Expert Tip Monday: 5 Good Reasons to Design Your Landscape

Think you can wing it when it comes to making your outdoor space beautiful? Think again.
Today's expert tip comes to us from Dan Eginton, a Landscape Architect and president of Scenic Design Group.
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Plan Before You Plant

There are five good reasons to hire a professional landscape designer before you implement your project.

1.              A plan helps to ensure the client and the contractor are on the same page and helps to prevent misunderstandings.

2.              A good designer will guide their client through the project as the project is being implemented.

3.              Designs not only help prevent confusion but help to eliminate errors in estimation from contractors. A contractor should be able to give a client a precise estimate with a good plan. Without a plan, a contractor could suggest there was an “unforeseen” cost that will be the responsibility of the client.

4.              A plan allows you to bid the project, comparing costs from one contractor to another. It also gives the contractor a subliminal message that cost is an issue.

5.              Most municipalities and homeowner associations need to have a plan to approve your project.

If a landscaping project is to be done properly, a client should expect to pay between 5% and 10% of the cost of the overall project. Given the endless possibilities of unknown costs, the cost of a designer will pay for itself two fold at least.