THE WATER & EARTH LANDSCAPE DESIGN PROCESS
Once clients invite Water and Earth to work with them on their new outdoor living project they are going to quickly see the potential of how our style of laying out and presenting ideas as well as offering constructive criticism help to initiate the design process.
TRUST THE PROCESS
WATER & EARTH LANDSCAPE DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
PROBLEMS & FUNCTION
Once we have been introduced over the phone or email, we will offer to come to see your space and discuss the project at your convenience. During this time we will discuss the problems you would like to solve with the newly designed space taking into account details about your family and how you currently interact with the space. At this time we will also provide you with a design proposal for our involvement in the project.
CONCEPT PHASE
CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
The first design ideas that our clients will see will be two conceptual designs that are hand drawn and to scale. It’s at this point that the conversation really heats up as we present you our ideas and get back vital feedback that will help to set the course for the rest of the design process. Ideally throughout this presentation we will choose an option to go with, whether that’s the first idea, the second or a combination of the two concepts. While these loose designs will show you our intent on where we want to take your space they aren’t quite yet focusing on materials or other project specifics. Once we feel as though we have gained enough feedback from you, we will go back to the office to implement that feedback into the next design phase.
3D DISCOVERY PHASE
COMING TO LIFE...
Seeing your space in a three dimensional environment with the feedback you provided initially, we will now present to you the ideas we built upon from the concept. Textures will look realistic, plants alive and shadows accurate. This design presentation will see the two dimensional concept leap off the page. We deploy an unrivaled collection of Software to bring the visualization to the next level. Designs are modeled, then rendered and finally touched up in photo editing software to get it as close to real as possible. It’s important to note that we will also be making sure to include the exiting rooflines of your home, window and door locations and architectural details that are unique to your home. Plan to see 12-18 images of of the design in daytime as well as after the sun sets. Seeing the space during different times of the day will help you to understand what the final construction will look very similar to. During tis presentation we will again vet the intent of the idea and offer you another opportunity to edit what you would like to see changed. We can either redo some 3D shots or move into the material selection.
MATERIAL SELECTION PHASE
CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
There’s too many options when it comes to picking the right finishes for the features in your outdoor living space. Pick the wrong ones and a modern and clean idea begins to go the wrong direction quickly. Material choices are what brings a finished outdoor living area from ordinary to extraordinary. Once we have an idea of what the project is going to look like but we’re not quite tightening up details, we are going to jump into the deep end of material selection.
Is your patio going to be pavers, stone, concrete or decking? What coping, tile and plaster are you going to have in your pool? What kind of lighting are you going to be most interested in illuminating the space when the sun goes down in the evening? For every one of these questions there is a plentiful supply of answers that come in different styles, colors, finishes and most important costs. We are going to review all of the ideas together and once we have locked down some contenders, samples will one provided for a more personal inspection.
FINAL DESIGN PHASE
FINAL BLUE PRINTS
Now that we have materials nailed down and a one final round of your feedback to show in the design plan, we are going to do it through the set of final plans. Think of a final plan set as a set of directions for the contractors to understand their respective tasks to complete a project, what things are and where they go. Before providing a bid, contractors will use this plan set to price the project and if they are eventually awarded the project will use it to permit where necessary and to build off of. This set of different 2D version of the design will explain all the spaces, what their dimensions are and what they are made of so the contractors are able to understand our plans for the space. This plan set will typically include a site plan, planting plan, hardscaping plan, lighting plan and any elevations of structures that need to be explained to specialty tradesman. These documents will be resisted many times throughout the construction process.
BIDDING PHASE
CONSULTATIVE VALUE
The design is done. It shows all the hard work we put in together to understand all of the options and how they could apply to your space. Now that we have final plans we can involve contractor contacts of ours to review the plans and provide pricing. This will usually require a few meetings between Water & Earth Landscape Design, our client, and the deferent groups that will be bidding on the project. Once we receive pricing from contractors, we will work you to compare pricing between the few companies, who’s too high, too low and right where they need to be. We will discuss with you the pros and cons of working with different groups and then ideally we will choose one to move forward with.
QUALITY CONTROL
PROJECT ADMIN PHASE
Throughout construction, contractors will have questions and the project will need a set of eyes on it that are independent of the entities that are building it. Water & Earth Landscape Design will stay involved with our design projects to make sure that they are being implemented the way it was originally planned to be. We will carefully monitor the progress of the space with our client and be available for any design changes or new ideas that are a product of seeing progress and original ideas coming to life.
Finally, your project is finished.
