At Ross NW Watergardens we offer a free consultation when you are considering a landscape project. When you fill out our contact form, email or call us, what should you expect?
Setting Up A Landscape Design & Build Consultation
Prior to setting up an appointment we usually need to know a couple things:
What is the general scope of the work you are considering?
When would you like the work to start?
What part of town are you located in?
This information helps us know if we are a good fit for your project. If we aren't in a position to help we can usually recommend someone who can.
We realize you are probably busy, so we try to be as flexible as possible. Free consultations are generally scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 7am to 2-4pm. Need to meet in the evening? We can probably do that, usually on Tuesdays. We don't schedule for weekends.
Once an appointment is set, we won't leave you hanging. If some emergency comes up we may have to reschedule, but we won't just be a no-show. (Full disclosure: I have actually missed 3-4 meetings in the last 5 years. Sorry about that.)
Walking Your Landscape
When it's time to meet we will walk the landscape with you. We will take some notes, pictures if needed, perhaps measure areas that are involved, etc. The most important information we will collect, however, comes from you.
A landscape design can go many ways. How we would design it for ourselves is not important. What works for you? Here are some questions to think about before we meet:
Do you want a modern landscape?
How often do I want to be outside in my landscape?
What activities would my family enjoy in the yard?
Do I want a sustainable landscape design?
How much maintenance do I want to do?
What landscapes have I seen that I like?
What is my budget? (Even if you don't want to tell us, it's good for you to know!)
Help us get a good sense of who your family is and how you will use your outdoor spaces. This will enable us to tailor our ideas or design to you!
You shouldn't expect that we will have a lot of great ideas to present during the initial meeting. Time is needed to consider your location and needs before we can offer a solution that will really work.
Landscape Ideas or Landscape Design?
After discussing your landscape we can decide together how to proceed. What comes next?
Many projects do not require a design. If we can agree on the basic ideas, location of elements, plant list, etc, we may be able to give you a detailed proposal and start date. Many of our landscapes proceed this way.
For many customers or projects a custom landscape design is better. Having your future landscape on paper gives you the ability to visualize the final result, and implement it over time.
For more on the difference between a proposal and a design see this post.
When Can We Start Your Landscape Project?
After our initial meeting you will have a proposal within 5-10 days. If you project is larger we might need a few more days.
Once a proposal is accepted when do we start? It depends. We are usually booked out at least nine weeks. By the beginning of summer we may be scheduled for the next 12-20 weeks. We recommend that you contact us at least 5 months before you would like to start your project.
Contact us today and let's start the process! Ben or Joe will be happy to meet with you anywhere in the Portland area.