Our Design Process
The design process should be
simple and enjoyable
Your property is unique and so are you. We’ll start with a phone call and conversation about what you are looking to do with your property and we’ll answer any questions about our process. If you decide we might be a good fit for you, we can set up an on-site meeting.
Site Meeting
At our site meeting we will take a walk through your property and chat about your vision for it, listen to your needs, wants, frustrations, and explore the possibilities. Don’t worry about trying to be organized for this meeting. We can handle a fire-hose of information about all the various things you are thinking about regarding your property and your vision for it. We want to hear your vision - and we’ll also see what challenges and opportunities the site presents. Although we can limit our design to only a small area of your property, we’ll encourage you to share your vision for the whole, even if for only in our initial conversation - this is good way to have that small piece fit into the context of the whole.
Site Measure & Analysis
If you decide you’d like to engage us in the design process, we’ll do another site visit to do a careful study of your property by photographing and doing a detailed measure and analysis of it.
Concept Design
Next, we’ll create a Conceptual Landscape Plan for you, and present that in a meeting, along with some ‘inspirational images’ to help you understand the design better. A well-thought-out design creates functional, attractive spaces, defines views, directs circulation patterns, responds to the unique characteristics of the site, creates a sense of place and space, encourages curiosity, a sense of ‘entry’ or ‘invitation’ to the whole and each space within it…and can make a large space feel more intimate and a small or space feel larger. It creates ‘outdoor rooms’ that connect with one another in a continuous whole, no matter the style or site. And, importantly, reflects a property owners’ unique style.
Review
We’ll review your Concept Plan with you, to make sure we are on the right track. Your opinions and feedback are valuable and will be incorporated into the final Plan. It is impossible to hurt our feelings - we want the plan to shape to your vision, goals, and work with your site’s opportunities and constraints - and be a realistic picture of what can work.
Final Plan & Plant List
Your Final Plan will show the hardscape and planting in more detail, including plant names and quantities, crucial dimensions, notes, and any needed grades.
We will recommend landscape construction companies to you that we believe will be a good fit for you and your project and you.
Want to learn more? Contact us about your next project.
If your project needs a bit more….
Detailing
If further services beyond our initial agreement are needed, such as for more detailed drawings for features beyond basic paving and planting, you can add that to the work you’d like us to do. This will provide more information the contractor will build the design as client and designer have envisioned, and be able to price it more accurately. These drawings might include more-detailed plans and construction detailing for items such as fireplaces, walls, and pergolas.
Construction
If desired we can handle your bid management, including coordination and obtaining contractor bids, meetings with client and contractors.
During construction, we can be on-site intermittently throughout the construction process to communicate with the contractor and respond to question
Our Work in Progress
This homeowner wanted to make their small backyard work for their family more than it currently did and they wanted it to be beautiful. Our first conversations were about what functions they wanted the space to include. Thoughtful listening of a clients’ likes, dislikes, style tastes, and needs are important in shaping the design.
Spending time on site to measure, photograph and study the various conditions such as sun, water, good and bad views, etc. is just as important. And allowing a homeowner to discover more about their own tastes during the design process is also important. Jacobs Grant Design ltd take this process seriously. It should feel fun and easy to the homeowner - even though a lot of thought is going into it by the designer.