A garden you love, and a clear path to get there.
I walk you through every decision, talk budget from the first conversation, and stay involved through the build.
Three things to expect
You steer at every step
Each phase ends with a review together, so you shape the design before anything is final.
Cost ranges with the first sketches
Early cost ranges sit beside the first design options. They're planning numbers, not quotes, but they keep the design pointed at what you want to invest.
I'm there through the build
From weighing the bids to the last plant in the ground.
Working with an architect, builder, or developer? I run alongside your team, schematic design through construction administration. Here's how →
We talk budget from the start.
Most designers leave the cost for later. I put a range beside the first sketches, and it tightens at every phase, so the design is shaped around what you want to invest. Contractor bids on the finished drawings set the final number.
Most of the cost is the same in any version
Site prep, grading, irrigation, planting: about the same whichever design you choose.
The features set the number
A shade structure, an outdoor kitchen, a water feature. That's where the investment goes.
I design it; a licensed contractor builds it
Design and construction are separate: you hire me for the design and a contractor to build it. I help you choose the contractor and stay involved through the build.
You don't have to build it all at once
I design the whole master plan, then scope it in stages, so you build what matters most first and add the rest over time.
A note on the numbers: early figures are planning estimates from the quantities in my drawings and the unit costs I track, not a quote; contractor bids on the finished plans set the actual cost. Permit fees, a survey, or an engineer's report sit outside that number, and I flag them early so they're in the plan from the start. My design fee is set out in writing before we begin.
The phases, step by step.
Here's one garden at each phase, more detailed each time; what's new at each phase is drawn in green. Smaller projects use the same steps, lighter: a single planting plan or a courtyard refresh is a fair project too.
Schematic Design
what you get: the master planAfter we walk the property together, I sketch two options, each with a rough cost range. We refine one into a master plan: the layout, the materials, and a cost range for the whole garden, checked against current pricing with a contractor I work with.
Design Development
what you get: the exact layout On larger projectsWhen an engineer or an arborist joins the team (for a retaining wall, drainage, or a protected tree), refining the design becomes its own phase, scoped and priced before it begins. On a simpler garden it folds into the drawings.
Construction Documents
what you get: the buildable drawingsThe measured, detailed drawings a contractor builds from and a city reviews. Materials and details can still be adjusted for cost here, while a change is only a line on paper. When a permit is required, I prepare the application and see it through the city's review.
Construction Administration
what you get: an advocate on site while it's builtBefore ground breaks, I help you compare the contractor bids. Once it does, I'm your advocate on site: placing the plants, checking samples and mockups, and answering the contractor's questions.
Already have an architect? Even better.
Many of my projects run alongside a house remodel or new construction. Your architect designs the house; I design everything outside it, and we coordinate where the two meet. If you've never run a project before, here's who does what.
Designs everything outside the house
The layout, grading, paving, planting, and lighting, and the drawings a contractor builds from and a city reviews. I'm licensed, and I stay involved through the build.
Designs the house
We coordinate where inside meets outside: doors, levels, views, and where the roof water goes.
Builds it
Their crew, their schedule, their materials. You hire them from the bids; I help you choose, and I answer their questions on site.
Join when something needs their stamp
An engineer for a retaining wall, a deck, a pergola, or drainage; an arborist for a protected tree. I flag the need early and coordinate with them.
Architects, builders, and design teams: see what I bring to a collaborative project →