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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between landscape architect, landscape designer and landscape contractor?
Most states require a landscape architect to pass a rigorous licensing exam and be registered with their state's Board of Landscape Architects. They have either (or both) an undergraduate or graduate degree in landscape architecture and have apprenticed with a licensed professional. Those who have not taken and passed the licensure examination may not use the title 'landscape architect'. A landscape designer, as opposed to a landscape architect, does not have any requirements - anyone can call themselves a landscape designer. That is not to say there are not talented and professional landscape designers. A landscape contractor is someone who installs the landscape based on plans from the landscape architect or designer. Sometimes the word 'landscaper' is used for a contractor or someone who maintains the landscape.
2. What types of services can landscape architects offer?
This is a diverse and often misunderstood profession. Services range from concept sketches and hourly consults to master plans, construction drawings, bidding, tree selection ('tagging') and supervision. Landscape architects help design all aspects of the built environment and are concerned with aesthetics as well as function - they lay out roads, buildings and parking lots, sidewalks, steps, water elements, planting and site furniture including lighting. Some landscape architects are involved solely in site engineering like storm water management and offer little aesthetic skills.
3. Why is a Master Plan so important?
It is the 'big picture', a 'roadmap', and will save you heartache and money in the long run. No matter what size your property is, starting with a plan - a visual, two-dimensional long-term strategy for getting from point A to point B - is essential. It need not be detailed...it doesn't necessarily need specific plantings, materials or construction methods, but it should show areas and relationships, for example house to street, driveway to path, patio to lawn, and planting areas that define outdoor spaces. Because most people do not implement the entire plan all at once, the details are figured out later, when a particular phase of the plan is ready to be started. Master plans should be done in combination with sectional drawings or photographs. This helps in understanding the third dimension and allows the mind to better grasp what views may need to be screened, enhanced or framed, as well as more complicated grading issues signaling the need for retaining walls and steps. Some homeowners may be able to do this on their own, but often require assistance from a landscape architect, who can think more artistically and pull all the programmatic elements together - sometimes just having an objective, independent party will bring some unique and inventive ideas to the table.
4. What season is the best time to begin the planning process?
The myth is that I am less busy during the winter months. Often I will begin in the late fall for a project hoping to be installed in the spring. Projects requiring Township approvals can take even longer, so its best not to wait!
5. Should I be concerned that my designer's styles may conflict with my own?
Good design is about context, aesthetics, comfort and function. Style often refers to a particular type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character such as modern or austere, baroque or fussy, etc. The designer should not impart their own styles but understand the client's tastes enough to help pull the overall vision together. The job of the designer is to employ design devices such as composition, framing of views, articulation, sequence to make the project unique and inspiring. Formal or informal is not the issue - lines can be straight or curved but need to relate to the architecture, street or surroundings in some clear way. Click here for various 'styles' of landscape architecture represented in my work and different ways of approaching paths, walls pools and plantings.
6. What will a Master Plan cost?
The answer will depend on several things: the size of the property and time it will take for design and presentation, the involvement of the client and number of meetings required, and the ability of the client to visualize in plan view or their need for sketches and imagery to assist them. Some presentation techniques are quicker than others and may not need to be rendered in color, so that can reduce the time and ultimate cost of the plan. After the initial consultation and a better sense of what is required, a fee proposal can be developed.
7. I don't really want a Master Plan, but I need assistance with one area of my property - are you comfortable with a smaller scope of work?
Of course. My mission is to provide good design ideas to projects large and small, and I welcome all requests. See Small Projects.
8. Many of the projects shown on your website look like large projects beyond my means - do you offer your services for smaller projects with smaller budgets?
Yes. My projects range from tiny postage-stamp size yards to larger several-acre estates. Design is about good ideas regardless of the size or the budget. Design is such a small fraction of the overall installation costs, yet it is a critical part of the effort: 'It pays to think before you step'. See Small Projects.
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