Landscape Architect

[dirtrunner0519]

I have a few questions regarding landscaping our property. We are approximately 4-6 weeks until completion but we have no idea what kind of landscaping we want to do.

Our house is very modern, do you recommend waiting until we can afford a landscape architect, or does anyone have better suggestions about our landscaping?

 

[WhiffySpark]

Depends on lot lay out, budget, and what you have pictured. And where you are located.

 

[Parrothead]

Depends on lot lay out, budget, and what you have pictured. And where you are located.

Yep, this.

So many variables, and does the HOA (if there is one) have any requirements. How much maintenance? Irrigation system? Seasonal planting? Lighting?

We’ll need a lot more details

 

[GMCGarage]

I have a few questions regarding landscaping our property. We are approximately 4-6 weeks until completion but we have no idea what kind of landscaping we want to do.

Our house is very modern, do you recommend waiting until we can afford a landscape architect, or does anyone have better suggestions about our landscaping?

Try a bigger nursery, they might have someone on staff that will do it provided you buy from them.

How much you looking to spend?

 

[dirtrunner0519]

We live in Los Angeles, and our budget is not very large 5-7k, which i know does not go very far in landscaping.

I will be doing most of the work. No HOA requirements, city of LA always will have a final say but as long i do not plant 100% grass and water hungry plants they will leave me alone.

Here is what our lot looks like

 

[GMCGarage]

We live in Los Angeles, and our budget is not very large 5-7k, which i know does not go very far in landscaping.

I will be doing most of the work. No HOA requirements, city of LA always will have a final say but as long i do not plant 100% grass and water hungry plants they will leave me alone.

Here is what our lot looks like

I would work with a local nursery that has staff. Unless you are looking for water features, decks, walls, etc, a bigger place should take care of you for 7K

 

[yeldogt]

YES .... I always hire one -- they save you money and you get a better job.

Get the plan drawn up and you know what to do it the future -- do it over a few years. Get the basics in work forward. Amateurs plant too many plants -- less is more .. and they grow.

Getting proper advise upfront saves aggravation and wasted time moving and changing.

Just like design build firms when building a house ... going to home depot to design a kitchen -- landscapers and nursery layouts are "white bread".

Get someone who knows what they are doing -- this will add value to the property.

 

[garagelogician]

I have a few questions regarding landscaping our property. We are approximately 4-6 weeks until completion but we have no idea what kind of landscaping we want to do.

Our house is very modern, do you recommend waiting until we can afford a landscape architect, or does anyone have better suggestions about our landscaping?

Do you have any big grade changes, slopes or retaining walls? If so, do you have a grading plan? Any drainage concerns?

I'm biased because of my profession, but don't rely on a landscape architect to handle those types of issues...they don't know what they are doing. Just like you wouldn't let an interior decorator design the structure of your house, don't let a landscape architect do your grading. Just let them make it pretty once all the important work is done by a civil engineer.

 

[yeldogt]

Do you have any big grade changes, slopes or retaining walls? If so, do you have a grading plan? Any drainage concerns?

I'm biased because of my profession, but don't rely on a landscape architect to handle those types of issues...they don't know what they are doing. Just like you wouldn't let an interior decorator design the structure of your house, don't let a landscape architect do your grading. Just let them make it pretty once all the important work is done by a civil engineer.

I have never found engineers the go to people for design -- get the design and hire the engineer to make it work.

Same with an architect -- design and hire the engineer. Engineers are always telling you why you should not do something. Best to give them a goal

 

[garagelogician]

I have never found engineers the go to people for design -- get the design and hire the engineer to make it work.

It is fine to have a design goal in mind, but they need to stay in their lane and not get into grading. Every week I run into multiple "plans" by architects and landscape architects that flat out don't work. 1:1 slopes, retaining walls that end at 6-ft tall, elevations that make no sense at all. The clients tend to get upset when we tell them that the plans they paid good money for need to be completely redone and costs go through the roof.

 

[yeldogt]

It is fine to have a design goal in mind, but they need to stay in their lane and not get into grading. Every week I run into multiple "plans" by architects and landscape architects that flat out don't work. 1:1 slopes, retaining walls that end at 6-ft tall, elevations that make no sense at all. The clients tend to get upset when we tell them that the plans they paid good money for need to be completely redone and costs go through the roof.

Well .. that should not happen? Sound like maybe they are calling you in too late ... an early review is always wise. For possible errors and cost concerns.

Naturall the township is always a wild card .. ready to screw up any good design.

 

[dirtrunner0519]

No major grading changes, everything can be done by hand and rake. I do not have any sloping issues or retaining walls that will need to be built.

It is pretty much an aesthetics job, and which type of plant to put where.

 

[steveo1o9]

YES .... I always hire one -- they save you money and you get a better job.

Get the plan drawn up and you know what to do it the future -- do it over a few years. Get the basics in work forward. Amateurs plant too many plants -- less is more .. and they grow.

Getting proper advise upfront saves aggravation and wasted time moving and changing.

Just like design build firms when building a house ... going to home depot to design a kitchen -- landscapers and nursery layouts are "white bread".

Get someone who knows what they are doing -- this will add value to the property.

The value of working with a nursery will be to have plants specified that are actually available locally. You could pay someone big bucks to spec a bunch of plants that are either out of budget or not even readily available in your area. A larger nursery can tell you what they have, cost, and how they perform in different locations. Possibly a happy medium would need to be found between the two.

Do you have any big grade changes, slopes or retaining walls? If so, do you have a grading plan? Any drainage concerns?

I'm biased because of my profession, but don't rely on a landscape architect to handle those types of issues...they don't know what they are doing. Just like you wouldn't let an interior decorator design the structure of your house, don't let a landscape architect do your grading. Just let them make it pretty once all the important work is done by a civil engineer.

I am a civil engineer and work with landscape architects daily, my boss is a landscape architect and is as good of a site engineer as any. Grading is a requirement on their licensing exams and actually taught in school unlike in engineering classes. I think you are unfairly basing your judgement on a few incompetent people. Or maybe I am basing my opinion on a few overly competent people.

 

[garagelogician]

I am a civil engineer and work with landscape architects daily, my boss is a landscape architect and is as good of a site engineer as any. Grading is a requirement on their licensing exams and actually taught in school unlike in engineering classes. I think you are unfairly basing your judgement on a few incompetent people. Or maybe I am basing my opinion on a few overly competent people.

I've been in the industry for 13 years, and I've dealt with good designers and bad designers regardless of whether they are civil engineers/techs or landscape architects. So yes, I'm being a bit harsh and unfair...but it just grinds my gears when I see crappy grading plans from landscape guys.

Overall, I'd say the quality of plans has gone down considerably since the recession...but maybe I'm just seeing a subset of poor quality plans from certain regions now. My company does retaining wall designs across the country, but I tend to see a lot of projects (I generally do 2-3 projects per day) coming from a client (block producer) in the Hudson Valley of NY, NJ and CT. Retaining walls seem to be a mystery to most designers (even civil engineers)...and I spend way too many hours of my day either fixing their mistakes or trying to get them to fix their own.

 

[steveo1o9]

I've been in the industry for 13 years, and I've dealt with good designers and bad designers regardless of whether they are civil engineers/techs or landscape architects. So yes, I'm being a bit harsh and unfair...but it just grinds my gears when I see crappy grading plans from landscape guys.

Overall, I'd say the quality of plans has gone down considerably since the recession...but maybe I'm just seeing a subset of poor quality plans from certain regions now. My company does retaining wall designs across the country, but I tend to see a lot of projects (I generally do 2-3 projects per day) coming from a client (block producer) in the Hudson Valley of NY, NJ and CT. Retaining walls seem to be a mystery to most designers (even civil engineers)...and I spend way too many hours of my day either fixing their mistakes or trying to get them to fix their own.

In the industry for 9 years myself and the past 3 have been in a firm doing site engineering on large residential subdivisions and commercial projects. My group has two landscape architects on staff who focus primarily on grading (more so then actual landscape plans) so I guess they have to be good at it or wouldn't have a job in our firm. Then again our firm typically wouldn't touch landscaping small residential lots unless it was one of our clients special requests since there is no profit in it for us. I can certainly see a small scale landscape architect firm not being knowledgeable on earthwork. And yes unless you focus in structural engineering most of us don't have a clue about retaining walls. We just know we need one here and hand the plans off to people like you.

I actually grew up and spent 28 years of my life in the Hudson Valley.

 

[FANTM58]

I commissioned a landscape designer from a local nursery.
He came out and spent about an hour walking around the property, and listening
To our concerns and wants. He proposed a rough draft and then the final.
The fee was $2000. And we are on a 2.6 acre lot.
Well worth the money..

 

[velocipede]

OP.... As Steveo1o9 said most east coast design firms won't touch a small residential job, however California is another ball game and there are a lot of firms that specialize in residential practice. You should call a couple for a rough estimate and see how the results stack up against your budget. Shouldn't cost you anything. Bring them a copy of your site plan and sit down with them for half an hour and tell them what you expect. Ask for a fee proposal. It's non binding and will give you an idea of what design services might cost. In my area there are a couple of LA's that do residential plans on the side. Also some landscape designers advertise services. Big nurseries also offer design services. If you anticipate a design that extends beyond ornamental shrubs and trees, people with a horticultural background are often a better choice.

With regard to "crappy plans". Twenty five years as a Virginia licensed Landscape Architect working with Architects, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors in firms ranging in size from five to over a hundred. Responsibility for the accuracy of a sealed set of drawings belongs to the design firm and ultimately, the professional who seals them. If mistakes are made in the design process, it's not the client that pays.

I've seen mistakes from every profession, some very costly. Just as many of those mistakes were made by civil designers. Professional liability insurance exists for a reason. It is unfair to categorize an entire profession based on a few observations. That kind of **** just grinds my gears.

As for Landscape Architects and what they do. Every licensed design profession operates within a state defined scope of practice and some of those practices overlap. In many states LA's are licensed to perform grading as part of their scope of practice, and depending on the structure of the firm they might spend a lot of time doing earthwork. In those states the "landscape guys" are "staying in their lane".

Here are what LA's legally practice in NY, CT and NJ
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/larch/larchbroch.htm
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/pub/chap_396.htm
http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/land/Pages/default.aspx

 

[ard]

you get what you pay for.

You need to hire:
A land surveyor
A civil engineer
A geotechnical engineer
A Landscape Architect
A structural Engineer for any decks, planters, etc
(Assume no electrical work for now... )


Just think of all the money it will save you.... in the long run.




(I crack myself up)


A good friend has a house in Oakland CA. He wants to redo his backyard. A space of 45x40 feet. He had a landscape designer come by- they discussed the project...Guy asked "what is your budget?". Friend said about 10k. Guy said 'my design is 5k'.

Oops.

Im trying not to get involved.

 

[ssdave]

I tried not to get involved; I won't get into the architect/LA/Engineer, etc discussion. I've been in the design and construction industry for 35 years as a licensed professional and have my opinions but the gamut of them has been covered above. But, I do think I have a constructive suggestion for you.

For your budget of $5-$7K, I'd not spend much, if any of that on an LA. Outside of the competence aspect, I think cost of the services will be a major detriment. A decent design by an LA would run 1/4 to 1/2 your budget. 25 years ago, I charged $1200 to $1800 for a residential landscape design by the LA in my firm. Costs haven't gone down since then for quality work. And, they might tell you you can't buy the materials in their plan for what remains of your budget. Professional services are worth it if you need and can afford a professional job. In this case, I think the impact on your budget would outweigh the benefit.

I'd carefully draw up a site plan, to dimension of your lot with house, walks, and other features located. I'd do it at a 1/8" = 1 foot scale or even 1/4" = 1 foot. Take a number of pictures. Print them out on decent size and make sure you get good perspective, and include views of and from adjacent properties/street. Pick a nursery or two that you want to deal with and go discuss with them. Tell them your goal of $5 to $7k. That's enough to get their interest. Ask them what a good time to meet with them is; don't go in at the busiest time. Get some advice from them, walk the nursery yard and look at and discuss the plants. Take their ideas, do some research of your own on line, look at yards around you and in neighborhoods you like. Decide on what features you want, and make sure you have enough room to make them work.

I think that you can readily come up with a quality design within your budget with this approach.

Postscript: The picture you posted loaded on my computer and now I see you already have a scaled plot plan. That's a good start; the pictures would be the next step.

 

[gahrajmahal]

We hired a landscape architect when we first moved into our house (24 yrs.ago). It was one of the best things we did. She was just getting started out on her own after working for bigger firms. The choices she made of unusual plants almost always worked out. Be sure to ask for every zone to be landscaped so you can do them in stages or not at all. The hard scaping is key. Walks, walls, drainage and watering systems. Add that stuff first if you can. The plants, though expensive are difficult to move if you want to add the hard scaping later. Buy stuff year round so you can have plants in bloom year round. Fall, winter is a great time to buy bargains at the big box stores. Keep your list in the car.

 

[rcktsled]

Get in touch with a college that has a Landscape Architecture program (like Cal Poly Pomona) and see if any of their students need a project to work on. You might get the design done for free.

 

[dirtrunner0519]

Update- Thank you all for your're feedback.

All decking, Electrical etc has been designed by an engineer and architect, and approved by LADBS.

I called a few places around CA and due to my zip code they see all the construction and want to charge a design fee for 5-7k. Sadly most of the design is already done. I have a survey, i have a plot plan with elevations, and i have an overall plot plan with house/garage and monuments.

I reached out to Armstrong, and they charge a nominal fee of 400 dollars for the design then they send you to a person to do the blueprint. I am fine with working of sketches and doing it this way.

It is really not a complicated design, fee trees, grass, and a couple of plants.

I will let you know how it goes with Armstrong.

 

[yeldogt]

There are many people who work for large design companies that do work on the side .. just like my suggestion on many threads to hire a retired architect for a consultation on a new project ... find someone -- some companies actual allow. Call the main number.

I have used a women who works for a huge company -- she enjoys doing small jobs and consultations. I paid her about $1800 two years ago to do a layout and a couple site inspections.

It sounds like the OP needs some advise -- most people are looking for something different. As I said above .. less is more -- most people plant too much. A good design will have less not more plants. My only thought with a garden center type person -- even if a LA .. is they are there to sell plants and many garden centers don't have many unusual plants .... it's the same with many LA that work with developers and large builders ... you get "white bread" designs base on what's available and cheap. Why do you think every development looks the same ?

 

[audioworks04]

My wife is a landscape designer, which is probably more what you want for a residential build. I would find a designer local to you that works with a larger tree farm or nursery. That way you can have the total plan figured out before you get sod it. This will allow you to get all of your irrigation and lighting in, even for future beds or features. Also any large trees that may require equipment to place you could get installed before collateral damage due to the equipment. But budget yourself and do what you can now, but better to plan than to just guess. One of the biggest mistakes that people make on new builds is to use the builder or to design their own, typically this ends up with low quality plants and tree and a hodge-podge of plants that do not always work out well together overtime.
If you have any questions let me know and I can forward them onto my live in designer.

 

[JimVonBaden]

you get what you pay for.

You need to hire:
A land surveyor
A civil engineer
A geotechnical engineer
A Landscape Architect
A structural Engineer for any decks, planters, etc
(Assume no electrical work for now... )


Just think of all the money it will save you.... in the long run.




(I crack myself up)


A good friend has a house in Oakland CA. He wants to redo his backyard. A space of 45x40 feet. He had a landscape designer come by- they discussed the project...Guy asked "what is your budget?". Friend said about 10k. Guy said 'my design is 5k'.

Oops.

Im trying not to get involved.

Seriously, for that small of a yard, and budget, the OP should talk with the specialist at an established nursery. They will often assist in a design using locally sourced plants and landscaping materials that are suitable for the location, and even a little layout help. Go online and look for ideas. Houzz has a lot of great ideas. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...os/landscape&usg=AOvVaw13AvXpdNQJG-sAY5iuVveA

 

[JimVonBaden]

I tried not to get involved; I won't get into the architect/LA/Engineer, etc discussion. I've been in the design and construction industry for 35 years as a licensed professional and have my opinions but the gamut of them has been covered above. But, I do think I have a constructive suggestion for you.

For your budget of $5-$7K, I'd not spend much, if any of that on an LA. Outside of the competence aspect, I think cost of the services will be a major detriment. A decent design by an LA would run 1/4 to 1/2 your budget. 25 years ago, I charged $1200 to $1800 for a residential landscape design by the LA in my firm. Costs haven't gone down since then for quality work. And, they might tell you you can't buy the materials in their plan for what remains of your budget. Professional services are worth it if you need and can afford a professional job. In this case, I think the impact on your budget would outweigh the benefit.

I'd carefully draw up a site plan, to dimension of your lot with house, walks, and other features located. I'd do it at a 1/8" = 1 foot scale or even 1/4" = 1 foot. Take a number of pictures. Print them out on decent size and make sure you get good perspective, and include views of and from adjacent properties/street. Pick a nursery or two that you want to deal with and go discuss with them. Tell them your goal of $5 to $7k. That's enough to get their interest. Ask them what a good time to meet with them is; don't go in at the busiest time. Get some advice from them, walk the nursery yard and look at and discuss the plants. Take their ideas, do some research of your own on line, look at yards around you and in neighborhoods you like. Decide on what features you want, and make sure you have enough room to make them work.

I think that you can readily come up with a quality design within your budget with this approach.

Postscript: The picture you posted loaded on my computer and now I see you already have a scaled plot plan. That's a good start; the pictures would be the next step.

Excellent advice!

 

[yeldogt]

The OP has a site plan ... he is looking for advise .. to finish.

 

[6768rogues]

Think about when particular plants are in bloom and when you want them in bloom. Do you want something blooming at any given time, all spring, whatever? I worked at a public school and we looked for plantings that would bloom when school was in session. Having everything bloom during summer break was kind of pointless.

 

[steveo1o9]

There are many people who work for large design companies that do work on the side .. just like my suggestion on many threads to hire a retired architect for a consultation on a new project ... find someone -- some companies actual allow. Call the main number.

I have used a women who works for a huge company -- she enjoys doing small jobs and consultations. I paid her about $1800 two years ago to do a layout and a couple site inspections.

It sounds like the OP needs some advise -- most people are looking for something different. As I said above .. less is more -- most people plant too much. A good design will have less not more plants. My only thought with a garden center type person -- even if a LA .. is they are there to sell plants and many garden centers don't have many unusual plants .... it's the same with many LA that work with developers and large builders ... you get "white bread" designs base on what's available and cheap. Why do you think every development looks the same ?

Once again if the local nurseries don't have that cool unusual plant that you paid a bunch of money for someone to tell you to put in, then what is the point? Seems like you looked to have some cool factor in your design which is awesome, but that is not practical for someone who just wants their yard to look nice on a budget. Also most developments look the same because landscaping is an after thought by most developers and they only put in what is required by code. Availability and cheap are the name of the game for developers and they will cut a corner or two to stay on budget, landscaping goes in last and uses the remaining budget.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Once again if the local nurseries don't have that cool unusual plant that you paid a bunch of money for someone to tell you to put in, then what is the point? Seems like you looked to have some cool factor in your design which is awesome, but that is not practical for someone who just wants their yard to look nice on a budget. Also most developments look the same because landscaping is an after thought by most developers and they only put in what is required by code. Availability and cheap are the name of the game for developers and they will cut a corner or two to stay on budget, landscaping goes in last and uses the remaining budget.

 

[dirtrunner0519]

We will be meeting with a local nursery, still have not decided on which one. I am pretty confident i can sketch up the plot plan with some Revelations etc for someone, well mainly me to follow.

I have been reading up on fake vs real grass. Can anyone chime in on personal experiences, i have seen some horrible installations?

Anyone ever use underground drip watering for grass?

Thank you for you're input.