What I do and What You do - No surprises

(Required reading for all clients)

The design process is a series of steps that leads to the ultimate goal of creating your personal outdoor environment. It is a collaborative process between you and me. I will have many questions and I hope you will, too.

Step one is our initial meeting. It has several purposes and results in a decision whether or not to process to the second step. This meeting is a time of getting to know one another and will take about an hour. In essence, we will be interviewing each other to determine if we want to work together. I will have many questions to ask. Here are some of them:

• What do you want to use the space for?
• Will people be walking or children playing in the space?
• Will you spend much time there?
• What are your favorite colors?
• Do you have any favorite plants?
• Do you like cactus, yucca, and agave type plants?
• Understanding that there is no such thing as a maintenance free yard, how much time are you willing to spend on your yard each week?
• All plants need water to a greater or lesser degree. Are you willing to install an irrigation system?
• And the most important question of all...What is your budget?

I know that the last question is the most difficult. Many people have no idea what landscaping costs and, therefore, have trouble deciding what they are willing to spend. I have three comments. First of all, it probably costs more than you might expect. Prices for materials and labor have been steadily climbing. You could be in for "sticker shock." This phenomenon seems to be occurring a lot lately - houses, cars, furniture, gasoline, etc.

Second, it depends on the size of the space. This is probably obvious but needs to be kept in mind, especially when doing back yards.

Third, let me propose an analogy. Do you want to look at a VW when you really want (and can afford) a Lexus? Conversely, do you want to look at a Cadillac if you cannot afford it? Just as you need to set a price range before you go to the dealerships, you need to decide a price range before I can create an original design for you.

I know that, to most people, giving a sales person (and face it, I am selling my talents and experience) a budget is akin to throwing chum to a shark. The shark will devour it in a flash and come looking for more. I cannot stop you from thinking that but, by the same token, I cannot help you if you don't trust me enough to give me a ballpark figure as to what you will be willing to spend to make your home more livable.

At the end of our first meeting, I am going to ask you to make a decision. Either you are interested in working with me or not. If your first impression of me is not positive, tell me - I can live with that. If you think we might make a good team and want to get started, that would be wonderful and we could skip to Step Three. If you need time to think about it or talk with other designer, that's okay with me. I just will ask for a commitment to go to Step Two.

Step Two entails a phone appointment when you will be able to tell me if, after considering your alternatives, you think I am the one to help you accomplish your goals. If no, I will thank you for the opportunity to compete for your business. If yes, we will move to step three.

Step Three leads to the creation of the initial design layout. A design proposal costs $500 to $2000 per yard (front and back are separate proposals), depending on the size of the yard and complexity of the design. I will ask for a 50% deposit to create the initial drawings. We will need to meet again for more questions and answers as we work to agree on a design. I will present the first draft for your comments and approval. If you want changes to be made to the overall plan, this is the time to do them. I will incorporate any changes we agree upon and present a final draft. The balance of the design fee will be paid at that time. If additional changes are to be made after this, my time will be billed at $100 per hour.

Step Four is the implementation of the design plan. I can help you arrange for all work that needs to be done. I can make suggestions as to who to use and monitor their work. I charge $100 per hour on the job site to oversee any work being done. Again depending on the size of the project, my time could run from 20 to 40+ hours. You will pay for each phase of the project as it is completed. Some of the stages may involve a partial payment in advance for out of pocket costs for materials (bricks, dirt, irrigation supplies, etc). Changes can be made to the design during installation but it almost always results in additional costs to you.

Step Five - opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate completion of the project. (This step is optional.)