[nigelboxer]

Hi.
I have lurked here for a bit, but now I am ready to post.

We had an awful experience with a "award-winning" design-build Hardscape contractor a few years ago, and we are very nervous about contacting a LA or designer for our new home.

We are more than willing to compensate for their time, and final design, etc. I am just unsure how to go about the the initial meeting.

We have found one firm, saw a feature in a magazine and then looked at their website, and really loved all their work. Problem is their office is an hour or so away. Is it unreasonable to ask them if they will accept compensation for a consultation? I wouldn't want to waste their time, but I can't know for sure that we will like the ideas they have enough to sign up for full plans. I don't want to blindly commit to a LA that I have no personal experience with.

Any suggestions that are fair to all parties involved, or should I find someone local. Should we take detailed photographs and head up to their office for the first meeting?

We have Hardscape issues that include: tree roots destroying a retaining wall, no drainage, too many plants, big ugly trees that need to be removed etc.

We will definitely have a budget, and we would be able to increase that depending on needs and overall design. We will spend more for something we love...and less on something we just need, if that makes sense.

I have spoken with every landscape-related tradesman I see in my neighborhood while walking the dog, and I save their cards, for when we were thinking we would take on the design aspect ourselves. I would never hire someone again based solely on referrals or self-promotion; been there, done that with the awful guy a few years back. I will not go into detail about the "awful" guy, because he posts on here, and we have nothing left to say to each other....

Any suggestions for a guy in San Diego that needs to begin moving forward on this project?

[schleng]

If this particular Landscape Architect or Designer intrigues you, I would definitely give him a call and not worry about the distance. See what he has to say. There are some who will provide free consultations, and others that will charge a fee.

If he charges a fee (or another you might contact), it will be small price to pay when you look at the entire project costs. In other words, it will be worth it for you to find the right designer that "fits".

I personally work both ways, depending on the scope of the project, the distance, and how interested I think the prospective client is.

Sometime by just meeting with someone, you get a feel as to whether you can work well together. Also, see if he has a portfolio. You can also ask for references, although obviously someone is not going to put you in touch with anyone where things did not go well.

You can also interview a few different people.

Good luck,
Susan

[Stonehenge]

Something to consider when hiring a LA or any other designer - you'll need to look at this like you might look at having a painting commissioned. Find out what you can about the artist, have a meeting with them (provided this one will meet with you). And then if what they have to say seems in line with what your desires are, or what (s)he says gets you excited about your landscape, then your next move is very plain - you either jump in and hire the person or you don't.

There is no going back, so choose wisely. But that's true of so many other decisions you make in your life. You try to hire the best financial planner. The best attorney. The best accountant. The best mechanic.

All you can do is determine if their past projects are ones you'd love to have at your home, and if the two parties seem to gel. If they do, then away you go.

Good luck.

[TrickyDick]

I agree with all of the above. I would add that, as a consumer, I would never hire a designer who didn't come meet me at my house. You want to have them look around and listen to you and understand what it is you are living with and would like to live with in the future. You can't do that at thier office. Some will ask for a consultation fee and some won't. As noted above that is well worth the expense to find the right person.

Look at thier portfolios and pay special attention to the personal connection you have with them. Remember that they are interviewing you as well- no designer wants to work for someone that they are not going to get along with. The bottom line is that the success of the process revolves as much around communication and trust as it does around ideas and budgets.

It's also worth considering whether you want to lean more towards designers or architects. The lines between them aren't neccesarily rigid but there are general differences. Depending on what you are looking to do and laws in your state you may to look at one or the other.

[agla]

Don't try to work with someone who is not very interested in working with you. It usually means that your work does not fit in with them for one reason or another.

If your job is reasonably close to what they normally do, they won't need you to come up with a compensation plan to come out and look at it because they'll already have one in place.

There is a certain amount of work that goes into putting a proposal together to do design work. Prequalifying clients goes a long way toward making a design company feel like it is worth investing that work to try to get the job or not. They learn pretty quickly that they can't spend time chasing jobs that fit a low percentage of closing scenario. It has nothing to do with being elitist and everything to do with not wasting time.

If you are in an area where it is uncommon for people to invest in design services they will most likely not be too interested in getting out there. If the overall cost of your job is likely going to be small enough to make their work a high percentage of the job they know that it is unlikely that you will hire them.

There is no reason to think that you are any different than anyone else in not wanting to commit to someone without being convinced that they will be good to work with. That is always the case and a two-way street (as I tried to indicate above).

If you call them, they will find out where you are and general information about the job. They will either be interested or they won't be. If they are interested they may have an initial consultation fee to eliminate the brain pickers, tire kickers, and people who are not committed to getting the job done (by paying a consultation fee, it does not necessarily mean your committed to the designer, but they know your serious about the job in general). I don't think it is in either party's best interest to work to hard to hard to try to make it work. Both sides should be comfortable. If they are giving you vibes that they are uninterested, move on.

There are the right people and the wrong people for every job. Find one that wants to work with you and who can back it up with a portfolio and who makes you feel confident that they can do YOUR job well.

Your job description and the fact that you already feel that you have to do something extra to get them to come out does not sound like a strong prospect for the additional expense of professional design services - just an honest comment.

Design/build landscape contractors are who I would turn to if you do not get a warm reception from the landscape architects.