Design Services
PREMIUM DESIGN SERVICES
Intelligent design can be one of the most valuable investments you ever make. Decisions made during the design process can save thousands of dollars, countless hours, and completely transform quality of life for years to come. Our team leverages decades of experience and a world-class network of colleagues and mentors to serve you, your vision, and your land. Working with a deeply personal and iterative design process, we collaborate with our clients to ensure that their life and land is fruitful, regenerative, and resilient. Our design process is described in detail below:
Diagnosis
A detailed diagnosis process creates the foundation for a successful design. Just as the quality of a doctor's diagnosis affects the quality of treatment, the better the information we gathered here, the more successful the design and implementation. The diagnosis involves three modules:
A. Inner Landscapes - In this module, we learn about you, your vision, your motivation, and what quality of life you want to create. This also determines the scope of the design, and what deliverables you require to move forward.
B. Abundance Assessment - Here we take inventory of your current resources available for this project, and look at wealth in a new way. By accounting for multiple forms of capital (financial, material, experiential, intellectual, social, etc), we are able to guide the design process according to you and your landscape's strengths.
C. Layers of the Land - Here we analyze each layer of your landscape, starting with the most permanent elements (which are hardest for humans to change), and moving in descending order to the easiest to change elements. This rigorous and systematic approach ensures efficiency, effectiveness, and cost-savings, while ensuring no critical details are overlooked. Includes analysis of climate factors, geography, water, access & utilities, plants, fencing, buildings, soil, economic factors, solar capacity, and more.
2. Concept Plan
Concept Planning is where we begin to synthesize and visualize information gathered during the diagnosis process. We create a plan, without getting lost in the details, illustrating key systems, elements, and aesthetics, including paths, beds, general plant recommendations.
Here we draft a unique illustration using bubble diagrams to outline possible pathways, garden beds, and key design features and elements.
Elements May Include:
Edible Ornamentals & Flowers
Veggie Gardens
Medicinal Herbs
Raised Beds
Fruit Tree Orchard
Food forest (aka edible forest garden)
Raingarden
Bio-Swales
Rain Barrels & Cistern
Greywater System
Garden Rooms
Retaining Walls
Deer Fencing
Composting system
Wildflife Sanctuary
Children’s Garden or Play Area
Tree House
Fountain
Outdoor Kitchen
Etc!
This is where the most critical decisions are made in the design process. For many clients, this is all they need to move forward with confidence, whether hiring help or doing it yourself. Based on your feedback, we revise the plan to make sure it aligns with your vision, resources, and landscape.
3. Detailed Design
Defining the Details: Once we have synthesized and finalized the concept plan, we publish a formal design with enhanced detail and customized deliverables, including a detailed planting plan with precise plant locations if desired.
Customized Deliverables: Depending on your budget and needs, your published design may include the following:
Planting Plan (with customized plant list & precise planting locations)
Grading & Earthworks Details
Water Management & Irrigation Plans
3-D or Cross-Section Views
Farm Status or Development Permit Applications
Construction Drawings
Installation Guide
12 Month Maintenance Guide
Evolving & Ongoing Support: Our support doesn’t end once the design is complete. This includes help with Onsite Layout, Installation, Maintenance, and ongoing Consultation & Coaching, so that you and your landscape will supported throughout every season.
Feedback from past design clients:
“This was the first time in a long time that I’ve had a professional really listen to what I was asking for as opposed to offering me their cookie cutter solution. And having been involved in strata for so long, I’ve dealt with a lot of “professionals/experts”. We are both thoroughly impressed, have already learned so much, and are so excited about the leg up this is going to give us in realizing one of our dreams.”
Janice Boyle, Director of Development, Options Community Services
“We were particularly impressed with the in-depth look at our family, to assure the whole family’s needs are being met, and all of our favourite edibles are being integrated. Josh’s approach is very logical, methodical and low-impact, in that he finds solutions cohesive to the established plants and existing terrain. We highly recommend this business 😊👍🏻 The value of their insight is immeasurable!”
Sheena Tiicham-Muir, Forest Spirit Creations
“Communication has been open. You came when you said you would. You did what you said you would. Anytime I wanted to change something, you were open to it… You don’t take things personally, and you are there for the customer, not just your own gratification. I would recommend your services, because I got what I wanted.”
Janice Kataoka, SPCA, Stormwater Foodscaping Project
