When the air is warm and the flowers are blooming, there’s no place we’d rather be than outside. For most of us, there comes a time when we look around the yard and decide it could use an update. You might dream of a larger patio to accommodate your growing family, or maybe you imagine the trickling sound of a water feature as you enjoy some light summer reading. When re-imagining your outdoor space, there’s no better resource than a qualified landscape designer.
What Does a Landscape Designer Do?
A landscape designer is a highly trained professional who understands how to create an outdoor space that is comfortable, inviting, and beautiful all year long. They can work with you to understand your long-term and short-term goals for your space and help you bring your vision to life. They are also able to look at a space and pinpoint any challenges or issues that a less-experienced DIY-er might not recognize at first blush. A landscape designer’s job is to ensure you end up with the landscape of your dreams and guide you away from any nightmares!
Choosing a Landscape Designer in Moline
Landscape design is a combination of art, science, and passion. Landscapes are very different from interiors, as the design needs to keep its integrity in an unpredictable outdoor environment. Therefore, it’s important to hire someone who understands the climate in Moline and how the design will age after a typical year. This is where experience comes into play.
Many projects require digging, grading, and building permanent structures, so an in-depth knowledge of local permits, industry standards, and materials is key. A landscape designer with years of experience, an impressive portfolio, and a commitment to learning new industry trends is your best ally against unforeseen costs and delays.
While hiring someone like this does cost more than a less experienced landscape designer, it’s important to keep in mind that:
Landscaping is an investment. High-quality, beautiful, and long-lasting landscaping work is worth its weight in gold when you sell your home.
Landscaping is not easy. While taking on projects yourself is a great learning experience, we’ve learned over the years that Mother Nature always makes things harder than you thought they’d be. Our team has done enough projects in Moline, we’ve pretty much seen it all—and we know how to plan for it.
It’s better to pay once. Many of the jobs we do involve helping folks out after a DIY attempt or an inexperienced landscaper has created a mess they didn’t know how to get out of. These projects invariably involve lost money on materials and labor that had to be re-purchased and re-done. It’s always a better experience if you can spend your landscaping budget on the results you want, rather than spending less up-front, and then much more later for a less exciting outcome.
The Design Process
The process of working with a passionate landscape designer is a lot of fun. If you have big dreams about how you’d like your outdoor space to feel, your landscape designer is likely to get just as excited about it as you are. They’ll be able to help you choose elements for your space you may have never considered while building on the style and layout you envision. The process looks something like this:
Consult: Your landscape designer will meet with you in your space to get a feel for the area. Prepare for your consultation by getting together some reference images so the landscape designer can understand the style you’re going for.
Quote: With this information, your landscape designer can put together a detailed quote and a rough timeline for how long the design will take to create.
Design: Your designer will use Pro Landscape software to create a three-dimensional view of the landscape design. They will then present you with their design and explain how the space will look. It’s important to offer open and honest feedback on the design so your designer can ensure the design is precisely to your taste.
Build: Once you’ve approved your design, the landscaping company can come in and start making your dreams a reality! If you prefer, your landscape designer can also offer pointers on executing the design yourself. You can continue to communicate with the landscape designer if you have questions along the way until finally, you have the outdoor space you’ve always wanted.
Landscaping is considered to have the best return on investment of any home improvement, and a fabulous new landscape design can dramatically improve your enjoyment of your home. Our team of professional landscape designers can help you create a yard you’ll be proud to entertain in.