Are you looking for a professional landscape designer? Here are some things to consider before making the final decision!
Photo of: Artistic landscapes
When hiring a landscape designer, consider someone who prides itself on being a perfectionist and has a portfolio that tells a story rather than just a collection of works. A great landscape portfolio illustrates the customer's vision of landscaping with the help of a passionate, skilled and experienced landscaping company. In this article you will learn what to look for when choosing a landscaping company based on its landscape portfolio.
1. Applicability: quality over quantity
A good contractor's landscaping portfolio has a great story to tell and shows the time invested in his work and the careful selection of relevant projects for his portfolio. While many contractors can show hundreds of examples of finished landscaping projects, a good contractor at the first interview would show the best projects that suit your taste and preferences. If you have no idea what you want, it would be helpful to see the contractor's remarkable projects and some “average” projects. This way you get an idea of the best landscaping that can apply to your property. In this way you can also reconcile costs with aesthetics. At this point, remember that the most beautifully landscaped gardens are not always the most expensive.
For this reason, it is important to speak to the contractor about your concerns, including the following:
- Suitable materials or landscape elements: Landscapes have hard and soft elements. Hardscape refers to the hard elements in your garden, such as stone, concrete and brick. On the other hand, Softscape refers to the soft, growing elements in your garden such as shrubs, succulents, perennial flowers and trees.
- Landscape design: If you want to make landscaping in your head a reality, tell the contractor what you really want for your garden. A good contractor will always consider your needs and make expert suggestions to even improve or modify your design, rather than completely eliminating or rejecting the idea.
- costs: Before signing anything or making verbal agreements, it is also important to ask the landscaping contractor about the costs or estimates that include any fee or duty. It must include the cost of labor, materials and any other costs.
Photo of: Artistic landscapes
2. Organization: landscaping details
It is crucial to choose a contractor who has an organizational ability, which is reflected in a decent presentation, to stand out from the others. A good contractor can explain the tiny details of each project in the portfolio presented, organized by type of work or project. The project process should be presented based on the steps taken or followed, including the following:
- Original concept: This phase includes the planning phase or the formulation of a landscape plan in which an initial concept including the layout design is worked out.
- Early sketches: With early sketches, hard and soft elements are gradually added to visualize the perfect garden of your choice.
- Landscaping: The portfolio should also show the working phase of the project. A good contractor can safely explain how long the project has been completed and which processes are involved in this way.
- Finished product: A good contractor can present photos of landscape projects in the portfolio before and after to give you an idea of the quality of his work. It would be a plus to hire a landscape contractor to highlight projects, as well as a title and short paragraph that contextualize each project in his portfolio.
Photo of: Artistic landscapes
3. Portfolio presentation: makes a good impression
Experienced landscape designers know what they are saying. A good rule of thumb when making a selection is to consider the portfolio presentation. A few well-worded sentences about how the job was done and the purpose of the project are important. When you ask relevant questions based on the contractor's portfolio, you can assess the expertise, experience, and soft skills of the individual or the company. Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at a portfolio:
- Does the contractor highlight talents and skills in landscaping through his work?
- Do you have a high level of graphic design skills?
- Do you see defects in landscaping?
- How are the elements perfectly balanced?
Conclusion
The important things to consider when reviewing a landscape portfolio include applicability, quality over quantity, organization of landscape design details and portfolio presentation. You should hire a landscape designer who has extensive expertise in his portfolio and who really explains all the processes and design elements involved. In this way, you can rest assured that you are entrusting your landscaping project to an experienced, reliable and experienced landscaping contractor.
