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| THE MASTER PLAN | ||
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How careful planning can make a landscape project a success
Whether you've recently moved into a newly constructed home
with nary a shrub, you're taking the plunge and installing
a pool or you want to expand your backyard entertaining possibilities
- hiring a landscape designer is the way to go. "We create road maps, either
for the whole property or simply an area you're looking to address,"
says E.G. Rall, Jr. These road maps are called master plans in the business of
landscaping. And for those with big dreams and small budgets, the best part may
be: "You don't have to implement them all at once. You can do it over
time," says Rall.
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"A master plan allows the homeowner to budget time, allocate money and have an
overall theme and sense of project completion," says Trevor Summers, design
associate for E.G. Rall, Jr. Landscape Design. Some do-it-yourselfers might think
the easy route is digging a hole in the back and driving up to your local nursery,
but according to Summers, a master plan "saves homeowners a lot of headache and
a lot of money."
Landscape designers, with years of horticultural education behind them, can circumvent these problems. Designers take a number of factors into consideration: views, soil conditions, sun and shade patterns, water and electricity, the condition of existing hardscapes and the condition of existing plants. They also factor in intangibles. "We use the proper materials in a form that expresses the character of the home, as well as the homeowner’s personality," says Summers, noting that out of 6,000-7,000 drawings, they’ve never done the same thing twice. With master plan in hand, you not only have a sense of project completion, you have a sense of what works - for your soil - for your home - for you. And you’re sure to have an original. |
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