YOUR LANDSCAPE INVESTMENT BEGINS WITH A LANDSCAPE PLAN
Your landscape architect will provide a bid set to you to use in selecting a contractor. This bid set ensures that you are pricing apples to apples. When you select your contractors to consider, you will give each contractor a set of plans and each will come back with a price for the installation of the complete project. The bid process will save you money as each contractor will be pricing the same plants, the same quantities and the same supplies.
THE BID PROCESS
1. Obtain a well thought out plan from a Licensed Landscape Architect
2. Distribute the plan to your selected contractors, your bid list.
3. Provide a due date for the bid.
4. Evaluate the bids.
5. Short List at least two contractors.
6. Interview the short list contractors, research their credentials.
7. Select your contractor from the short list.
A BEAUTIFIED UTILITY AREA
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS DESIGN FEE
You will be happy to hear that Land Art Landscape Architecture will price your project according to projection of hours. After our initial meeting we will prepare a proposal based upon our discussion and evaluation of your project. Our design fee will be calculated based upon hours that we project that it will take to complete your project.
Our projection of hours is not random and is based upon historical data which is compiled from years of project experiences.
Some potential clients might think that their project might not be sizeable enough to hire a landscape architect. Of course if you know that you only need six viburnum replaced then we are not for you. We will direct you to someone appropriate and reputable who can help you with your viburnum needs if our initial telephone converstation leads that way.
3-D CONCEPT FOR LANDSCAPE AND HARDSCAPE REMODEL
Clients may select to have their concept delived in 3-d
To see this project completed for A&E TV's "Fix This Yard" Click Here
HOW LANDSCAPE IS PRICED
Industry Standard Pricing is considered when evaluating a landscape installation companies bid. Industry Standard pricing for plants will vary by the size of the job, but is within a 2.5x to 3x the wholesale price of the plant.
Wholesale pricing for plants is generally 1/3 the price that a consumer would pay at any large box retail store, or 1/5 the price a consumer would pay at a specialty nursery.
Special considerations will be made in evaluating a bid for cost of demolition, mobilization (getting a crew and equipment to a project site), permitting, etc. As each proeject is custom designed and every site is different these costs cannot be generalized.
There is an unfortunate practice of "PRICING A CLIENT" that occasionally occurs in the landscape industry. This is the practice that some lanscape contractors will give a randomly high price to a client based upon what they think that the client can afford. This typically ends up in a low grade landscape installation with low quality plants and alot of mulch. There are some unprofessional companies that are heavily involved in this practice and unsuspecting clients typically do not know that they have been priced as they have nothing to compare their experience to.
Having a landscape plan from a licensed landscape architect will help you avoid this practice. As you will be able to bid your plan to several contractors that don'n need to know your address as you can email them the plan. This little bit of anonymity will help you to obtaib an industry standard price for your landscape installation project.
Land Art Landscape Architecture can include the bidding process in your proposal at your request, leaving the bidding process to us.
Landscape As Art LAND ART LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
viewing landscape froom a financial perspective
CREATE VALUE WITH A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN
Why would you pay a professional to design your landscape when an amateur will do it for free?
Landscape Architects design to a clients desired style and environmental conditions to develop a plan that is best suited for the client's lifestyle and site. Condidering many factors, a landscape architect will spend countless hours developing your plan to ensure the best long term solution for your project and budget. The final product is simply stunning, a head turner. Landscape Architecture is an art form, and every project is seen as a work of art.
Landscape designers are generally connected with a nursery, you sign an agreement for a free design to your budget and the landscape designer makes a quick sketch using the junk plants that they have in their nursery and using plants that are considered high profit plants. The final product is under whelming at best. In the end, your project was a revenue source for a landscaping company.
LIFE OF A LANDSCAPE, PRESERVING YOUR LANDSCAPE INVESTMENT
We hear this alot, "I am tired of doing my landscape every three years!" A landscape that is designed with plants that are suited to your environment accompanied by proper watering practices will solve this problem, saving you more money over time.
Land Art Landscape Architecure designs landscapes utilizing the thousands of available plants to design lifetime landscapes. Keep in mind, you will only be our client one time for each property that you own, we get it right the first time.
When designing a landscape we consider factors such as soil conditions, sun light availability, exposure requirements or limitations, water requirements, canopy availability and even root zone compatibility. We integrate these factors with your desire for cover, color, pattern and more to develop the best long term artistic landscape design for your project.
Obviously, we are not associated with any single nursery and are not limited by a small selection of plants that a nursery or landscaper might have on hand. We make regular visits to nursery plant growers, trade shows and collector plant growers to maintain our knowledge of what is available in the industry.
Even the lowest maintenance landsapes require supplemental water to remain attractive looking throughout the year. No matter where you live a supplemental water source is going to be the key to your landscape success. Water will nourish your plants and keep unwanted pests away. Aphids and mites will be forced to pack up and leave your landscape if proper watering occurs. Be sure to budget this small monthly allowance to help ensure the long term success of your landsccape. A week without water will show in your plants health, even in a xeric landscape.
QUEENS WREATH VINE! A well behaved vine and one of our favorites. learn more about this plant on our VINES
page
CATALOG SHOPPING FOR SWIMMING POOL DESIGN
Dreaming of a pool? Sure, dive right in and pick a pool out of the five or six designs that a pool builder will offer you. Since your responsible enough to own your home don't throw your hard earned money down the pool drain in such a wreckless manner. Your about to invest tens of thousands of dollars in a swimming pool and you owe yourself to make sure every dollar is well spent.
Catalog pools look dated from day 1. Wait a second,,, Someone just signed a contract on a catalog swimming pool while you were reading this article. Whew, I am glad your doing your research and that wasn't you. So, here's the skinny on your new pool design. You will get more value for your dollars by investing in a custom swimming pool design and then bidding that design to contractors than you would with any special from any pool builder.
Still hesitant? You may have seen an ad for a swimming pool for $20,000.00 and your being pressured to take the plunge into that so called bargain. Take a big breath and hold if for a second, it's okay to pinch your nose if you need to, now, here is the truth about that deal. The pool that is offered has one noisy pump, 100 square foot of deck, low grade or factory reject waterline tile, a knock off plaster finish, one low end light, and two return jets. This faulty design and dated materials and technology will ensure that you will get plenty of use out of that free vacuum and leaf skim net that will be your bonus for signing that contract today!
Now, are you convinced that you need a custom pool designed by a licensed landscape architect or do you need to know about the upsale that will happen at the meeting with the pool contractor doubling or tripling the price of that bargain pool?
Being the smart consumer that you are, invest in a custom swimming pool design that is styled to your lifestyle and the architecture of your residence. You will be elated with the money that you save by bidding that design to licensed general contractors. Yes Mark Spitz, there are a few general contractors that build spectacular swimming pools without all of the song and synchronized swimming of swimming pool builders, really, there are, and they even stand behind their warranties!
If you have reached this point in this article, you might be considering a swimming pool addition to your residence. Take a swim over to Pools By Land Art
to discover a few thousand gallons more of information on your new custom swimming pool.
PLANS FOR THE SAME PROJECT ARE SHOWN BELOW
2011 PROJECT LANDSCAPE PLAN BY LAND ART LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PLAN FOR SAME PROJECT BY A LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR / LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
ABOUT THE PLANS PICTURED ABOVE
In 2011 a client contacted Land Art Landscape Architecture to discuss his landscape needs. His landscape had died out over a three year period since the last time he had his landscape re-done, the client wanted to use the existing beds and replant then with plants that would stand the test of time.
During our initial meeting the client shared a plan that was prepared by a landscape contractor and asked our opinion. The client had paid the landscape contractor $300.00 for this plan and the landscape contractor indicated that he would install the plan for a set amount.
The client contracted with Land Art Landscape Architecture to design the project to the budget that the landscape contractor would install his sketch plan.
The client contracted to install the Land Art Landscape Architecture plan and has indicated that he will provide a photo when the installation is completed.
We hope that by sharing this plan sample that you will see the detail that goes into a Land Art Landscape Architecture design.
produced by EMOTION WORX DE FILMPRODUKTION | 2011
2011 TELEVISION COMMERCIAL
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HARDSCAPE DESIGN
Hardscape design may be critical to a landscapes success. Adding hardscape to a design can bring the property into harmony, blending the landscape and structures together into one artistic composition.
As licensed landscape architects we sign and seal our own plans in house. Our design plans are presented to our clients signed and sealed, read to submit for permit.
As we work with a vast number of material suppliers on a regular basis, we are able to save our client's money by specifying materials that are in harmony with the project, will withstand the test of time and are at industry competitive prices.
produced by MARC WEBER | 2009
COMMERCIAL FILMS : PERSONAL FILMS : DOCUMENTARIES : HUMAN INTEREST STORIES
2009 PROJECT SAMPLE
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[ not recommended for slow connections ]
