CONSULTATION

The consultation is the first phase of the design process. Our design expert will meet with you in your home, for as long as it takes, to discuss your ideas and needs, answer all your questions, and come up with some general concepts for each of the various projects you are interested in. We are interested in getting to know you and your family, so that we truly understand what it is that will bring you the most fullfillment from your landscape. Pictures are great in helping to convey ideas and intents, and while certainly not a necessity, we encourage you to collect photos which will convey a sense of what you are hoping to create.

After meeting with you, our designer will email you a list and description of all the various projects that were discussed in order of priority and logistics. We absolutely understand that many of our clients will have a limited budget and not be able to tackle all projects at once. The more you are able to share your budgeting information with us, the more we will be able to guide you in prioritizing and developing a realistic schedule for developing your landscape over time. While it may take years in some cases to realize the full vision, we consider it an important part of our job to develop the big picture so that all future projects are integrated and you will never need to backtrack for lack of foresight. We will consider your priorities in this process as well as suggesting an order of events that makes sense from a construction and efficiency point-of-view.

Once we have agreed on the project list and order of priorities, our designer will provide you with a design proposal based on your discussions and in-line with your priorities and budget. Certain projects will require minimal design and estimate- writing time and other projects will be more involved, so specific design fees will always vary. In some cases it will make sense to implement a full property design and estimate process - in other cases it will make sense to limit the scope. Whether you need an entire landscape or a small garden, we will always work to understand your needs and constraints and to be as transparent as possible about our process and costs.

consultation fee: landscape $225 or pond $400

(For properties near the outskirts of our service area, an additional travel fee may apply - see Service Area Map)

DESIGN



For projects involving multiple phases and areas, we often recommend a scaled drawing of the property (or area of focus) which will show how all of the phases and areas will work together to address specific issues such as traffic flow, visual continuity, views blocked or allowed, drainage, usage of space, and garden type. Once we have a scaled base-map of the property it is fairly easy to sketch in the exact shape of the garden beds, patios, walks, and other structures.

Plants in the design can be provided as either generic descriptions (eg. "medium woodland shrub") or as specific plants. The first approach can allow flexibility and spontanaity is selecting plants and allow for variability in what plants may be availabe and in good health at the time of installation. The second approach may be preferable when you are planning to install the garden yourself and are unsure how to best place the plants and which plants to pick, or if a further degree of control over the design is desired.

Design fees will vary depending of complexity of property. If you can provide a scaled plot-plan (many homeowners have these already) or CAD file (your architect/engineery will have one) it can help cut our surveying time and costs, but we will normally need to do some level of surveying to add additional needed detail to the plot plan.

Besides providing a plan to follow, an accurate design will assist us in developing an accurate estimate for your project(s), which we consider to be an integrated component of the design process. We do separate drawing and estimating fees in the design process for transparency and in the case that you wish to only hire us for design work but plan to install the landscape yourself and do not require a detailed estimate.

Ferncreek Design & Build * Olivebridge, NY 12461
(845) 657 - 1905 * info@ferncreekDB.com
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Serving most points within Ulster County including Samsonville, Palentown, Krumville, Tabasco, Kerhonkson, Lyonsville, Stone Ridge, High Falls, Alligerville, Accord, Cherrytown, Naopnach, Ellenville, Rosendale, Tillson, Esopus, Mt Tremper, Phoenecia, Chichester, Willow, Lake Hill, Shady, Bearsville, Woodstock, West Hurley, and Hurley. See Service Area Map to confirm service to your location.