New Landscape Designer Question.

[mmlawncare]

Hey ya'll. I am new to the landscape DESIGN and installation business. I have done lawn work and landscape maintenance for 5 years now. I am moving into landscape design. What I am wanting to know is...After you design a customers landscape and approve it with them how do you go and purchace landscape elements? Do you have the customer pay you in advance? Pay out of your own pocket and have the customer reimburse you? What? Help me out here guys!

[Seascape]

reply

I ask for anything over $5000 in "materials" (not elements). I also get a signature and aproval to sub stuff up and down acording to availability.They really like it when you offer payment upon completion but sometimes you have to get some money up front. You gotta eat while your installing theyre scape ,know what i mean? If it is a referal than you can easily get all your materials upfront they shouldnt have a problem w/ that. As far as getting materials you will need a permit from dept of agriculture to receive wholesale stock at a nursery wholesaler. Just dont go to walmart.
mike

[grasshopper]

reply

M&N,

You obviously don't have the capital to be in the landscape design business. It is not like the lawn maintenance business in that you can just go out and do whatever you feel like.....there are people out there called landscape architects who 1. hold degrees in this stuff and actually know how to design a blueprint from scratch and 2. are lisenced. You can't go doing this w/o being lisenced, which I can tell you aren't b/c one of the requirements for the lisence is capital. They don't just throw them out to any redneck that walks through the door and knows what an azalea is. Stick with lawn maintenance and you won't most likely learn the hard way what your state laws are in this business.

[indmowing]

reply

Hi Mike
In Australia I advise guys to get 50% up front and 50% on completion
for obvious reasons this is a fair trading practice .

dean

[indmowing]

reply

Grasshopper

touch bit tough there mate we ant positives not negatives lol

mateship is more important than business

dean

[LANDSCAPINGPOOLGUY]

reply

landscape design is not only for the archietects.......anyone can design a landscape....there are certain levels of construction tho that require a surveyor and the notorization of an engineer but those are only in extreme cases..infact in NJ you can go to yur local community college and take courses in landscape design, maintenece, nusery care and so on, and aquire and associates degree for it..dont put someones dreams of building there businees down, rather build them up and help guide there ideas...especially if you have already crossed this path...infact i started buy designing scapes around the swimming pools we built and maintained then i got into the lawn business after that...i dont think i need and archy to design rock scapes and planter boxes around swimming pools....maybe if i was doing an eight foot retaing wall on a 45 degree hill yea...but for the basic landscape design i see no purpose in adding the extra expense....

Good luck all,

Chuck
Perfect Property Services Inc.

[landdawg]

reply

It's pretty common to require 1/3 to 1/2 the total as a deposit depending on the size of the project. 1/3 usually pays for your materials in case there is a problem later receiving final payment. Also consider progress payments on larger, more timely projects.

[Scott]

reply

If you get affliated with John Deere Landscapes they offer a program where you can offer to finance the project. They fill out an app, fax it to JDLandscapes, they say yea/nay, if yea then you have all your $$$ within 48hrs in your bank account. 180-days same as cash and if they go over that time period it's 48 mths @ 6.9%. This is easier for yourself and the customer it lump sums are a problem.

[andersc1]

reply

Grasshopper,
Did we wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

Curtis

[mmlawncare]

reply

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by grasshopper</i>
<br />M&N,

You obviously don't have the capital to be in the landscape design business. It is not like the lawn maintenance business in that you can just go out and do whatever you feel like.....there are people out there called landscape architects who 1. hold degrees in this stuff and actually know how to design a blueprint from scratch and 2. are lisenced. You can't go doing this w/o being lisenced, which I can tell you aren't b/c one of the requirements for the lisence is capital. They don't just throw them out to any redneck that walks through the door and knows what an azalea is. Stick with lawn maintenance and you won't most likely learn the hard way what your state laws are in this business.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Grasshopper,

We are all entitled to our own opinions and I respect that and I will not put you down because you dissed me really bad. I understand some people are like that. Now, I'm sure you have capital and permits and junk running out your ears, but think about it...how did you get started? And to let you know, I am only 16 years old. I have a ways to go, for instance, I could take classes when I am older. But to design a landscape for a residential piece of property...you've got to be kidding about needing an architect. Sounds like to me if you can't design something that simple and you need an architect, you are not real creative. I'm not trying to put you down or anything. I'm sure you do have great creative skills. [8D] Man, just calm yourself down. I'm just trying to figure out stuff here. Maybe I don't know anything at all but it really is pretty immature to come down on someone like that be them 16 or 60. This site is to give opinions and all but it is also to build people up and give good advice. Thanks for teaching us all a lesson Grasshopper.

[mmlawncare]

reply

By the way, thanks to everybody that gave positive advice. It is greatly appreciated!

[qualitylandscaping]

reply

25% is due upon acceptance of the contract and then the rest is due in either lump sum or monthly payments (to be paid off in no longer than 6 months).

I would recommend you start slow, doing residential designs. Maybe go work for a design firm just to get your foot in the door. I just jumped into design work after a customer with a new home requested it, and the projects I have designed have turned out excellent. Go spend some time at a Nursery and learn the plants (lighting needs, watering, maintaining). After you learn plants and get an idea about how to incorporate different plants and materials into the design. You will understand the concept of contrasting colors and a downward sloping appearance.

BTW: I charge $75/hr for design work and will send the designs to a printing company to be put onto blueprints.

Good Luck![]