If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the What, Where and Hows of starting a landscaping project, this web page is designed to answer these questions and to explain the “process” involved in re-landscaping your home.

Step 1. Call our office: to schedule a consultation appointment. We will ask a few general questions about your project and then schedule a meeting at your home with Steve Lambert, Garden Lights Landscape Development Owner and Designer. 

We will also send you a detailed “Design questionnaire” for you to complete and return to us prior to the first meeting. This questionnaire will assist you in organizing and prioritizing your landscaping wants and needs while providing us information about any special family or lot considerations that will need to be taken into account during the design phase. 

It would also be helpful for you to spend some time on our website prior to the first meeting to help you formulate your ideas and become familiar with some of the style and material choices available.

A reference list can be provided so you can speak to our past clients or drive by their homes to see some of our work.

Step 2. The First Meeting:  Steve will meet with you to walk your property, discuss your landscape needs and desires,as well as your preferred style of garden. Steve will also go over your completed questionnaire and clarify any information if needed.

Step 3. Design Proposal and Contract: A design proposal is provided which estimates the number of hours and costs involved in designing your landscape project. When the design contract is signed, a deposit is required to begin work on your landscape design.

In some cases, where no design is required because you already have one or because your project is small in scale (such as a water feature only or lighting job) the next step will be the project installation estimate.

Step 4.  Site Plan & Photos: If no site plan already exists, we’ll send out a surveyor to take measurements, and draft existing property lines and elevations. We will visit your property to take photographs which we will use for reference purposes during the design process. After collaborating on the design concept with Steve, we begin creating the computerized design.  

Step 5. Design Review & Installation Estimate Meeting:  The design is presented for your review and approval along with a detailed estimate for the installation of your project. Occasionally a second design may be needed if there are a significant number of changes required which may also require the construction estimate to be revised. Once you have approved the design the balance on the design contract is due.  

Step 6. Installation Proposal Approval and Construction Contract: When the installation proposal meets with your approval, a construction contract will be provided.  The construction contract outlines a detailed payment schedule including a deposit payment, several progress payments which are due upon completion of each major phase of landscape construction / installation, then the final payment which is due upon satisfactory completion of your project.

Change Orders:  During the construction stage occasionally clients will want to make some changes or additions to their project.  If the change will affect the original design and/or construction contract we will provide a Change Order.  This document will outline any additional costs and requires your signature so there will be no surprise expenses.

Step 7. The Final Walk Through:  Prior to presenting you with a bill for the final project payment a walkthrough meeting is scheduled to be sure the project has been completed to your satisfaction and to answer any questions about your new landscape and subsequent irrigation, lighting systems etc.