Seeking out a landscaper can offer a homeowner many advantages. Landscape design is expensive when the professional landscaping company also performs the installation and construction associated with the design. However, purchasing an online landscape plan is very cost effective when one considers that the basic master plan developed by an expert can then be outsourced to local gardening and construction specialty experts gives clients the ability to control their own expenditures to some extent.
Aside from cost savings, many people in smaller communities simply cannot find experts with sufficient training and experience in landscape design to do all that is necessary to fulfill their desires. For these clients, an online landscape expert may be the only viable source of a master plan that includes gardens, pools, patios, outdoor rooms, arbors, courtyards, and outdoor buildings.
The development of an online landscape plan begins with a survey. This questionnaire is intended to identify key details pertaining to the personal desires and lifestyle of the client. Questions such as: “Do you have any children?”, “Do you want a swimming pool, and if so, what style?” “Do you have any pets?” and “What plants and flowers do you like” help the design professional get a good sense of what thematic elements will be most apropos to the end results.
Upon return of the survey, landscape designers call the client for an in depth interview. This interview helps clarify answers to the survey at a much greater depth. By the end of the interview, the conceptual basis of the plan should be firmly set in mind.
Clients will be asked to email additional reference materials to help the design team develop the logistics and details of the final master plan. Pictures will be needed, both of the home and of the home. Experts recommend a minimum of 10-15 digital photographs of the house from all vantage points, with at least that many for both the front and back yards, respectively.
A lot survey is also necessary to give the team a clear picture of the property’s perimeter. Homeowners should have received this survey at the time they bought the house, but if it has been misplaced in the meantime, a copy can be obtained from the title company.
Equally important is a topographical map of the property. It shows grade elevation changes that occur throughout the lot. These changes provide the online landscape team with crucial data needed to effectively design gardens, build outdoor structures, and design irrigation networks and drainage systems.
A tree survey of both yards is also necessary to give the team a clear picture of every tree’s location. This is vital to tree preservation and maintenance and must not be neglected.
Once this information is reviewed and studied, the online landscape design team draws up a preliminary concept and emails it to the client for review. The team then discusses the plan with the client via phone to make any necessary changes. Once approved, the final plans are drafted and sent to the client.
Homeowners are encouraged to seek out local landscape designers and specialists in their area using both the Internet and recommendations from neighbors. Any landscape architecture or construction will probably need the expertise of a specialist to build. Clients who are unsure of who to hire for these tasks can ask the online landscape specialist what type of contractors to seek out in their area.
Exterior Worlds will work remotely with these contractors for a fee. We will review bids, coordinate team initiatives, or even talk to contractors. If clients need us to fly out and work onsite for a general contractor, we can do it if the scope of the project and the budget of the client allows for it.