What is a landscape design?

v      A design is a scale “map” of your yard showing what it will look like with a finished landscape

v      Designs are drawn from a top-down two-dimensional view with different sized shapes representing plants and trees

v      Pathways, planting beds, patios, retaining walls, mulch beds, rock streams, boulders, water features etc., as well as existing structures and any existing trees are also shown on the design

v      Unlike construction plans for building structures, landscape designs are more descriptive than exact, and the final look of the yard may vary slightly depending upon the interpretation of the landscape installer

v      A finalized design is a completely custom rendering of your dream landscape, based upon your input, likes, dislikes, needs and desires. Wild Boar designs aren’t complete until they represent your dream landscape.

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What are the benefits to having a landscape design?

v      Newly built homes are typically required to submit a design for approval to their HOA or governing body

v      Having a landscape design will help landscape installers to give a fair and specific bid, and will help you compare like terms when obtaining multiple estimates

v      Landscape remodels need designs to show positions of plants and elements that are existing in relative to new or renovated areas

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When should I obtain a landscape design?

v      You just bought or built a new house and plan to install landscaping yourself

v      You just bought or built a new house and plan hire a landscaper to install your landscape

v      You want to increase the curb appeal on a house you are trying to sell

v      You want to improve the look or feel of a specific area of your yard

v      You want to add a new element to your yard such as a water feature or patio

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What does the process of getting a landscape design entail?

v      Meet with the designer or landscaper to discuss your dreams & desires for your new landscape and what your budget is for the installation. Wild Boar offers this initial consultation free of charge

v      The designer will take measurements of your yard, or obtain a plot map of the property from the builder or engineer

v      Using a CAD or similar computer program, the designer will draw a conceptual design based upon your input and needs for your yard

v      A meeting is scheduled to go over the conceptual drawing to identify what you like and don’t like about it. Changes are recorded and a revised design is drafted. This review and revise process is repeated until the design represents every aspect of your ideal landscape

v      The final design includes a list of specific types of plants and trees that corresponds to every plant and tree drawn on the design. Plant selection takes into account water use, soil type, bloom time, sun exposure, and client likes & dislikes. This is also able to be revised as needed.

v      When design is finished, it is yours to keep. Use it to obtain estimates for installation or to guide your own installation

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How can I prepare for my design consultation?

v      Find books, magazines, websites with pictures of landscapes you like or elements you wish to incorporate into your yard

v      Consider how you will be using your yard: take into account any pets or children, whether you’ll be entertaining guests, want a private retreat, and any outdoor hobbies you may wish to participate in (i.e. horseshoes, bocce ball, swimming, bird-watching, etc.)

v      Drive around and view the landscapes around you. Jot down addresses or snap a picture of your favorites

v      Consider your landscaping budget, in total or on a phase-by-phase basis

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How much does a design cost and what’s included?

v      Wild Boar Earthmovers design services are billed at an hourly rate of $50.00 per hour

v      Hours are recorded once drawing commences and go until design is finalized

v      Depending on yard size and how elaborate the design is, clients can usually expect to spend between $200 and $1,000 for a completed design on a property under 1 acre in size

v      Wild Boar Earthmovers is able to offer ballpark estimates on the number of hours a particular design should take with a normal number of revisions etc.

v      Wild Boar design services include submission of the finalized design to your HOA, architectural review committee or other governing organization. If it doesn’t pass its initial review, we’ll interface with the board and make required revisions to ensure compliance

v      You can set a budget for your design services and can “stop the clock” anytime you want. We understand that you want to spend the bulk of your budget on the landscape itself, so set a reasonable budget for your design and we’ll try to stick to it.

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Why do you need to know my landscaping budget when preparing a design?

Though often uncomfortable to discuss, it’s extremely important to disclose your landscaping budget to the designer. Part of designing your dream landscape is to take into consideration how much you want to invest in your yard now and possibly in the future. This prevents both frustration and potentially costly design revisions that may come from getting your heart set on a design that’s grossly outside of your current budget, or the disappointment of receiving a design that doesn’t meet your expectations because your budget was underestimated. Keep in mind that it’s a designer’s job to design you the maximum landscape for that budget.

Furthermore, you may find that while your budget is limited now, it may change down the road. It’s important to identify how much you intend to spend on your landscape overall. Wild Boar offers all of its clients the option of “phasing” portions of the installation process so that homeowners don’t have to sacrifice the final product because of immediate budgetary constraints.

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Other landscapers offer a free design, why don’t you?

v      With landscape design, the old saying is often true: you get what you pay for

v      Free designs often are hand drawn, making them hard to revise or change

v      Free designs rarely include important elements such as complete plant & materials lists, making it impossible to accurately compare bids from other landscapers

v      Hand-drawn sketches & incomplete designs can not be submitted to HOAs for approval. In fact, many HOAs frown on or downright prohibit homeowners from submitting their own designs.

v      Some landscapers advertise a “free design” and produce a complete, high quality rendering, but only if you use them to install the landscape (allowing them to roll the design’s cost into your installation price). If you want to get other bids, they’ll charge you an exorbitant fee to purchase the design.

v      Wild Boar designs are your property once you’ve paid for them, no strings. You can take it and install it yourself or obtain multiple bids on it…it’s your design.

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