The primary goal of the landscape design process is to create comfortable, enjoyable, and functional outdoor spaces. As such, gain insights below on what to expect as you embark on a collaborative, exciting journey with our landscape design team during this process. You may be surprised to learn that much of the landscape design process is research and development oriented, and geared towards ensuring a smooth transition between design, estimating, and installation.
Initial Site Visit and Consultation
The first step is the initial site visit and consultation at your home. This is a critical first step during the design process as it will establish your vision for the landscape, and ensure the needs of all family members and pets are met in the design. During this meeting, we will walk the property with you and discuss your wants and needs for the landscape. We will discuss your preferences for hardscape and plant materials, design style, aesthetic tastes, lifestyle, and entertaining interests, as well as any special landscape features or other considerations that may be required. Learning your dislikes is also important. We will also ask you to discuss any site issues or problems that need to be addressed in the landscape design. During the initial site visit we will also discuss budgets and your timeline for creating and implementing the design, as well as our schedule and availability.
The information gathered from you during the initial site visit and consultation meeting is one of the two main drivers of the landscape design process. As such, please allow a minimum of one hour to complete the consultation.
Design Proposal
Following the initial site visit and consultation, we will prepare a landscape design proposal for your consideration. The design proposal will be tailored towards your vision for the landscape, include our fees and approximate number of hours for completion, and include any items required from you in order to complete the design work. Together with the proposal will be site visit notes from the initial consultation to ensure we have encompassed all your wants and needs for the landscape. Once we receive the signed proposal from you, we will place your design work on our schedule and provide an approximate timeline for completion.
Base Map Preparation
Using a current survey prepared by a registered land surveyor, we then prepare a base map of the property. The base map includes property lines; all setbacks, easements, rights-of-way, and encroachments; all existing buildings, structures, and hardscapes; utilities; any existing trees and planting areas; and topography. A directional arrow for true north and scale is included, too. The base map is used to create the schematic design and construction documents detailed below by establishing current site conditions and helping identify which existing site elements remain or are to be removed from the design. The base map is also used during the site assessment, also detailed below.
Due Diligence / Site Assessment
A site assessment consists of two parts: site inventory and site analysis. Site inventory is the observation and recording of all existing site elements on the property, and site analysis is determining the effect these site elements will have on the design. This is also a critical step in the design process as it helps identify problems and potentials, and ensure the landscape design is tailored to meet the needs of the site. For example, we observe and analyze the house and architectural style; sheds, fences and other structures; all existing hardscapes such as driveways, walkways, and patios; existing trees and planting beds; and utilities. We also observe sun and shade patterns in the landscape, prevailing wind direction, topography, drainage, views within and outside the property; and vehicle and pedestrian circulation. We take note of the character of the neighborhood; how the landscape is currently being used; and site problems such as privacy, noise, or maintenance concerns. We thoroughly document the site with pictures and take any necessary site measurements. The due diligence/site assessment process also includes researching the appropriate town, city, or county ordinances and HOA regulations to ensure the landscape design and supporting documents meet code, especially if the landscape installation will need to be permitted or receive HOA approval.
The information gathered during the due diligence/site assessment is the second of the two main drivers of the landscape design process. We therefore attempt to be as thorough as possible during this stage of the process.
Schematic Design
Your design team will then create a schematic design, utilizing all information gathered from you during the consultation meeting and the due diligence/site assessment. Depending on the scope of the project, your design team may create an illustrative hand-drawn design or generate a plan in AutoCAD to depict all elements of the landscape design. We will ensure that the design not only meets your needs and the needs of the site, but satisfies the three basic design principles - order, unity, and rhythm – to ensure a visually pleasing design. The primary purpose of the schematic design is to provide a comprehensive view of the entire landscape design; ensure all design elements are coordinated, flow together, and fit the spaces within the landscape; and are visually and aesthetically pleasing. The schematic design is also used to gather client feedback and ensure the design meets your needs prior to proceeding to the construction document phase. If requested, our estimating team will use the schematic design to compile a preliminary landscape installation budget for your review.
Construction Documents
Once you approve the schematic design and preliminary landscape installation budget, our design team completes construction documents, all generated in AutoCAD. Depending on the scope of the project, these may include an Existing Site Conditions and Demo Plan, Site and Materials Plan, Grading and Drainage Plan, Planting Plan, and Details and Elevations. Lighting and irrigation design is typically performed by our subcontractors during the estimating and installation process, although we will note location of lighting fixtures on the planting plan if necessary. These construction documents will present the landscape design in much more detail to help you better visualize the project. The construction documents are also used by our estimating team to provide you with an accurate cost estimate of the project, and our installation team for scheduling, purchasing materials, obtaining permits, and completing the installation. Of course, we ensure to review the construction documents with you and make any necessary changes to ensure the overall landscape design meets your needs, and will make any revisions as necessary during the estimating and installation process due to budget needs, municipality and HOA requests, materials supply, and field conditions.
Please contact our design team if you have any further questions regarding our landscape design process or would like to schedule an initial site visit and consultation. We look forward to working with you on the transformation of your landscape!