Not only does LED lighting have many environment benefits but it also offers far more design versatility due to its more compact size giving the designer the ability to locate the lighting on locations never used before.

Below is a sample of possible savings on an electric utility bill:

Assuming a typical residential landscape has about (40) light fixtures with an average of (35 watts) per light fixture.  This is a total energy consumption of (1,400 watts) to be powered by the transformer.  If LED lights were to be used in replacement of the standard bulbs the savings would average around (80%) making the total energy saved per hour at (1,120 watts).  In California, the average utility cost for electricity is about .12/KwHr.  This means that each hour it costs .12 cents to run (1,000 watts) of lighting. Assuming this, each hour LED lights will save  (.13 cents) when compared to standard lighting.  If the lights were used for (6hrs/night) X (365 days) = 2,190 hrs/year X .13 cents/hr = $284.70 / year in energy savings.  In addition to the energy savings the electric transformer can also be reduced in size saving additional money plus no bulbs will need to be replaced for up to (30 years) whereas the standard bulb will need to be replaced ever (2.5 years).

When looking at all of the monetary savings, plus not having to replace bulbs, plus helping to do your part in saving the planet, it seems like a very easy decision.  At Studio H Landscape Architecture we have been implementing LED lighting in our landscape plans for some time now  and will continue to research the newest advances in lighting to ensure a sustainable product.

As seen in the image above, xeriscape and native planting design can be not only aesthetically pleasing but eco-friendly as well.  Studio H is currently offering free review of your existing irrigation system and planting.  Please use our Contact Form to request a date and time to setup an appointment.

The demise of the economy has changed the dynamic of the profession of residential Landscape Architecture. Landscape Architects are seeing would be clients turning down the services of a professional and turning to inexperienced Garden Designers, Landscape Designers, and Landscape Contractors to “save” money. But, are the Clients really saving money? What are the benefits to hiring an experienced Landscape Architecture firm? As professional designers, many of my friends and I in the industry sit around discussing generally the same question, “how can we get through to the potential Client that the design fees of a professional Architect or Landscape Architect are not an expense but rather an investment in increasing the value of their property, maximizing their return on investment and reducing future utility expenses while enjoying a superior service and finished project? While not always the case, many of our Clients only see the immediate savings of the design fees and associate this with added benefit to their project. For example, a Client may see a savings of $3,000 by having a Landscape Contractor design their project over a Landscape Architect and think to themselves, “Well with $3,000 we can get a firepit that we couldn’t get if we hired a Landscape Architect.” While we can understand how this could be a rational response, we as Landscape Architects are not doing our job in educating our potential Clients of the benefits of hiring a design professional.

Below you will see a list of the potential benefits of hiring an experienced Landscape Architecture firm for your residential project and an example of how this can translate into big savings beyond that of a Landscape Contractor or unqualified Garden Designer or Landscape Designer.

Fiscal benefits of hiring a Landscape Architect vs an unqualified design professional

1. Increased property value: up to 11% increase

It goes without saying that when comparing the same residence, the home with a more beautiful landscape will sell for more. “According to a joint study by Clemson University and the University of Maryland, potential home buyers will pay up to 11.3 percent above the asking price for homes with thoughtfully designed landscaping. Smart Money Magazine, March 2003.

2. Multiple Contractor bids: save up to 30%

Many Clients will forgo hiring a Landscape Architect and hire a Landscape Contractor direct offering a “Free” Landscape Plan. The free Landscape Plan almost always will come with the stipulation that the Contractor maintains possession of the plans until a contract has been signed or the plans have been purchased. The Client will not be able to bid the plans to multiple Contractors to compare bids and ensure they are receiving the best value for their money. The Contractor will often greatly increase his/her pricing knowing the Client haves no other option but to use their services. This can be one of the most costly mistakes a Client can make.

3. Reduced utility expenses: save up to 80% in utility costs

Sustainable design practices and newer technology have brought about the ability to greatly reduce a Clients energy and utility expenses while reducing the impact on the environment. A Landscape Architecture firm will be abreast to all of the latest technology and sustainable design practices. Unlike many Contractors who may focus largely on their profit margin, a Landscape Architect will consider the environmental impacts as well as utility savings over the long haul. LED lighting can reduce energy consumption by up to 80% while extending the life of the lightbulb from 2 years to 20 years. Drip Irrigation can reduce water consumption by as much as 75% and according to one government study, “properly located trees and shrubs can reduce interior energy costs by as much as 50% in the summer months.”

4. Reduction in construction change orders and revisions: save up to 15%

Generally speaking, the less complete the plans are the greater number of revisions and change orders will be required during construction. With these changes comes a significant markup by most Contractors. Contractors bank on the Client making changes to their project to supplement their profit. Knowing the Client has no choice, other than hiring a separate Contractor, the Landscape Contractor will often double their normal rates on certain change orders and revisions. It is not uncommon to see a 20% – 50% increase budget once the installation phase has commenced. A Landscape Architect can significantly reduce the change orders and revisions by having a thorough, well thought-out set of plans including all of the details, finish materials and locations to purchase products. When having this information during the bidding process this forces the Contractor to include the items in the original bid, not allowing them to come back at a later time and markup the product. This can be one of the most significant savings for the Client which is often overlooked.

5. Maximizing the budget: save up to 20%

Assume a typical 8,000sf residential lot in California. For this size lot, it would be common to see 2,500sf of paving. Contractor XYZ designs 2,500sf of flagstone paving at $35/sf knowing paving has one of the highest profit margins. Total cost of paving is $87,500. An experienced Landscape Architect looks at the same project and reduces the paving to 2,000sf and uses a combination of 500sf of decomposed gravel paving ($6./sf) in a grove of citrus trees in large pots and 1,500sf of travertine paving with colored concrete banding ($25./sf) for a total price of $ 40,500. The total savings in this situation would be $ 47,000. while offering a more unique design. It goes without saying that the savings can greatly vary from one designer to the next but generally speaking a designer with more experience, knowledge of current construction costs and materials, and design creativity will most likely be able to propose cost saving design solutions.

6. Eliminating/Reducing HOA revisions: save up to $500/revision

Home Owners Associations can often be fairly demanding, not to mention expensive. Most new homes these days have strict Landscape Guidelines which must be adhered to for approval from the association. A Landscape Architecture firm will have a significant amount of experience dealing with many different HOA’s and will undoubtably submit a complete and thorough set of plans which will meet or exceed submittal requirements. When revisions are required often additional fees are charged for the re-submittal process. To date, Studio H has only had one plan denied out of several hundred. The one plan was only denied due to the Association not allowing one specified shrub.

7. Access to better products at better pricing – save up to 2.5% of budget

As a Landscape Architecture firm we are solicited on a daily basis by vendors offering their services and products. Our products library includes hundreds of the latest catalogs and samples to select from during the design process. We work hard for the Client to ensure we specify the best product at the best price. Finish materials on a project will average about 10% of the construction budget, access to a large library of products and vendors can reduce costs by as much as 25% for a total of 2.5% of the entire construction budget.

Example of potential savings when hiring a professional Landscape Architecture firm versus an unqualified design firm or Landscape Contractor.

Assumptions: Typical Orange County, California home

Lot Size: 8,000sf (2,500sf building footprint, 5,500sf landscape area)Construction

Budget: $30/sf x 5,500sf = $165,000.

Property Value: $800,000.

Annual Utility Expenses for Landscape: $200/month X 12 = $2,400/year

Landscape Architect’s Design Fees for complete Construction Documentation: $8,000.

Landscape Contractor Design Fees for Conceptual Plan only: $0.

Potential Benefits and Savings using conservative estimates.

1. Property Value Increase @ 1% = $ 8,000.
2. Multiple Contractor Bids @ 5% Savings = $ 8,250.
3. Reduced Annual Utility Expenses @ 40% savings = $ 960. x 10 years = $ 9,600
4. Reduced Change Orders and Revisions @ 5% of budget = $ 8,250.
5. Maximizing the Budget: estimate savings @ 5% = $ 8,250.
6. Eliminated/Reducing HOA Revisions: Assume 1 revision @ $ 250.
7. Access to better products at better pricing @ 1% of budget = $ 1,650.

Total construction costs savings: $ 44,250.

Landscape Architects Design Fee: $ 8,000.

Potential total savings versus hiring a Landscape Contractor: $ 36,250.

In conclusion, the above sample uses fairly conservative estimations of several different ways in which a Landscape Architect can save the Client money, and more than validate the design fee expenses. We truly believe that hiring a qualified professional design firm, whether its a Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, or Architecture office, is the most important step to saving money while receiving the highest level of design services.

Other benefits of hiring a Landscape Architect

1. Higher level of design service
2. Construction Documents drafted in AutoCad for precision within an inch
3. Sustainable design
4. Contractor bid assistance
5. Construction Administration services

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It is important to note that every state has different regulations on registration as a Landscape Architect. For example, the state of Vermont only requires a four year degree from an accredited Landscape Architecture program while in the state of Arizona requires a four year degree, four years of working experience under a licensed Landscape Architect plus demonstrating competency by passing the demanding licensing examinations. In the state of California a four year degree from an accredited program plus two years working experience and completion of state exams are required. In few circumstances an individual without any educational background will be permitted to take the licensing exams after completed a number of years experience under the guidance of a Landscape Architect. A Landscape Designer, Garden Designer and Landscape Contractor require no formal training or examinations.

A Landscape Architect is licensed to offer both commercial and full residential design services to include: urban design, site planning, environmental restoration, parks, private estates, golf courses, ski resorts and many other services. A Landscape Architect will be skilled, experienced, knowledgeable of local and state regulations, Homeowner Association requirements, and will be able to offer services from an initial consultation through the construction phase. Common deliverables offered by a Landscape Architecture firm will include:

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT DELIVERABLES

Landscape Conceptual/Schematic Plan – (required by most HOA’s)
Landscape Construction Plan – (Required by most HOA and Cities)
Landscape Construction Details – (Required by most HOA and Cities)
Landscape Planting Plans – (Required by most HOA and Cities)
Landscape Irrigation Plans – (Required by most HOA and Cities)
Landscape Grading & Drainage Plans – (Required by most HOA and Cities)
Fuel Modification Plans – (Required by many Cities)

A Landscape/Garden Designer are not licensed or regulated by the State of California, are not required to obtain educational and/or training background and are limited to preparing the following plans for a single family home only.

LANDSCAPE/GARDEN DESIGNER DELIVERABLES

Landscape Conceptual Plan – (Required by most HOA’s)
Landscape Planting Plan – (Required by most HOA and Cities)
A Landscape/Garden Designer is NOT permitted to prepare any construction documents, details, or specifications for tangible landscape objects or landscape features and may NOT prepare grading or drainage plans for the alteration of sites.

For more information visit:

http://www.latc.ca.gov/laws_regs/permittedpractice.shtml

http://www.latc.ca.gov/consumers/faqs.shtml#pubinfo

http://www.asla.org

A Landscape Contractor may or may not have in-house design staff. A Landscape Contractor without a licensed Landscape Architect on staff can not offer “Landscape Architectural” services. A Landscape Contractor may only offer Landscape Design services to residential Clients. A Landscape Contractor will often submit a “Free” or inexpensive Conceptual Plan to a potential Client in order to sign a contract for the construction. In many circumstances, the Contractor may have little experience in design and may design a project to meet his/her construction abilities and profit margins.

If a Landscape Contractor were to design a project which they were not building they would only be permitted to offer the same deliverables as a Landscape/Garden Designer. If the Landscape Contractor were building the project themselves they are permitted to offer Construction Documentation required for building and permitted purposes. Most often, a Landscape Contractor does not have the technical experience to create these plans and will call on the service of a Landscape Architect and Structural Engineer.

With the recent introduction of Assembly Bill No. 1881, it is now required to retain the services of a Licensed Landscape Architect to submit a “Water Efficient Landscape Worksheet”, a “soil management report”, a Landscape Plan that contains a “statement of compliance”, and “Irrigation Design Plan”, a “Garden Design Plan” and a “Certificate of Completion” all of which must meet State and City’s criteria.

Hiring the services of a professional Landscape Architecture firm is certainly one of the best decision a home owner can make when considering a landscape project. For more information on all of these benefits click on the link below to read our recent blog entry.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW HIRING A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT CAN SAVE YOU OVER 30% ON YOUR CONSTRUCTION COSTS SEE OUR RECENT BLOG

http://www.studioh-inc.com/2010/09/fiscal-benefits-of-hiring-a-landscape-architects/

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Secondly, there is this notion out there that a home owner is going to find an incredible deal from a Landscape Contractor and save a fortune while at the same time getting the same quality project they would at the competitors pricing.  Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case 99% of the time.  Understanding how a Landscape Contractor bids a job and the pricing and expenses associated with the bid are important. Making sense of this will go a long way to knowing when a deal is “to good to be true”.

It is important to keep in mind that not all Landscape Contractors are unethical, but a home owner must keep their eyes open.  My goal for this weeks blog is to help home owners have a better understanding of the costs associated with construction and the games some unethical Landscape Contractors play.

<strong>PRICING:</strong>

Over the past year or so I’ve been hearing about some deals Landscape Contractors have been offering that made my jaw drop.  When I hear about these deals I immediately think to myself, “something is wrong here, how can a Contractor be offering a price thats 1/3rd of where it should be, when the materials alone will cost that much”. This is very much a different reaction than the home owners are having.  Most home owners, unknowing of the tricks Landscape Contractors can play, think they are getting an incredible deal and want to jump right on it and sign a contract.  This can turn out to be an expensive lesson to learn.  Below I will explain the different costs associated with a construction project and how these deals just aren’t realistic. The numbers I use are based on many years experience in the Landscape Construction industry as a licensed Landscape Contractor, years of data collected by building numerous projects, and information from other local Landscape Contractors in the Orange County area.  I am basing the numbers on an average landscape with a $100,000 budget without a pool.

MATERIALS COSTS (35% of BUDGET): Max. contracted price savings of 1.75%

Materials costs will vary for each project depending on the complexity, site elements, details, lot size and other factors, but, generally speaking the material cost will fall between 30% – 40% of the total price.  Some items, such as trees, may see the material costs closer to 50% while other items such as labor intensive flagstone paving will be closer to 30%.  Contractors buy their materials mostly from the same three or four local vendors, all at about the same price.  Companies like Thompson Building Materials offer the same pricing for all of the Contractors while others might offer a slightly better deal for contractors requesting more material.  This isn’t a large difference, we are probably only talking about a 5% price reduction at best when compared to other contractors.  This calculates to about a 1.75% potential price variation when looking at the total construction costs between contractors at best.  When asked to validate how they are offering such a low bid I’ve heard Contractors say, “well I have a good relationship with materials yard and nurseries and get much better pricing than anyone else”.  Perhaps its possible, but personally I am yet to see these deals they speak of and why would a vendor sell their product at more than a 5% discount over other Contractors when their profit margins are almost non-existent these days.

LABOR COSTS (35% of BUDGET): Max. contracted price savings of 7%

Labor cost is generally within the same range as the materials costs being 30% – 40% of the overall contracted price.  Labor cost can be anywhere from $8/hr – $25/hr for some of the most experienced masons. The majority of the labor are workers priced in the $8/hr – $14/hr range with one or two experienced workers managing the job making more.  When bidding a job the costs are based on unit pricing, rather than hours, with the exception being custom items.  I have heard Contractors say that they will build much of the work themselves and therefore will keep the costs lower and this is how they are able to offer such an attractive price.  Logic would say that having the owner/contractor build the project will actually increase the price as I’m sure the owner/contractor wishes to make more than $8/hr – $14/hr.  In my experience, I have seen some variation in production of workers but with that comes the risk of lower quality.  For arguments sake, lets say that a Landscape Contractor that employees the most productive, skilled and least expensive workers can save 20% on his/her costs.  This works out to be a potential saves of up to 7% for the entire project.

INSURANCE AND BONDING EXPENSES (5% of BUDGET): Max. contracted price savings of 1%

Licensed Contractors are required by state law in California to carry Workers Compensation, General Liability Insurance, and a $12,500 Bond.  Rates for Workers Compensation are set by the state and vary depending on the type of work being performed.  The last time I checked a business owner had to pay about 12% of each dollar spent on salary for field workers.  These rates may have changed in recent years but I can’t imagine too significantly.  The rates can increase with filed claims. There are only two ways for a Contractor to save money here, 1. don’t carry any policies, or 2. the owner of the company is also the builder as owners can be exempt from paying into Workers Compensation.  However, General Liability and a Bond are still required.

OVERHEAD EXPENSES (15% of BUDGET): Max. contracted price savings of 10%

Overhead includes items such as rent, non-billable office staff, CPA’s, lawyers, loan payments for trucks and equipment, storage, gas, utilities and so on.  Generally speaking, the higher the overhead the more likely they are a professional organized company that can meet your needs.  It can also mean that the company just grew too quick and are now stuck with more overhead than is needed.  Some smaller companies can offer savings in this area but at the same time it is more difficult to deliver the same high level of customer service as a well structured company with office staff and equipment readily available. With lower overhead comes the need to rent equipment, and an increase cost associated with that as well.

PROFIT MARGIN (10% of BUDGET): Max. contracted price savings of 10%

Profit these days is just about gone.  Most Contractors I know are working off very little or no profit margin to stay competitive.  Generally it seems most Contractors are just happy to pay the bills for now and live to fight another day.  So, even though this could be considered an area of savings its unlikely as most Contractors are not even calculating this into their bids.

RESULTS:

As you can see, the maximum range a bid should vary between Landscape Contractors is around 30%, anything more than that and its just not logical.  The only way to reduce the bid more than this is to cut corners and use some Contractor trickery.  See below for more information on that.  It is always a good idea to get three competitive bids from qualified licensed Contractors.  If you bid the job and see bid A. at $100,000, bid B. at $92,000 and bid C. at $55,000 this should be a big red flag.  Contractor “C” is not offering a great deal, almost certainly there will be some unethical business practices involved.

<strong>TRICKS:</strong>

There are a lot of angles a Landscape Contractor will play when trying to close a project.  For an unethical Contractor, their goal is to submit a bid with a price that is so enticing the home owner just can’t turn it down.  Then, once the project is contracted, the games start and the Contractor finds a way to get as much as the more realistic bids and then some.  Here are a few of the more common techniques used by unethical Contractors

THE LOW PRICE HIGH CHANGE ORDER:

This trick is to offer a bid significantly lower than the competition and offer “logical” explanations to the home owner to how they are able to achieve this great price.  Possible explanations might include; “I get a great deal on materials”, “I do the work myself”, “I don’t charge a huge profit like everyone else”, “I don’t have any overhead”, “my guys are just quicker”. None of these reasons make that much of a difference as noted above and are often just not true.

INCOMPLETE CONTRACTS:  YOU DIDN’T SAY YOU WANT PAINT ON THE WALL TOO!

The contract is possibly the most important step to ensuring a smooth project while protecting yourself from unethical business practices.  It is not uncommon for Contractors to hand over a one page contract for your signature.  The contract might be broken into a few subcategories such as, “Planting”, “Flatwork”, “Lighting”, and so on.  Then, knowing that the quantities and unit pricing are not specified the Contractor will come back during construction and ask for more money with excuses such as, “I didn’t know you wanted a cap on the wall, well thats extra”, or “the fireplace doesn’t include the log set, thats extra”.  Then, the Contractor will greatly markup these change orders knowing you aren’t likely to fire him and hire a new Contractor.  The best way to protect yourself here is to have a professional Landscape Architecture firm, such as Studio H, prepare a complete set of Construction Documents which can be used as your legal document, in a sense, to ensure the Contractor is obligated to build the project as specified and can not come back with expensive change orders.

CUTTING CORNERS:

There are hundreds of different ways a Landscape Contractor can cut corners to save on costs and make more profit, most of which the average home owner would never know about.  I have seen first hand some of the shortcuts Contractors have taken, such as; increasing the spacing of rebar in concrete, pouring a lower strength (PSI) concrete, not pouring block retaining walls solid, not waterproofing retaining walls, reducing the size of plant material, finding the least expensive materials available, daisy-chaining low-voltage lighting, not properly compacting the base for paving, and the list goes on and on.  These can be some of the tricks an unethical Landscape Contractor will use to offer up a low bid and still turn a profit, at the home owners expense.  The best way to protect against this is again to have a Landscape Architect prepare a complete set of Construction Documents.  The CD’s, as we call them, will specify construction details which clearly indicate to the Contractor an installation method which meets or exceeds industry standards.  Then, hire your Landscape Architect to perform Construction Administration services during the installation to oversee the project to ensure it is being built to the specifications on the plans.  If it is not being built correctly, you now have a set of plans which can be used, along with your contract, for legal support if needed.

INCOMPLETE AND PROFIT ORIENTED DESIGN:

By hiring a Landscape Contractor to design a residence a home owner is giving them the power to design to their strengths and profitability.  For example, a Contractor is not going to design a project with pavers with a $3/sf profit margin when they can design the project using colored concrete with a $5/sf profit margin.  While these numbers may vary this is just one possible example of “Profit Oriented Design”.  Secondly, a Landscape Contractor may also deliberately leave out certain details on the plan knowing that without the specifications the Contractor will have the ability to request change orders, often at twice the price, once the contract has been signed and the construction has begun.  Its a nasty trick, but one that is often used.  Finally, a Landscape Contractor likely will not design unique site elements or complex details knowing such elements can be a greater risk for turning a profit.  Solution: Unless the company is a larger and more reputable company, ideally with Landscape Architects, it would be a good idea to hire a separate designer to assist with the project from concept to completion.

THE DESIGN IS FREE, WE HAVE IN-HOUSE DESIGN STAFF

There are some great Design/Build Landscape Contractors out there.  Some larger companies hire in-house Landscape Architects as well as staff a large construction crew.  A Design/Build firm can create some of the best projects out there, but, when the wrong company is selected it can be a recipe for disaster as well.  The majority of Landscape Construction companies out there call themselves, “Landscape Designers” as well.  A Landscape Designer needs no formal education or training and anyone can title themselves as a Landscape Designer.  A Construction company will convince the home owner to use their in-house design staff.  They will often offer these services for free, usually with the stipulation that you do not get to keep the plan unless you sign a construction contract, which does not allow for multiple bids.  The Contractor will either pay an in-house designer for his/her time, or will have a salesman design the project and pay a commission.  The Contractor will then hide the cost of those fees into the construction contract, making the home owner pay for the design in the end.

SURE, I CAN HAVE IT DONE BY THEN:

Contractors love to say they can have it done it two weeks when they know it will take four.  They will tell you whatever you want to hear to close the job.  Estimating the length of a project can be very challenging for a Contractor due to the dozens of different factors involved such as; material delivery dates, availability of materials, Client delays with necessary decisions, weather, City inspections and more.  Solution:  Ask the Contractor to include a time schedule along with a completion date on the contract.  It may be a good idea to include a daily penalty fee if the project continues beyond the completion date.  The Contractor will most certainly have to create change orders of time for any delays to protect him/herself.  As a rule of thumb, for a typical Orange County single family home you might expect 1 week of labor for each $10,000 in contracted price, unless there is a pool, then add an extra month.

I HAVE A FRIEND, I’LL GET YOU A GREAT PRICE:

Its just not true, as mentioned above, vendors aren’t about to cut their pricing more than a few percentage points because “they are friends”.

I’LL GIVE YOU A GREAT DEAL IF YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBOR SIGN AT THE SAME TIME:

There really isn’t much savings in a Landscape Contractor building two jobs right next to each other at the same time.  The reality is that the materials will often need to be delivered at different times and two delivery charges will still be required, and transportation will be the same as an additional crew will have to come out for the second job.  The benefit is that the construction manager will be on-site more frequently and they can’t exactly walk out on one job if there is another one right next door.

THE RUNNER:

Beware of this one.  Many Contractors are living on the edge of bankruptcy these days, only just surviving for the next job.  If you get a “great deal” on price, there is a reason for that.  This most likely means the Contractor desperately needs work or they are going under and will take anything they can.  This is a big red flag.  If its a small company with a very low price this could lend to a situation where the Contractor could walk out on the job when he/she can’t afford to complete it.  Very few Contractors these days have cash reserves and if they under bid your job and need to pull money out of their pockets to complete it, they may decide they would rather walk away and file bankruptcy if the home owner goes after them.  Its scary but its a reality these days.  Your only defense is that the Landscape Contractor should have a $12,500 bond in order to be licensed.  This bond allows the home owner to recover losses up to this amount, unless there are other jobs the Contractor has walked out on that are also making a claim.  Solution:  Select your Landscape Contractor wisely, make sure they have a bond, check to see how things are coming along with their other projects, ask detailed questions on how they can afford to offer such a low price and hire a professional designer, such as a Landscape Architect, to manage your project.

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A recent survey was taken of the general population and it found that about half of the individuals surved would consider themselves to be “somewhat knowledgeable”, 10% considered themselves “Very knowledgeable”, 35% were “Not very knowledgeable but interested” and the remaining group had no interest in sustainability. What’s interesting is that 97% of the population is interested in sustainable design yet rarely do I see clients willing to go the extra step and spend the extra dollar to implement design techniques and materials which have been around for years. To no surprise, it always comes down to money. It’s not that the client doesn’t have the desire to make the world a better place it’s just more expensive to do the right thing, until recently. Design firms across the nation were polled and asked the reasons their clients requested sustainable design techniques. Overwhelmingly, the responses mostly revolved around saving money or increasing property value though marketability. See Chart Below.

So what does this tell us? It tells us that the driving force to a more sustainable culture largely hinges on the ability of sustainable design to reduce costs and increase value, rather than improving and sustaining the environment. Fortunately, costs have greatly decreased in the last couple of years and will continue to fall as the competition in products such as LED lighting, drip irrigation systems, permeable paving, and other environmentally conscious materials continues to increase.

We currently are working on a new web calculator to help clients clearly see the cost savings with sustainable design, check back shortly for an update. We hope this will help our future clients make the decision to push for sustainable design. Just doing our part!

FLATWORK:

CONCRETE PAVERS: $7 – $13/SF
PLAIN CONCRETE: $8/SF
COLORED CONCRETE: $10/SF
SLATE PAVERS: $15/SF
TRAVERTINE PAVERS: $18/SF
FLAGSTONE PAVING: $28/SF
BRICK PAVING: $22/SF
DECOMPOSED GRAVEL: $5/SF
GRAVEL: $3/SF
SANDSTONE PAVERS: $35/SF
NATURAL CUT STONE: $30/SF

HARDSCAPE:

WALLS: $35/LF + $10/FT TALL + FINISH & CAP
6′ WALL W/ STUCCO AND CONCRETE CAP: $130/LF (LINEAR FOOT)
5′ FENCE: $40/LF
5′ WROUGHT IRON FENCE: $60/LF
FIREPIT: $1,000 – $5,000
OUTDOOR FIREPLACE: $5,000 – $12,000
WATER FEATURES: $1,500 – $8,000
PILASTERS: $800 EACH
WROUGHT IRON GARDEN ARBOR: $1,000 – $3,000
WOOD PATIO COVER: $40/SF
SOLID PATIO COVER: $90/SF

OTHER ITEMS:

400SF SWIMMING POOL: $25,000 – $45,000
SPA: $8,000 – $15,000
DEMOLITION: $2.50/SF

UTILITIES:

DRAINAGE: $12/LF
IRRIGATION: $800/ZONE (A ZONE IS A VALVE FOR EACH ARE TO BE WATERED, SUCH AS THE TURF ON ONE ZONE AND THE SHRUBS ON ANOTHER)
LIGHTING: $85/UPLIGHT, $130/PATH LIGHT

PLANTING:

1 GALLON SHRUB: $12/EA.
5 GALLON SHRUB: $30/EA.
15 GALLON SHRUB: $120 EA.
24″ BOX TREE: $350 EA.
36″ BOX TREE: $700 EA.

This should help you all get started on preparing a landscape construction budget for your project. If there is anything I missed or additional pricing you would like please feel free to call, or just leave a comment here.