Over the years I have observed many basic mistakes being made on projects. Some of these mistakes are so basic it is incredible! And yet they happen every day on typical landscape and construction projects. Why?What it boils down to is that one or more key question did not get asked or answered and written down BEFORE the project was underway. Why does this happen? Client communication is not part of most landscape design training courses. Compounding this fact, most clients assume that a good designer will just know what is important to them without having to communicate it. When these clients interact with designers who believe that they should understand their clients psychically there is a VERY high probability that something will not be clearly articulated and understood. This leads to mistakes.Another reason questions don’t always get asked relates to the power-balance in a client/contractor relationship. Before you sign a contract, you have all the power and the contractor HAS to be reasonable on price. But once you sign the contract the power balance can shift in favor of the contractor. If in the middle of the project you realize “Oh my god! We forgot to run a conduit under the wall for the hot-tub we are planning next year. We need to add that in right away before the wall gets any higher…” then a change order is generated. And while you may not be happy about it, the contractor can charge a lot for those because it is now a monopoly relationship. And now that you have changed your mind in the middle of a project, they can side-step a commitment to have the work done on time.That’s why the first step of a great design is filling out the landscape questionnaire that follows. Its sole job is to see that ALL your needs are included in the design so that there are NO surprises, no cost overruns and no unnecessary delays! I give it to all my clients before making ANY design recommendations.Not every question will apply to you. My goal in creating this questionnaire was to ask EVERY question that MIGHT relate to you and your site so that if you have anything you want to say to help me understand you that this happens BEFORE you risk making a costly mistake installing something that has been poorly thought out.Even if you are going to do all of your own design and installation it is STILL important to write out your answers to this questionnaire because it will help you think clearly. I learned when I was designing and building my own custom home and landscape that it is not EASIER to design for myself but HARDER. I have helped hundreds of clients develop great ideas but when it came to my own design I found myself struggling to make up my mind without someone to bounce things off of. So I filled out my own questionnaire thoroughly and called a friend who was also a landscape designer to help me clarify my thoughts. I ended up with a great landscape that helped my home sell for full price above appraised value in a slow real estate market.Note: Questions are spaced so you can fill in your answers in the book. You can also download a PDF of the latest version of the questionnaire from the design section of my website: www.MysticalLandscapes.comThis text is an excerpt from:
Successfully Landscaping Your Marin Home,
Available on Amazon and Marin Bookstores,
By: Dane E. Rose
(415) 455 9161
Landscape Questions to Consider
Mystical Landscapes is a Marin Design and Build
company for all aspects of landscaping.
We also do landscape design Mill Valley, installation and landscape design Corte Madera, installation and landscape design San Rafael, installation and landscape design Novato, installation and landscape design Larkspur, installation and landscape design San Anselmo, and installation and landscape design Tiburon. Marin Landscape Contractor and Marin Landscape Architect. 232 Bungalow Ave San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 455-9161
