Professional design services often begin long before construction starts. This East Santa Rosa project is a perfect example of how landscape design sometimes requires patience, planning, and teamwork between homeowner and contractor.
In July 2018, Details Landscape Art was contacted by a young couple with small children who had seen our work in the neighborhood. From our first meeting, it was obvious they were thoughtful, pleasant people and would be enjoyable to work with.
As a boutique design-build landscape contractor, we carefully select projects that are a good fit for both the client and ourselves. Nice people make the landscaping process enjoyable for everyone involved.
Design Services Begin with Solving Problems
This project presented many challenges before a shovel could even go into the ground.
There was invasive Bermuda grass to eradicate. An old deck and arbor had to be dismantled. A large liquidambar tree, one of the messiest trees in the landscape, needed removal, along with a mature curly willow, two large privet shrubs, and several massive tree stumps.
The yard was also cluttered with pots, bricks, pavers, landscape fabric, and other accumulated materials that needed to be removed before work could begin.
An arborist would eventually be needed to remove trees and grind stumps, but first the homeowners had significant demolition work ahead of them.
Design Services Require Collaboration
The homeowners both worked full-time jobs and planned to tackle much of the demolition themselves on weekends.
We agreed to prepare a landscape design and wait until they were ready for construction.
Design services include blueprints
As part of the design process, we discussed the features they hoped to include:
- A patio for outdoor entertaining
- A hot tub area
- A play structure for the children
- A barbecue space
- A garden shed
These elements needed to be selected before the design could be finalized, since their dimensions would affect the layout of the garden.
The homeowners suddenly found themselves shopping for hot tubs, sheds, and play equipment while simultaneously tackling demolition.
Landscape design is often more complicated than homeowners initially realize.
Patience Is Part of Good Design Services
The process moved slowly, and we periodically stopped by to monitor progress and answer questions.
When the old deck and arbor were removed, an unexpected surprise appeared: a cracked concrete patio hidden underneath.
The homeowners asked us to handle the jackhammering and removal of the concrete, allowing their demolition efforts to continue moving forward.
Fortunately, we were busy with other projects and could be patient while the homeowners completed their portion of the work.
Good projects are worth waiting for.
A Beautiful Garden Takes Shape
Eventually the demolition was complete. The debris had been hauled away, the trees removed, and the site was finally ready for construction.
In October 2018, Details Landscape Art began installing a beautiful new garden for this wonderful family.
This project reminds us that successful landscapes are rarely created overnight. Thoughtful planning, careful design, and cooperation between contractor and homeowner often lead to the best results.
At Details Landscape Art, our design services help homeowners transform challenging spaces into beautiful gardens tailored to their needs, lifestyle, and long-term enjoyment.