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 The
exterior landscape should be viewed as an extension of your home and personality.
As such, just as much thought and effort should be employed in the design
and furnishing of your outdoor living space as is employed in your interior
space. The landscape should echo the architectural elements of the house
and mirror the personalities of the homeowner.
A superior exterior design begins with a well-conceived
Master Design Plan. The Master Design Plan identifies the plant and hardscape
material that would best satisfy the needs of the client, the site, and
the role of the building to be landscaped. It also provides an overview
and a more detailed scope of the development of the outdoor living space.
It outlines the objectives, priorities, and time line, as defined jointly
by the client and the designer. It establishes the process for the planning,
the layout, and the arrangement of all the elements to be incorporated
into the development of each exterior space. The goal is to provide, within
budget, the greatest amount of function, beauty, harmony, and unity.
The first step in creating the Master Design Plan
is establishing a budget. Reputable and published reports extol the virtues
of the "10 Percent Rule." Plan to budget, or invest, 10% of
your home's value for landscape projects: 5% for design, 55% for
plantings, and 40% for hardscapes. Reports indicate that this investment
can increase overall property value by as much as 20%.
There is a price to produce high quality and unique
plans. What are the penalties for a poor design? Some common undesirable
results are obstructed views and plants that quickly die because of improper
selection and/or siting. Mistakes can be expensive in terms of not only
dollars, but in time, frustration, and dissatisfaction with the completed
results. It costs just as much (maybe more) to install a poorly designed
landscape as it does to install a well-designed project.
The concept phase is the initial process in the formulation
of a Landscape Design. The concept phase establishes the visual and physical
relationships among home, plants and hardscapes, and considers the following:
- Site Analysis and Inventory: accesses the potentials
and the limitations of the site.
- Considers topographical influences of soil type, terrain slopes,
wet areas, and drainage.
- Considers the "micro-climate" influences of sun, shade,
winds, rain, snow, and noise.
- Considers the "macro-concepts" of social and environmental
issues, privacy.
- Identification of Lifestyles and Personal Preferences.
- Architectural Analysis: defines style of home,
architectural features to enhance, and considers future maintenance/replacement
costs.
- Definition of Space Function and Usage: provides
for the interaction between people and the site and considers the mood
desired for each outdoor room, e.g. informal evening entertainment,
a quiet retreat or romance setting.
- Identification of site circulation: facilitates
vehicular and pedestrian traffic access / flow.
- View Enhancement: analyses and enhances view from
all points, inside and out, and screens out undesirable views. Also
provides points of interest and the WOW factor.
- Amenities: identifies and specifies specimen plantings
and hardscape elements (walkways, patios, pergolas, arbors, trellis,
water features, outdoor furniture and statuaries). Considers the interface
of elements for aesthetics, function, scale, proportion, balance and
contrast. Special attempts to involve all "Senses and Seasons."
- Impact on the interface between design/installation;
design/future maintenance; installation/future plant growth and/or hardscape
additions.
Landscape designing is both an art and a science.
A good design blends artistic expression with technical know how.
Every project is unique, like fingerprints, snowflakes,
or zebra stripes. We do not believe in rubber stamp packages and the cookie
cutter approach, but prefer to customize and personalize each design and
installation.
Skyhorse Station can help you design, install
and maintain all phases of the development of exterior spaces. Our experienced
design and install team consists of horticulturists, foresters, and Michigan
Certified Nurserymen who are problem-solvers with a passion for this industry
and a reverence for nature. They are cross-trained and schooled in fundamental
design principals and approaches, allowing Skyhorse to implement your
personal landscaping needs into your individual outdoor space in a more
organized, efficient, and timely manner. This "one-stop" approach
allows you to stretch your landscaping budget and maximize your results.
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