What Should I Expect from a Premier Landscaping Consultation with Sage Landscapes?
If you’re considering a landscaping consultation from Sage Landscapes, you may be wondering what to expect. This guide will walk you through the key aspects of this experience, ensuring that you are well-prepared to transform your outdoor space. From the initial discussion to design concepts, to knowing what to anticipate during a build can help you make the most of your consultation.
Understanding Your Needs
Before you step into a consultation, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your landscaping needs and a sense of style. This includes not only the obvious things, but also the features that will enhance your outdoor experience and draw you to spend more time outdoors.
A premier landscaping consultation may start with questions about your insights into the unpleasant parts of the outdoor space, a dive into your hobbies or your family size or other factors that will inform the sizes of certain elements, the presence of engaging features and a style that speaks to you along with addressing the challenges you face with the space.
We’ll also start to define a signature style for your property. The easiest way to get started doing this is by collecting images of things you see that you like and a list of things you aren’t drawn to. This could be online or in your neighborhood or a local park, but start to notice what you like about the outdoor places you visit already and start to make a note of that. Be prepared to discuss your lifestyle, how you use your outdoor space, and any existing elements you’d like to keep or replace. This dialogue sets the groundwork for a design that is truly tailored to you.
What to Bring to the Consultation
When we arrive for your landscaping consultation, it’s helpful to bring along certain materials. The images, or even sketches that represent your ideals. This visual assistance can dramatically improve the communication between you and your designer. We, as your builder and designer may bring samples or a catalog of our past work to help us determine the materials and styles that catch your eye.
It’s also advantageous to prepare questions or topics you’d like to cover during the meeting. This could include inquiries about maintenance, sustainability, durability and warranty of our product ranges. An organized approach will ensure you get the most out of the consultation.
We’ll get a site map with elevations and measurements when we’re there and maybe some overhead photography depending on the tree cover. If visualizations help you imagine the space, then think about investing deeper in the design phase to save you headaches in the build. Upgrade your design package to 3d instead of plan view to help think through the details of the space before setting them in stone. If you are good at visualizing a concept, a plan view and reference photos may be plenty for you! We recommend a design for most jobs but especially for jobs over $30,000 or jobs with detailed areas like an outdoor kitchen.
Exploring Design Ideas
Once you start exploring design ideas with your designer, you will get a concept of the whole layout. Your designer will think through your main views from the house or patio, the engaging elements and where to place them, the sun and shade at different parts of the day, drainage and utilities, retaining walls and more. Our creativity takes the spotlight in this phase to find the best relative location to maximize the space. You may dive deeper in a second draft with a more detailed plant list or materials changes after viewing samples.
Perhaps you’ll consider a cozy fire pit area or a serene water feature as an interactive feature. A covered structure to extend your outdoor season or a recreational swimming pond for the hot summer days may be what gets you out and enjoying the outdoors at home. It’s critical to represent elements you are passionate about or can appreciate in an ongoing way. It may be time with friends and family around an outdoor kitchen or quiet time by a water feature. This is where the magic of customization begins, and the space is tailored to specifically suit your style while ticking the boxes of functionality needed in your unique property.
Discussing Budget and Timeline
Budgeting is an integral aspect of a premier landscaping consultation. Clear communication here will help set expectations—for both you and the landscaping professional.
Share your budget openly, allowing the expert to craft a design that fits within those financial parameters. An experienced landscaper will be able to offer options that align with your budget while ensuring quality and aesthetics are maintained.
In tandem with budgeting comes timeline discussion. You’ll want to know how long the project will take from conception to completion. This also involves discussions about seasonal availability for specific plants or materials, as these can impact your landscaping project.
Understanding Next Steps
As your consultation wraps up, it becomes crucial to grasp the next steps. Your landscaping professional will likely provide a timeline for follow-up meetings or project start time. A pay schedule will be set up so you can easily pay for our progress on the jobs and material purchasing. We have card, bank transfer, and check option for our customers.
You will receive a proposal that will outline all the agreed-upon items to be present in your finished space along with their price. Take the time to review this document carefully. It’s your roadmap to transforming your outdoor space, so make sure everything you want present is on there because it may be more difficult or expensive to add after part of the project is underway.
Finally, remain open to adjustments as your ideas evolve. Landscaping is often an iterative process, and minor changes can lead to a stunning end result. We always like to find a few details to challenge ourselves and make some unique touches based on our craftsmanship and experience.
Wrapping Up Your Consultation Journey
Now that you know what to expect while working with a premier landscape company like Sage Landscapes, you can approach the meeting confidently and get the most out of the experience! With clear communication and an open mind, you’re well on your way to achieving the landscape of your dreams.