LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Before we build anything, we draw it. 2D site plans and photorealistic 3D renderings so you can see your new yard before the first shovel.
WHY DESIGN FIRST
Most outdoor living projects are built from a contractor's sketch on a clipboard. That works for a small patio. It doesn't work for a full backyard with a pool, hardscape, fire, water, cabana, plantings and lighting. Too many decisions, too many knock-on effects when you change one thing.
Our landscape design process starts with a measured site survey of your yard. Existing trees, grading, structures, utilities. Then a 2D site plan laying out every element. Then 3D renderings so you can walk through the design visually before you commit.
You can revise. Move the pool three feet. Switch the cabana to the other side. Try a different paver colour. On screen it's free. Once we're building, changes cost real money.
WHAT DESIGN INCLUDES
A full design package gives you a document you can bid out to any contractor (ours or not). We'd rather earn the build than trap you in it.
We measure your property with trees, utilities, structures, grading and existing features. Usually 2 hours on site.
Top-down drawing to scale. Every element labelled and dimensioned. Materials schedule. Plant list if landscaping is in scope.
Photorealistic day and night views of the design. Walk around it visually before anything is built.
Two to three revision rounds included in every design. We expect changes — you haven't seen the yard visualized before.
Paver lines, block systems, decking, plant species, lighting products. Specific enough to bid out or order.
If you commission the build, we produce construction-level drawings with sections, details and engineering coordination.
HOW IT WORKS
Chris visits, walks the yard, and talks through what you actually want. Budget honest from the first meeting.
Full measurement visit with tape, laser and reference photos. Takes 1 to 3 hours depending on size.
We come back 2 to 3 weeks later with a 2D site plan. We sit down and walk through it together, red-pen it.
2 weeks later, photorealistic 3D views based on the revised 2D plan. Day and night shots. This is where most people finalize.
Final drawings, materials schedule, and a detailed build estimate. From here you can hire us, hire someone else, or sit on the plan.
TRANSPARENT PRICING
Design fees for 2026, before HST:
Typically the design fee is refundable against the build if you commission the project through us. On projects over a certain threshold we sometimes fold the design fee into the build. Chris will confirm the exact structure on your consultation.
What affects design fee:
All ranges are ballpark figures for London and Southwestern Ontario, 2026. HST (13%) added as a final line on every quote.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Yes. The design is yours. We hope you hire us to build it — we're going to bid competitively — but we'd rather produce honest designs than trap clients with proprietary plans. Every design package includes enough detail to bid out to other builders.
Standard timeline is 6 to 10 weeks from initial consultation to final plan. Site visit in week one, 2D in week 3 or 4, 3D in week 5 or 6, revisions and final by week 8 to 10. We can go faster if you're on a timeline.
For small projects, no — a 2D plan is enough. For anything pool-plus-hardscape or larger, yes. 3D renders surface problems (tree shadows, sightlines, scale) that 2D can't. Every serious client has reacted to a 3D render with "oh that's not what I pictured" at least once. That's the whole point.
The materials will match. Plant sizes at maturity will match over a few years. Lighting won't look quite as perfect at night as in the render (it never does). But proportions, layout and material choices are accurate.
Tell us. That's what revision rounds are for. We'd rather change the plan than build the wrong yard. Two to three revision rounds are included in every package.
PAIRS WELL WITH
READY TO GET STARTED?
Tell us about your property and what you want from the yard. First consultation is free and honest — you'll know whether a design package makes sense before you pay anything.