Imagine it…you’ve finally bought the perfect house for you and your family, a place you can call home. Nothing more needs to be done to the house, it’s finished from top to bottom and aside from a few aesthetic changes and personal touches, everything is good. Everything except the outside of the house. This is an opportunity to reshape what your home looks on the outside, remake your house’s curb appeal into something you can be proud of.

This is all very exciting but don’t jump the gun – you have to know what you want before you create what you want. Behind every successful landscaping project is a well executed and well thought out landscape design. Throughout the construction process, the landscape design is referenced every day and any observations and suggested changes should be noted because they will also affect the final outcome.

The best-case scenario is to completely update the landscape design – this ‘as-built’ plan will serve a valuable reference point for the future as additional changes are common. Most homeowners are not concerned with these recommended practices as long as the finished project meets their expectations. However, not having them may lead to unanswered questions in the future.

The landscape designer is the leader of your project and they are responsible for bringing it to life and to fruition. Whether it’s just an individual or a full team, you’ve hired them to create your project and take it all the way to the end. Normally, there may be some work that contracted out and even subcontracted out but how can you be confident that your intentions are carried out? It’s important finding a professional landscape designer that you trust and be sure to discuss the common landscape design mistakes so that your project meets your standards.