How to choose the right landscape architect or designer: ask some questions and look at some typical drawings.

These are some things you might ask a potential designer before you work with them. Another useful method of choosing a designer is to pay for a design consultation from several designers to get a series of options and see how each one approaches the design of your space.

Can I see some representative examples of drawings you give your clients?

Look at the whole package, from initial concept drawings to final plans.

Do the initial drawings have perspective sketches? Are they in color?

How well are the plans labeled?

Can they provide any computer modeling, animated walk-throughs or otherwise use current technologies to show you what they're proposing?

Who is doing my design?

How much involvement will the principal have with your design? If a designer is mainly involved with publishing, television and magazines, they might be too busy pursuing these activities to actually work with you on your project. Do you want to pay that much money to have a student intern or draftsperson work out your design?

What is your typical scope of services?

How many meetings are included? What drawings and plans will be done? How about design revisions?

Do their fees include site measurement or surveys - if they don't, you may need to pay a surveyor unless you already have a survey done after your home or building was constructed. Large and hilly sites typically require surveys in order to account for slopes & existing conditions.

Can I see some construction drawings?

Are the drawings clearly organized? Do they show dimensions? If a structure or special feature is called for, is there a scaled detail (or manufacturer's reference) for it? What does it include?

Does it show layout, planting, construction details, notes, lighting, drainage, irrigation? If something isn't there, why not? (we don't normally include irrigation because the contractors we work with can do it without plans - so you don't pay for them).

What details do they provide with their basic plans? Are the details custom drawn for your project or "boilerplate" that apply to just about everything?

Can I see a typical contract? How much do you normally charge for a project like mine?

How much would they charge for a project similar to yours? How much money would you have to pay up front? When are payments due? Can you tell how much their services will cost and what is included in their base fee? How many revisions can you make before they charge extra service fees?

If you've already had a consult with us, we can prepare a proposal for you free of charge.

May I see your portfolio?

Do the landscapes they've built match your style? Do they match your budget? The designer should have an idea how much their built projects cost.

How would you approach this project? What are the opportunities & constraints?

Talk to the designer, ask about things you'd like to include in your new landscape, issues such as sustainable design, or a style you'd like to create.

Do you have a good personality match with the designer? Do their ideas make sense and fit your budget? Do they listen to what you're saying? This is where you can use consults to good effect - it's a lot better to pay several hundred dollars for on-site consults than to be stuck with a designer you have trouble working with.

What is your background?

What level of education do they have? Are they designers or landscape architects? What range of projects have they worked on?

This should be a direct dialog between you and the designer - not being told to look at magazines where the designer was published.

Ask for references? Maybe not.

If you ask for references, you'll get a list of people they know will give glowing reviews. You can always ask, but any dissatisfied people wont' be on the list.

We prefer giving non-client references like architects and contractors who know our work and who have worked with us over numerous projects. (We do have client references if you want them.)

About Contractors...

There are three main things to remember when you enter the construction process:

Cost

It always costs more than you thought. That does not mean that you can't negotiate a price more in keeping with your budget. Remember that the first price a contractor gives you is not a "take it or leave it" proposition. It's something that you can negotiate, within reason.

Contractors are required to give you a written bid with a price for installing everything listed in their bid, or "per plan". Make sure that they include all the features you want in their bid. Sometimes things get left out, either accidentally or because that contractor doesn't feel qualified to complete that portion of the work.

Material and labor costs fluctuate, due to energy costs, government regulations, type of material and a number of other factors. For this reason, the only way to get a sure price is to get bids. The only way to get consistent bids so you can compare contractors is to have a complete set of drawings so they all thoroughly understand what they're going to build.

Be patient.

Landscape construction is seasonal, since contractors need good weather in order to work. The delay between the time you sign on with a contractor can vary anywhere from two to ten weeks, depending on the season and the contractor.

Be careful - some contractors have work crews that rotate through a number of projects, so they can "start" right away. Insist on an estimated finish date. If you're really serious about the completion date, you can demand liquidated damages for any work not completed within the promised date. Be sure to set a reasonable time, especially if you're going to ask for liquidated damages, or nobody will bid the project.

It's definitely worth the wait for a good contractor. They will assign a work crew to your project that will work only on your project until its done. So, despite a longer wait to start, you'll normally have less actual time from start to finish.

Check references

Is your contractor really a contractor? You can check with the Contractors State License Board in California. They will also list results of official judgements against the contractor - but not judgements in process.

If the contractor provides references, call them. If there are several crews, see if the crew doing your work is the same as the one that did theirs. If the contractor points to his projects, visit the people to confirm that they really were done by that contractor.

Contractors are legally required to notify you that you have three business days to cancel. You can waive this right in an emergency, but they shold still tell you.

The initial down payment is also limited, depending on the type of work being done (swimming pool contractors can take a larger deposit).

Finally, there are regulations concerning subcontractors and liens - you can read more about this on the State License Board's web site since it's fairly complicated.

Who will install my new landscape?

It depends. Some people like to save money by doing the work themselves. Others prefer using a contractor to handle everything, and others use a combination of the two - using a contractor to install the technical or difficult parts and doing the rest themselves.

Do it yourself

If you're doing the work yourself, a good set of plans will save you a lot of trouble, since you won't have to work everything out on your own. You'll also be able to install the project in phases, yet maintain an overall flow and harmony throughout the project.

Hire a contractor

If you'd rather watch the landscape come together outside your window, a contractor is the best way to go. We can usually recommend several who can handle the construction, leaving you free to do other things with your weekends.

Do it yourself + hire specialty contractors

If you want to do some work yourself, we can normally recommend specialists who can complete masonry, concrete, wood or metal items, leaving you to do the planting or whatever construction you're comfortable with.

We can help in all three cases

Unlike design and build contractors, we don't need to profit off the construction phase. This means that we won't add a lot of extra elements just to make more money off the project. Unless you're in love with a particular product, we specify generic items so you can shop around. For example, we'll say where the gas grill goes, but leave you free to choose the make and model yourself - for a potential savings of hundreds of dollars.

If you're doing the project yourself, this doesn't bother us since we're not competing with you for the installation.

If you're hiring a contractor, we can still follow the project as it's being built to keep the design on track and answer the numerous questions that will come up concerning materials, plants, water effects, etc.

If you're gong to use subcontractors, we can let you know what they expect of you, and be there for added support.