22 Mar The Design Build Difference: A Seamless Landscaping Process with Exceptional Results

In the typical landscaping process, a landscape architect draws up plans for an outdoor space, then hands those plans off to a separate landscaping company for the installation. In contrast, design/build companies have landscape architects and designers as well as landscape installation crews available in-house, so the same company handles all aspects of the project.

In our company’s early years, we tried both approaches to projects. In the end, we found that the design/build approach fit in best with our core philosophies of personal attention, conscientiousness, and holistic design. We also believe that it offers our clients really tangible benefits, including:

Efficiency
Because one company creates and executes the landscape design, the process becomes very streamlined and seamless. There’s no disconnect between the designing, planning or installation stages. There’s no need for the homeowner to re-explain the project. And there’s no need for a second (or third) party to take time and effort to get up to speed.

Cost-Effectiveness
Going with a design/build firm can be a real cost-saver. You are not hiring two (or more) separate companies, so the cost of design ends up being just one line item in the overall budget. Also, as the plan is carried out, you’ll have a designer on-site at all times, without the additional cost you would incur if you had a different designer or landscape architect revisit the site.

“Continuity of Care”
A term that refers to the medical profession, but I have borrowed it because I think it applies very well to what we do. Everyone on a design/build firm team is intimately familiar with the project at every stage. So at any point in the process, you can trust that everyone involved knows your wants and needs, understands your vision, and is working toward the same goal.

Predictability
We look at both the beginning and the end of the project, and we assess the landscape plan, the required materials, and the landscape installation at once. Allowing us to create a realistic and reliable timeline and budget so that you will always know what to expect.

A Holistic Focus
We started off as a simple landscape nursery, and we still value the concept of nurturing and growing a plant from the time it’s a small seedling until planted in someone’s garden (and sometimes even beyond).

In much the same way, we invest ourselves wholly in seeing a project through from start to finish. When we do things this way, we are better able to balance every aspect of each design thoughtfully, from the client’s needs to the dimensions and characteristics of space, to budgetary limitations, to ecological concerns. To our thinking, this holistic approach makes for a project that succeeds on multiple levels and exceeds every client’s best expectations.

The Design Build Difference: A Seamless Landscaping Process with Exceptional Results
John Phillips, Landscape Designer