-voltage. It gives you a little glow. That's it. We really don't do anything with the solar lighting," Trinkle said.

Again, any work you do to improve your property will only increase its value and that all-important "curb appeal" come resale time. Plus, who doesn't want a resort quality backyard? Just remember to charge the neighbors admission!

For more information, visit www.gallivancompanies.com