Our Landscape Design Process
The creative process involved in the landscape design profession is what keeps us enjoying what we do every day! Each project offers a unique challenge for our designers to accomplish. So many requirements must be incorporated into each of our designs. Establishing what our customer's list of wishes are and then meshing them with our design ideas.
We must factor in several important details such as budget, material likes, level of maintenance, environmental factors, property grades and elevations to name a just a few. Our clients will frequently comment on how much they enjoy the landscape design process from developing the initial design through the installation of their landscape project.
Experience
Education
Training
For over 25 years, we have been involved in the landscape design profession, during this time, we have worked with 1,000's of homeowners on their landscape projects.
We design complete Master Plans or individual elements such as foundation plantings, walkways and patios. We specialize with any scale project, from large multi-acre properties to the most intimate spaces. Depending on our client's needs, we may include in our designs the layout of walkways, patios, terraces, walls, shrub, tree and flower borders. Some projects can include decks, fences, pools, play areas, lighting and outdoor furniture placement. We strongly believe in delivering landscape designs that are not only consistently beautiful but are also within scale of the home and neighborhood.
Home Consultation
We will meet you at your home for a consultation to discuss pool styles, fencing, entertaining ideas, material selections and project budgeting!
Defining Your Landscape Goals
At our site meetings, many questions will be asked about your pool project's scale, styles, materials and features that you like or dislike. We will establish a list of requirements that will help us to better understand your pool thoughts & wishes!
Create the Landscape Design
The next step is to take all discussed ideas from our site meeting and put pencil to paper! We will prepare a to scale Master Plan that details our pool design & solutions!
Prepare the Landscape Estimate
The final step is to develop a pricing, and material breakdown of your pool design. Finalizing material selections, quantities and sizes of site element. Both material and project labor is listed in our landscape estimates so that you have complete understanding of all work we have proposed!
Designing Your Dream Rochester, NY Landscape!
Step One: Our landscape designer will schedule a complimentary consultation at your home. This meeting is around a thirty minute time period. We walk with you around the property and look at the primary locations for the proposed work. We take into account all existing vegetative site features, structures and the existing grades of your property.
We will ask you your thoughts and ideas for the use of the space. We also touch somewhat on budget requirements, material likes, project scale and the design styles that you prefer. From the discussion of this meeting we decide if a design would be beneficial and or necessary to establish a price point. Even the simplest designs can take many hours of the designers time to complete. We have found that the most efficient use of time is to create a conceptual hand drawn design to start.
This design will be packed with ideas and details! Drawn to a 1" = 8' scale, we can accurately estimate the material quantities and average labor cost associated. The conceptual design is the first step, but it's still a design in progress, therefore we rely on the budget to help with design decision making. If necessary, revisions are made to the design based on your evaluation of the design and budget influences. We will adjust the design as much as necessary to get it perfect to your likes and budget. The fee for a Conceptual Hand Design is between $300 - $600. This design fee is quoted in proposal form, and will be authorized by you prior to us starting the design work. All design revision are included in the quoted fee and they are never an extra charge. We don't get paid until you're in love with your design!
Step Two: Upon acceptance of our landscape design concept plan, we arrange for a design layout at your house. With tape measures and orange marking paint in hand, we will spray the border lines of your design on the lawn when possible. Marking in paint is very helpful for understanding the scale an location of the landscape features shown on the design.
The paint is temporary! but for a week or so the lines are viewable outside but often the best way to judge the layout is from the doors and windows of your house. It's pretty common that homeowners will adjust the landscape features a bit. Sometime larger and sometimes smaller!
If changes are made from the painting layout, the revisions are adjusted in the design and the materials are finalized to the accepted layout.
Step Three: At this point, there are two ways to go with your design:
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If design and scope of the project is accurate and clear on what's being proposed, the the project costs are finalized. Pending acceptance of the landscape proposal, your project is scheduled for the installation! This is usually the course for projects like walkways, patios and plantings.
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On larger projects, like a new inground pool, there can be many features that are part of the pool project. Common pool features include patios, terraces, walls, steps, pool fencing, pool houses, lighting, outdoor kitchen, fire pits, sheds, landscape planting, soil grading and new grass installations. On projects that have multiple landscape features, the best next step is to create a 3D Computer Aided Design Plan.
3D Computer Aided Design Plans
Budgeting &
Landscape Installation
Once a signed proposal is submitted, our production team will begin to schedule your project, obtain any necessary permits, and order materials. Before any work begins, your project's designer will arrange a meeting on site, as needed, with you in order to assure a smooth order of events during the construction phases. During the course of the project, we encourage our clients to ask questions routinely.
Revisions and adjustments can be made during the project but all additional work needs approval by the homeowner through the use of change order contracts. At completion of your project, you will be presented with a closing package to include a copy of your plan and contract, all care guidelines, warranty information, product information, as well as any project specific information that may prove important.
Design Services Offered:
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Landscape Master Plans.
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Walkway & Patio Plans.
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Landscape Planting Plans.
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Landscape Lighting Plans.
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Detailed Pool Design.
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Deck Design.
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Perennial Garden Layout Plans.
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Fencing Design & Layout.
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3D Photo Realistic Design
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Project Realistic Video Walkthroughs!
