We receive many phone calls from clients who have just finished building new homes and only then started to think about their landscape. While we love to be hired to work on landscape design, construction, and environmental permitting at any point in the process, our most successful projects are those where we have involvement from the beginning, before home construction has started, and even before the building design is completed.  We in fact, prefer to work with the architect, engineer, and builder to create a landscape plan before the house is even fully designed.

Working through the landscape design before building design is finalized benefits the client by saving time and money. When any home is built, and in particular homes near lakes, rivers, along the ocean and other water bodies, environmental permits (local zoning, planning and conservation commission approvals) and state permits (wetland permits and shoreland permits) must be obtained. The permitting process can involve many hours spent compiling the proper documents and drawings, and includes application and use fees.

Many of the permits required for building construction must also be obtained for landscape work. Permitting can be a very time consuming and costly process; going through it only once can really save time and money.

Before a home is built, engineers design grading plans for proper drainage around the house. While this is a valuable service, it is done for utility rather than beauty. We design the spaces around built structures to be both beautiful and functional- while drainage is important, so are the clients needs for the landscape. These spaces might be outdoor entertainment zones or contemplative gardens. We think you should have both beauty and function in your landscape- that’s why we like to work with the engineers at the beginning. Often clients want more or different landscaping than is initially built with the home-  so they call us to change and add to what has already been built- adding increased cost in demolition, redesign, permitting, and construction.

When we get in on the landscape design from the beginning we tend to find that the result is better- think of it as having a landscape and home that were designed around each other rather than creating a landscape plan out of what is leftover after building. We work with architects and engineers to help site the home in a way that creates the best possible areas for outdoor living, gardens, and access around the property.

After design and installation by dbLandscaping

Before dbLandscaping intervened- landscape installed by builder

Call us while your home is still in the process of being designed…it just makes sense!