Landscaping Design Edmonton – The Importance of Creating a Landscape Design Before You Landscape or Revitalize your Outdoor Space!

Fact is… Landscaping requires proper planning, and that’s where we can help with Landscaping Design in Edmonton. Your OutdoorSpace is an extension of your IndoorSpace, so why wouldn’t you spend the necessary time making sure you design your OutdoorSpace with your lifestyle in mind?

“A well designed and constructed OutdoorSpace can provide you with a great return on your investment, similar to any interior (kitchen or bathroom) renovation project. Plus… you get to benefit from the “enjoyment and entertainment” factor you will experience between now and when you are ready to sell”.

A question you should ask yourself before you Landscape or Revitalize your OutdoorSpace…

“Would I build a house without first engaging the services of a professional architect?” Probably NOT! So why would you head down the path of landscaping or revitalizing your OutdoorSpace without first engaging the services of a professional landscape designer?

The truth is…

The investment you will make in preparing a detailed landscape design plan for your OutdoorSpace is a relatively small price to pay compared with the costs you may incur due to changes that may be required during and after the project has been completed.

Creating a Landscape Design will also provide you with a number of key benefits:

It will provide you with peace of mind knowing that you have incorporated all of the features that support your OutdoorSpace lifestyle
It will provide you with exposure to a vast array of “materials and products” that you may not already be aware of
It will provide you with exposure to a multitude of “design options”. Some of which you may have never dreamed of
It will provide you with a “visual rendering” of the final product. As the old saying goes… “a picture says a thousand words”
It will clearly define the “scope of work” for the landscaping contractor to bid on
It will provide you with a “detailed cost breakdown” so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into… BEFORE you sign on the dotted line

How to Start Landscaping Your Yard – Landscape Design Drawing Options that are Available

There are many options to choose from when considering the idea of engaging the services of a professional landscape designer.

Some landscape designers still use the hand sketched method of creating a landscape design plan, while others have embraced technology and utilize professional computer software programs that have been specifically designed to replace the “old way of doing things”. The great thing about technology, it provides the consumer with so many more options than ever before!

2D Landscaping Plan Drawing

Most professional landscape designers will provide you with a “2D” (two dimensional) plan drawing. This is offered either as a professional hand drawn sketch or produced utilizing a computer based professional landscape design software program.

These types of design drawings will provide you with a layout of all (hardscape) features such as Patios, Retaining Walls and Decks. They will also include all (softscape) features such as Tree and Shrub Beds, Grass and Plants etc. These types of drawings can also include more detailed information such as the different types of Trees and Shrubs along with a detailed Planting Schedule, but providing this type of (detailed) information will further add to the overall cost of the design work.

All of this can be provided with a (2D) “birds eye view” of what your OutdoorSpace will look like in relation to the house and other fixed structures.

3D Landscaping Plan Drawing

If your landscape design is a bit more complex in nature or if you would prefer to take it a step further, these drawings can be turned into “3D” (three dimensional) drawings. At OutdoorSpace, we utilize an “AutoCAD” based landscape design software program that has the ability to turn simple “2D” plan drawings into more “lifelike” renderings of what your OutdoorSpace will actually look like after it has been constructed.

We also have the ability to incorporate other key landscaping features such as “low voltage lighting”. This is a really cool feature, as we can show you what your OutdoorSpace will look like “after the sun goes down”.

We also have the ability to show you examples of what your OutdoorSpace will look like as the Trees, Shrubs and Plants mature and grow in size. This is an important feature, because you want to make sure that what gets planted today is still going to look good and not create any headaches for you in 5, 10 or even 20 years from now.

https://youtu.be/I0VCMSuX5jY

We don’t have to stop there…

With the aid of a (third party plugin) software program we also have the ability to “walk you around your OutdoorSpace”, just like you would once the project has been completed. It’s one thing to look at something from “a thousand feet in the air”, but there is NOTHING like having BOOTS ON THE GROUND and walking through your OutdoorSpace BEFORE it has even been constructed. Now how cool is that!

Another fact…

Once a landscape design plan has been finalized, you will then be in a great position to solicit a FIRM or FIXED PRICE from the landscaping contractor you have chosen to work with.

The landscape design software OutdoorSpace utilizes prints off quantities of everything that has been incorporated into the landscape design. This is an amazing tool, as it confirms quantities so we can eliminate any margin of error when we estimate what a project will cost. All of this provides our clients with the added “peace of mind” knowing that all costs have been accounted for and there will be no surprises after the contract has been awarded.

Another VERY IMPORTANT Fact… the ONLY time a FIRM or FIXED price should ever change, is if you (the client) makes any significant changes to the original design after it has been cast in stone.

So as you can see… it is much more likely that your OutdoorSpace project will turn out the way you envisioned it and within the budget you have established, if you invest some time and money and engage the services of a “professional landscape designer” BEFORE you start your OutdoorSpace project.

We hope you found this article helpful. Should you have any questions or if you would like some help kick-starting your own OutdoorSpace project… we are only a Phone Call or a mouse click away.

We look forward to the opportunity of working together with you on your new OutdoorSpace Project!