Grandpa Al does, having gone back to college at Merritt College to study landscape design.
Grandpa Al will spend about an hour at the site to interview the prospective clients trying to ascertain their needs and wants. Based on the interview, a design proposal will be made, telling the clients what the designer thinks they want and how much the design will cost them. If they are in agreement, the design process can begin. First, the site is measured and a base map is created. This is to scale. Then the site is analyzed and at least two rough preliminary designs are created. The designs are then evaluated by the clients. A final design is created based on those evaluations, and is presented in construction blueprint form rather than as a conceptual. This is done to facilitate competitive bidding if desired. We install almost all of our design work.
A design fee will be included with the design proposal. While some designers prefer to charge an hourly rate, we charge by the job.
As we are design-builders, the time can vary from a couple of weeks to a month or more. It depends on the time of year, and the current workload. Summer and fall design projects tend to take longer. The wise start the design project in the winter so that installation can be done in the spring to take advantage of the entire growing season. We install one job at a time rather than flitting from job to job.
Most of our work is done in urban areas where the lots tend to smaller. Our clients usually spend between $5,000 to $25,000 landscaping. Most of our work is done rejuvenating or replacing older landscapes that now longer fit the needs of the current owners.
There are two factors involved here. It is easier to maintain a plant that grows to fill an area than to keep pruning one to keep it in bounds. Also, the smaller a plant is when planted, the more drought tolerant it will be when it is mature. If a one gallon plant and a five gallon plant of the same species are planted together, in three years, they will be the same size. The one that started as a one gallon will withstand a drought much better.
We believe that it is best to use quality products in our installations and repairs. We use brass valves. Any pipe exposed to sunlight should be copper or UV resistant PVC. The underground pipes should be Schedule 40 PVC. The controllers should be user friendly. The system should apply water efficiently and effectively, whether by spray or drip systems.