Creating a landscape is like building a house. An initial vision for the site is developed. Technical constraints are resolved. The design is then built to function easily for the owners and to last for generations.
My process blends art and engineering with consummate attention to detail. My intent is to earn the confidence of my clients and help them discover the full potential for living in their landscape.
THIS IS MY PROCESS
Initial Site Visit
I meet with you on site. We talk about the property’s existing environmental conditions and how you want to live in your landscape. If you plan to build a new house on the land, we concentrate on potential building positions, views, and access routes.
Master Plan
We consider the existing site conditions and your first outline of outdoor program (activity) requirements. I present two or more preliminary sketch plans that show general hardscape and planting layouts. We sit together and sketch additional ideas, examining paths of circulation and use. The goal is to document a Masterplan Design — a vision that’s both practical and exciting.
Schematic Design
Each element of the Masterplan Design is drawn at a larger scale, clarifying spatial dimensions and adjacencies. You are presented with a Schematic Site Plan that incorporates all building footprints and proposes general topographic elevations for the hardscape elements. Sketches test views from various vantage points. We emerge from this phase with a scaled landscape design that includes a schematic planting scheme and a general palette of hardscape and planting materials.
Permitting
If review of the schematic landscape design by local or state regulatory agencies is required, I prepare presentation documents then shepherd the project through the official review and permitting process with all possible efficiency.
Design Development
The schematic design is edited in greater detail, showing material options such as paving patterns, wall veneer styles, wood deck and edging options, pool tiles and finishes. You compare physical samples of these hardscape materials and choose your palette based on strength, longevity, color, and texture. I prepare first drafts of the construction details. These are graphic instructions for how walls, steps, gates, fences, paths, pools, driveways, and decks should be built. We specify exact elevations and clarify drainage directions and stormwater mitigation methods. Finally, you receive a Design Development Set of construction details for preliminary pricing.
Bid Review & Value Engineering
I help you find two or more qualified landscape contractors to provide competitive preliminary pricing of the Design Development Set. Together, we review their numbers and I ask bidders for clarification if needed. I present a comparison matrix of cost estimates for each element of your site design. At your request, we recommend alternate material options and construction methods.
Construction Documents
With a firm site plan and final material selections in place, I revise the construction documents in detail. Included are all necessary graphic instructions needed by the landscape contractor for final contract pricing. The Landscape Construction Document Set is delivered, contract pricing is approved, and construction officially begins.
Construction Observation
As your agent, I oversee the site construction progress to answer any questions the builder might have and ensure the design intent is being met without compromise. On your behalf, I select top quality trees and shrubs at regional nurseries. As you watch the contractors build your landscape, I answer your questions and make minor design revisions as needed.
Punch List Walkthrough
Upon completion of the landscape, I meet with you and the contractor for a site walkthrough to make a Punch List of corrections and refinements. The contractor gets a list of immediate work to complete. We schedule further design and installation requests. If additional walkthroughs are needed, I continue oversight until your expectations are met. The landscape is then ready for occupancy.