For clients who have not worked with a landscape architect before, the following overview might be useful:

Why hire a landscape architect? 

Landscape architecture is the “seasoned” art.  At best, a landscape architect will bring to your project the eye of an artist and the skills of an engineer, a horticulturalist, and a land use planner.  It is the landscape architect’s job to guide the vision, to help the owner articulate their goals, to consider the design in spatial and temporal terms, and, in addition, to represent the owner’s interest throughout the construction process. This representation is intended to ensure quality, to steward the design intent through the construction process, and to monitor project cost. 

What is the difference between a landscape architect and a landscape designer?

The difference between a landscape architect and a landscape designer is technically that the architect holds a professional license and has passed the professional “bar exam” (a three day national exam which tests technical, legal and design skills).  One may not legally call himself or herself an architect unless they have passed the exam.  Often, there is an implied difference in education level between a designer and an architect; most architects have attended graduate school, whereas many designers attend a trade school.

How are the design phases and fee structure organized?

All projects may be broken down into three primary phases: Schematic Design, Design Development/Construction Documents, and Bid Negotiation/Construction Administration.  Schematic Design is the preliminary phase when site base information is gathered and analyzed.  Schematic Design is the synthesis of the site analysis (soils, microclimate, water patterns, solar conditions, views) and the program (screening, additions, restoration, garden development) into a variety of design alternatives.  Design Development/Construction Documents is an iterative phase between material selection, detail development, and construction estimation, resulting in the preparation of documents for a competitive bid.  Bid Negotiation and Construction Administration is when the architect transitions from being the owners’ consultant to the owners’ representative throughout the construction process. 

The common methods for structuring landscape architectural fees are hourly, fixed fee, or a composite of hourly and fixed fee.  Heimarck & Foglia, LLC prefers to work hourly on most residential jobs.  If a fixed fee proposal is preferred, a mutually agreeable Schematic Design fee is arrived at depending on the scope of the project and available site information.  Full Landscape Architecture services range from 18-20% of the construction estimate, depending on complexity.  This percentage roughly covers fixed fee and hourly phases.  The final phase, Bid Negotiation and Construction Services, are typically billed hourly.  In addition, reimbursable expenses for printing, photography, travel, etc. are billed to the owner.

What is a master plan?

A master plan is an instrumental tool for projects that are to be completed over a period of time.  Master plans enable the owner to target/raise funds for a series of discrete projects, resulting in the greater whole, the “Master Plan”.  For the architect, the work to complete a master plan is similar to completing Schematic Design and Design Developments.  Construction Documents are not a part of the planning documents.

When should I begin planning my landscape?

Winter is a great time to plan for future projects. The more prepared we can be to take advantage of the construction season the better.  Design and documentation can take four to six months, depending on the scale and complexity of the project. 

What are my other options? 

No project is too large or too small for Heimarck & Foglia, LLC. Please contact us to discuss your project ideas and whether one of these alternatives may be more suitable for your project:

A)    Find a very good nursery that offers design services as a part of their construction and maintenance contract.

B)    Find a very good contractor who offers design services as a part of the construction contract. 

Many successful smaller projects are done in this manner.  Although companies will vary, the downside of the design/build arrangement is that design may be an overhead item for these firms and given short shrift; in addition, the design will often only address immediate project concerns and avoid long range planning issues.  Recommendations may also be driven by the incorporation of items or materials that the nursery/contractor is eager to be rid of. 

The fiduciary role of the architect has been removed from this type of project structure; a possible “insurance” policy you could employ is to have a design consultant (an architect or designer) review and comment on the design proposal prepared by a nursery/contractor.  Your other option for a small project is to engage a landscape architectural firm, such as Heimarck & Foglia, LLC, for a one-time field consultation or workshop resulting in design recommendations.  This will not result in a set of detailed drawings and construction documentation, but will give you a basic guideline to follow in developing your property.