How to Choose the Right Landscape Architect

A landscape project for your outdoor space is considered a big project to handle and it is wise to contact a landscaping company that has a trusted landscape designer to lift the weight of the project off your shoulders.

There are many reasons homeowners choose to hire landscape architects.

You may need a new landscape to compliment your new home or simply raise the potential of your outdoor space by giving your garden a facelift.

You may also want to update or install elements like a swimming pool, a pond, a driveway, an entertainment area, or a fireplace. The list goes on.

Whether you need to improve on the overall design aesthetics of your existing landscape or want a complete landscape overhaul or just p

lain and simple lawn care and management, landscaping requires full attention.

Choose Landscape states a straightforward reason for this:

“Landscapes change lives at any scale. Gardens are a great way to bring people, place, and nature together”.

How to Get a Landscape Designer that You Can Trust

Choosing a landscape architect will help eliminate many of the common mistakes that are committed in a DIY way.

Do your research: Choose professional landscape architects that have successfully fulfilled a project and not just some finished product on their site’s gallery page.

Don’t settle for a landscape designer that offers subpar service. Your garden deserves an expert’s touch.

It is easier to find the right landscape architect if you know exactly what you want. But you should also have a knowledge of what a design does so you will know what to expect and so that you will not over expect.

Here are a couple of things to look for in a licensed landscape architect:

• A bachelor’s and/or master’s degree holder in landscape architecture from a university
• Licensed by the state in order to design and work on landscape projects
• Attended colleges or universities accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and passed the required exams to become licensed
• Has experience or the training to work with challenging issues in landscaping both commercial and residential sites
• Can be employed in private, public, and academic organizations
• Plan and design residential and public outdoor spaces, and national, state, and local historic outdoor sites and areas, commercial centers, transportation facilities, resorts, and waterfront developments

To clarify their role against landscape designers, these are the general qualifications of a landscape architect.

This supports the idea that landscape architecture involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures in outdoor areas and landmarks to achieve environmental, social-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes.

Landscape designers on the other hand, usually work on smaller residential projects even without a license.

They are usually self-trained and self-taught although most have taken courses at a college or university as a certificate program.

The landscape designers that will make a difference

If you need your home to look its best not only during special occasions but throughout the seasons, here are valuable qualities that you should look for in a landscape architect:

• Proper knowledge of appropriate plants and how to install an irrigation system that will function well and will benefit the whole area.
• Reputable in terms of references and reputation for doing good work that is well-recognized by the community.
• Versatile and creative in creating a garden to compliment your home with added freshness and style, creating a unique garden for your outdoor living space, and can think outside the box by working with less to create more
• Meets the highest standards of ecology and environmental awareness which means that he or she is aware of all the changes that happen in the environment while designing something new.
• A good communicator who is ready and able to communicate with you about your shared landscape goals and ideas.

Top 5 Things to Look For When Choosing a Licensed Landscape Designer Company

A landscape architect is usually a member of a bigger organization or belongs to a landscape design company.

How will you know which landscape design company houses the best designer who will meet your landscaping needs? This landscaping company should:

• Has a similar aesthetic as yours – Make sure that a company predominantly designs your desired style (classic, European, modern, native, etc.) and will have a shared goal and vision with you.For example, if your goal is green landscaping, the landscaping company should also be able to use organic gardening practices with natural lawn care: using compost and natural soil amendments, local plants, water-efficient irrigation system with weather-based controllers, uses chemicals as a last resort if ever, and recommends grass cycling.
• Recommended by friends, family, or colleagues – They are reputable in the community because of their landscaping work.
• Establishes a trustworthy working relationship with you throughout the landscaping process from start to finish and maintaining close collaboration until the end of the project.Part of establishing trust is that they should provide a contract that documents all responsibilities, nature of proposed work, installation standards, costs, timelines, terms of payments, and guarantees.
• Has affiliations, professional accreditations, and membership to architectural organizations means they provide and receive ongoing training for their staff since ongoing education is important for landscaping architects and designers.
• Has full liability insurance since landscaping work can cause costly mistakes like cutting gas or phone lines.

Hire a Landscape Architect from a Reputable Landscape Design Company

The more thorough you are in looking for a landscape architect, the better quality landscape you will have for your outdoor space.

Maximize the positive impact of space by hiring a landscape architect whom you can trust with anything that grows.

Hiring a landscape architect from a reputable landscape design company will be one of the best investments you will make for your home.

They can create a better quality landscape that will add as much as 15% to your home’s value and that will definitely change your life by boosting your health and well-being.

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