Site visit to final walkthrough: what happens in a landscape design-build project

How a design-build project unfolds, in brief

A landscape design-build project moves through four stages: a site visit where a designer walks the property and hears what you want, a design and proposal you can revise until it fits your budget and goals, construction by the same company with regular updates, and a final walkthrough followed by ongoing care. How long it takes depends mostly on the scope, how quickly decisions are made, approvals such as permits or neighborhood review, material lead times and weather, so a fair timeline can only be set once the design is settled.

We at Southern Botanical run residential projects this way, with in-house designers and crews from the first meeting to the last plant. Below is what each stage involves, what you will be asked to decide, and where projects tend to slow down, so you can plan around it.

Before the first meeting: what to have ready

You do not need a plan, but a little preparation makes the first visit far more productive. Think about how you want to use the property: entertaining, cooking outside, a place for children to play, a quiet garden to look at from inside. Gather photos of landscapes you like, even if you cannot say why. Note what has failed before, such as plants that die every summer or a corner that floods after rain.

It also helps to have a budget range in mind. We discuss budget and pricing openly from the start, because the same patio can be designed many ways and the range decides which ones make sense. If you have a survey or plat of the property, a pool plan, or architectural drawings for an addition, have them on hand.

• How you want to use each part of the property.
• Photos of landscapes, materials and plants you like.
• Problems you already know about: drainage, dying areas, privacy.
• A comfortable budget range, even a rough one.
• Any survey, pool or architectural drawings.

Stage one: the site visit

After a request, a local expert contacts you within 24 hours to schedule a free 30-minute site visit with one of our landscape designers. The designer walks the whole property with you, listens to how you live, and looks at what will shape the design: sun and shade through the day, slopes and where water runs, soil, existing trees and their root zones, views from inside the house, access for equipment, and the irrigation and lighting already in place.

We do this in person on purpose. Drainage, grading and the condition of mature trees cannot be judged from a photo, and those are often the factors that decide what the design can be and what it will cost. A good designer will also tell you about problems you did not mention, such as a buried root flare or water draining toward the foundation.

Stage two: design, proposal and revisions

From the visit, our team develops a design plan and a detailed proposal tailored to your budget, timeline and goals. Depending on the project, that can include realistic renderings and virtual reality walk-throughs so you can see the space before anything is built. This is the stage to ask questions and push back. Moving a wall on paper costs nothing; moving it after the footing is poured does.

Expect at least one round of feedback and revisions. Common adjustments are phasing a large plan over two seasons, trading material choices to fit the budget, and adding infrastructure such as lighting conduit or drainage now so later phases connect cleanly. There is no obligation to proceed. If you are weighing our proposal against others, compare scope line by line; what drives landscape costs explains what to look for.

What decides how long the project takes

Owners often ask for a timeline at the first meeting. The honest answer is that it depends on the design, and the factors below can move it a lot. Once the plan is approved, we can set a realistic schedule and keep you updated against it.

• Scope: planting and lawn renovation move faster than walls, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and structures.
• Decisions: how quickly materials, finishes and revisions are approved.
• Approvals: some elements, such as structures, electrical work or irrigation, may need city permits, and many neighborhoods have HOA or architectural review.
• Materials: specific stone, large specimen trees and custom features can have lead times.
• Weather: heavy rain stops grading and masonry, and extreme heat or a freeze affects when planting is wise.
• Coordination: a pool builder, architect or general contractor working on the same site sets part of the sequence.

Stage three: construction and daily updates

After sign-off, our in-house team builds the landscape. The usual sequence runs from protection and layout, through demolition and grading, drainage and irrigation rough-in, hardscape and structures, lighting wiring, soil preparation and planting, to lawn and finishing touches. Infrastructure goes in before anything pretty, because burying a drain line under a finished bed is far harder than routing it first.

You should never have to wonder what is happening. Our design-build process includes daily updates while the project is in progress and regular site walks. If something unexpected turns up, such as an old irrigation line, buried debris or roots where the plan assumed none, you hear about it and approve any change before it is made.

On irrigation, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality advises homeowners to ask for a copy of the irrigation design before installation begins and the final as-installed design when it is complete. That plan is useful for years, so make sure you get it from whoever builds your system.

Living at home while the yard is under construction

Most owners stay in the house while the landscape is built, and a few practical arrangements make that easier for everyone. Agree in advance where trucks and materials will park and be staged, which gate or side yard the crew will use, and which areas stay off limits. If you have dogs, plan where they will go during working hours, since gates will be open and trenches may be too. Let neighbors know when heavy equipment or deliveries are expected.

Expect some disruption in the middle of the job. Grading and hardscape are noisy and dusty, irrigation may be shut off for stretches, and the yard often looks worse before it looks better. That stage passes. Ask your project contact for a short look-ahead each week so you know which days will be loud, when water will be off and when a decision is coming.

Protecting the trees you already have

Mature trees are the one part of the landscape you cannot replace by next season, and construction is when they are most at risk. The International Society of Arboriculture warns that grading, trenching, paving and soil compaction from heavy equipment inside a tree's critical root zone can damage roots, and that the effects may take years to appear.

The ISA recommends bringing an ISA Certified Arborist in from the planning phase, defining a tree protection zone, fencing it before work starts and monitoring it during construction. It notes that minor design changes, such as realigning a wall or bridging paving over roots, can make a great difference in whether a tree survives. Because our arborists and designers work in the same company, that conversation happens before the plan is final rather than after a root is cut.

Stage four: the final walkthrough and handover

When construction is complete, we schedule a walkthrough to go over the finished project with you and make sure you are satisfied. Walk every area, run the irrigation and lighting, and ask about anything that looks unfinished. This is also the time to learn how the landscape is meant to be cared for: how the irrigation is zoned, when new plantings need extra water, what the lighting timer does and which plants will fill in over the next seasons.

We stand behind our work long after completion and remain available for maintenance or advice. Ask any company you hire what its guarantee covers, in writing, and keep the as-installed irrigation plan, lighting layout and plant list together for future reference.

The first year after the crew leaves

A new landscape is most vulnerable in its first year. New plants have small root systems and need steady water through their first summer, irrigation settings need fine-tuning as plants grow, and mulch, edges and seasonal color need attention. A design is only as good as the care that follows, which is why many of our clients move straight onto a 52-week maintenance plan with a dedicated account manager on site weekly. The finished landscape is then kept by the people who built it.

Plan a check-in after the first full summer and again after the first winter. Those two seasons show which plants are thriving, which irrigation zones need more or less time and whether drainage is doing its job after real storms. Small adjustments at those points keep a new landscape on track instead of letting problems settle in.

If you are starting to plan a project, a free consultation is the first step; most of our residential work is in the Park Cities, Preston Hollow and the suburbs north of Dallas. Before you meet anyone, the questions to ask a landscape company will help you compare. For what the property needs once it is built, see our season-by-season care calendar, and if you are deciding between better care and a full redesign, start with why estate landscapes decline.

Questions people ask me