GETTING STARTED
HOME DESIGN SURVEY
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INITIAL CONSULTATION
THREE DESIGNS
MASTER PLAN
THE PLANTING PLAN


GETTING STARTED
Before we meet, it is best to start with a bit of homework so you have some ideas as to what you like, what you want, and your preferred style. Usually the best place to begin dreaming of your sanctuary is to pull out photos from magazines of gardens you like. Remember to look for flowers, hardscape (stone, pavers, concrete, etc.) for walks and patios, and features you may want to include. Print out and complete my questionnaire. This may help you with ideas and give you things to look for in magazines and books. This will also help you begin thinking about all of the different aspects that go into a good design.

If you are building a new home or putting on an addition, it is best to have me out to the site as early in the process as possible. Siting the home in the landscape is crucial and we can solve a lot of problems the builder would overlook. I also go over the house plans with you to make sure you have access to the outdoors in key places. For example, it is so much easier to add french doors to a room at this point than it is later. If you are farther along in the building process, I suggest taking back from the builder the landscape allowance and put that money into doing it right. This is one of the largest wastes of money in a building project. With a landscape plan I can save you money, prevent do-overs, and the wrong-plant-in-the-wrong-place syndrome.

INITIAL CONSULTATION
Our first meeting is an exercise in possibilities. We begin by going over your homework and talking about your vision for your property. Outside, we start at the driveway and look at every positive and negative aspect of the property. We come up with many ideas and make a few decisions about the various spaces. We think of the property as a whole and how to make it more cohesive through design. Even if you are just thinking about one area of your property right now, an initial consultation helps with unifying the property. The initial consultation usually takes between two and three hours depending on the size of the property. Please contact me with a date and time for your initial consultation.

THREE DESIGNS
After the initial consultation, I work on 3 different possibilities for your property. Each design takes the same space - either a specific space such as a front yard, or a backyard, or the whole property - and proposes very different solutions. The designs usually increase in complexity and installation cost. We meet again and go over the 3 different designs. I help you to understand them and visualize them to you so you can see the potential of your property. After some time with the designs, people respond with their choices. Most people combine the 3 designs into their own unique solution. By taking parts of each design you are creating a truly custom and personal sanctuary to live in.

MASTER PLAN
When the choices for your new landscape design have been made, I then create a master plan. This plan incorporates all of your ideas based on the 3 designs. Together we fine tune the master plan until you are completely satisfied. Then begins the process of installation of the landscapes, drainage, grading, and the heavy lifting of the project. I can oversee the installation or you can take the master plan and do it yourself.

THE PLANTING PLAN
The last phase of the design process is the planting plan. I usually request a list of must-have plants as well as a list of plants you dislike. With this information and armed with the magazine photos from the initial consultation, I fill in the planting beds. All along the design process we have been thinking of the larger shrubs and trees and specific planting areas. But now is when we fill in and add the frosting to the cake. For many clients this is the fun part!

THE DESIGN PROCESS

 

 

“Style is a matter of taste,

design a matter of principles.”

-Thomas Church