Services

As a designer, I can help you achieve your new landscape in several ways: in short consultations, preparing full designs for professional installation, locating and purchasing plants, and serving as your liaison for complex installations.

I provide a detailed description of my services and fees below. I believe my clients should be fully informed. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

Initial Design Consultation

An initial design consultation is an opportunity for us to meet, for you to show me your site, discuss the scope of your project, and get clarification on questions you may have about either your project or working with a professional landscape designer. I charge a flat fee. If you decide to work with me, your consultation fee is deducted from the cost of the design.

Consultations are $90 for a one-hour meeting on site. I charge travel time one-way, beyond 15 miles. For clients located in other states or on other islands, travel is to be arranged.

Full Landscape Design

A landscape design consists of both a process and set of documents to assist you in fully developing your vision and your site. A full design is especially useful for new homes and high-profile areas (such as an entryway or pool), or major renovations, such as changing from a traditional lawn-and-shrub design to a drought-resistant or native planting. Landscape designs vary greatly from project to project, depending on the site, the level of detail and custom design that you request, the size of the property, and the extent of renovation or installation. A good rule of thumb is that design should cost 10-15% of the installation.

The Landscape Design Process includes:

1. Preliminary meeting. I come to the project site to meet with you, discuss the scope of the project, interview you about ideas and preferences, and walk the site. From this I prepare an estimate for the level of design that you request.

2. Site Analysis and Base Plan. I return to the site with my team to prepare a base plan for the property, inventory existing plants and hardscape, and make notes for a site analysis (wind, direction of sun, drainage, soil quality, areas that need screening, water sources, etc.). I also take soil samples for a chemical analysis. The base plan uses both measurements and detailed digital photographs. It is not a survey, but a to-scale drawing of the project area. It is the basis for all further design sketches and drawings. For large projects, I require professional surveys (existing surveys are acceptable if recent or still accurate).

3. Design sketches and client review. Once the base plan is complete, I use trace paper sketches to develop a variety of ideas for you to review. At this point, we may also consult with various specialists (concrete specialists, engineers, carpenters, etc.) to determine costs or construction details.

4. Conceptual plan. Using your feedback to the sketches, I draft a computer-generated conceptual plan. This plan shows locations of trees, shrubs, flowerbeds, water features, paths, patios, and other structural elements, both existing and those to be installed. It is the key document for project bids for installation by professional contractors. For projects involving permitted structures or specialized plans, it communicates the overall vision.

5. Planting plan. Once you approve the conceptual plan then I prepare one or more detailed planting plans. These identify individual plants and help you or the installer to plant the site according to the design plan.

6. Follow-up consultation. I meet with you and/or your contractors to discuss these plans in detail and ensure that your questions are answered prior to installation.

Design fees are $90 per hour, plus travel time one-way beyond 15 miles (air travel to be arranged). I ask for a $500 retainer to secure your place on my schedule, and this is applied to the first few hours of design and base plan work. You will be billed once a month, or according to agreed upon benchmarks, depending on the length and complexity of the project.

INSTALLATION SERVICES

Customers always ask, so what happens after the design is finished?

The answer depends on how much support you want. In some cases, with smaller projects, you may have all the information you need and will only call me back to celebrate the finished garden. For larger, more complex projects, I will assist you in whatever ways make sense. Here are a few services that I typically provide during installation:

• Research specialty contractors, suppliers, and specific materials
• Provide recommendations
• Review and negotiate bids
• Monitor on-site (daily, or at key points in the installation)
• Purchase plants and place them in the landscape
• Locate fountains, sculpture, garden furniture, or other features (there is a flat 25% markup for purchased items, though I base that on any discounts that I receive for wholesale purchases, so the price is often less than retail).

My goal is to keep you fully informed so that you are always comfortable with the consequences of any decisions or changes made as the process unfolds. Once we move to installation, I prepare an estimate for the total cost of my role in the installation, and any changes to that plan are provided in writing.

Installation fees are $75/hour, billed monthly or as benchmarks are achieved.

Plant Purchasing

One benefit of working with a landscape designer, even if you do the installation yourself, is that you can purchase plants at a discount. For larger installations, the savings add up quickly. Purchasing through the designer also ensures that you get the plants listed in the design and not last-minute substitutions that may be inappropriate.

Plant purchasing fees are $75/hour for plant locating, selecting, and inspecting, and a 25% markup is added to wholesale or discounted plant costs (typically less than the markup for most contractors and retail establishments).

Questions? I am happy to answer any questions you might have about my services and fees. I have a portfolio of plans and photos from client’s projects available for review. In addition, I am happy to provide you with the names and phone numbers of recent clients. Call or email me:

Susan Wyche, Green Perspectives
Tel. 808-463-9316

Thank you for your interest in Green Perspectives!