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Our Process - Working with an Artist
Thank you for taking the time to read this page. I'd like to say I'll keep it short, but that would defeat the point. The process, and our intent when entering a project is the most important part of the journey, and it's ultimately what sets every studio apart, both in regard to the client experience, and the end result.
This being said, over the last 14 years I've had the opportunity to work for, and alongside, many different companies falling under the umbrella of "Landscape". Ranging from commercial Landscape Architecture studios, design/build companies, specialized contractors and simply, landscapers. Each have their place in this billion dollar industry, but none operated as Artists. Their intent when entering a contract was profit driven, rather than the desire to create for the greater good of humanity. Something larger than ourselves. Let's face it, it's business, and profits are the root cause of the issue... but it rubbed my soul the wrong way and thus here we are today.
I've had to figure out how to convince folks who have heard of or are scarred from some sort of construction horror story that working with an artist is OK, that it is abnormal, but perfectly acceptable to hire someone who truly shares vested interested in the outcome of your project. That the word 'commission' doesn't mean I want complete control, but rather trust. And that working with a trained architect, who lectures as universities and is a skilled craftsmen himself.. yes I built most of the projects on our site with my two hands, is non comparable to working with a contractor who's only credential is being licensed, bonded & insured. After years of navigating these conversations, I finally developed a system focused on the process and end result rather than my bottom line. Needless to say, our approach is similar to most, but with a handful of caveats that drastically alter the client experience and quality of our work.
The First Conversation
Somehow, the energies of the world lead you to this website and we've received your inquiry. I ask for some basic info, do my research on the property along with you yourself, and set up a call. Sometimes it's 10 minutes, sometimes it's an hour. My goal is to feel you out and also give you the chance do the same. Do our values and goals align? Do you exude a level of trust I feel confident in? Have you genuinely seen our work and enjoy our style? Does your budget match your expectations? Have you ever completed a renovation before? Yes folks, not everyone has the stamina to endure committing to a 6-24 month relationship involving the destruction and reconstruction of their property. We're about to embark on a LONG journey together where I'm your confidant in crime, so it needs to be a good fit.
Initial Consult
After our call, we'll plan to meet in person so I can walk the site and gauge the true complexity of the project. Each project is different, and every client's understanding of what a project will entail is different (Even client's in who work in construction.. sometimes they're the worst). We'll discuss the current issues you have, talk about how you would love to see the space be used and gain an understanding of your family dynamic. We won't discuss design solutions, but I'll pick your brain, a lot, pulling out and analyzing the subconscious innuendoes you've suppressed from living in a space you're not satisfied with for years, or decades. Again, I will gauge the realities of your expectations vs budget, so I can gear the design process accordingly.
I'm you're hired brain. Unlike most profit driven business models, my singular job until the day we wrap is to figure out how to design and execute the highest quality space for the smallest amount of money. Don't be mistaken, it's never cheap, and trust me, its easier to spend significantly more doing something wrong than it is to put in the extra effort upfront to create something beautiful, on budget.
From here, I'll define the process we'll take for developing the design set for your property. We work on an array of projects, from small scale planting plants to full masterplans of $20M estates. Each project requires a different level of detail and development. This being said, I turn proposals around rather quick.. expect an email within 2-3 days. For full transparency, our design fee is a flat rate, billed per phase, and tends to start around $3,000 for small planting plans, and averages around $10k - $25k for master plans of urban/suburban lots with fairly complex programming. After 7 years, I can confidently say design fees are roughly 6-10% of construction costs. For the level of work we do, our fees are average. A studio with licensed Landscape Architects will be significantly more, while you'll find plenty of design/build companies, or contractors who subsidize their design work for near to nothing. Each have their pros and cons, I try to land in the middle so I can make a living for my family in this godly expensive city while providing a product and level of customer service far above our fellow studios.
Site Inventory & Schematics
If you end up working with us, which I hope you do! (But totally understand if you don't), we start our process by spending quite a bit of time studying the site and taking a detailed survey of all existing conditions and architectural elements. For large lots, lots with severe topography or for clients interested in a pool, we require bringing in a surveyor to create a topographic map of the parcel. Typical fees are $2,000 - $8,000, billed direct to the client. For 95% of projects, we survey ourselves. This is the foundation of our design. Additionally, we ask for imagery from our clients to gain a deeper understanding of what speaks to them, but not everyone provides us with such, which is completely fine as well.
Finally! We're designing. Unlike a conventional studio where the process is initiated with 2D plan sketches & CAD drawings, we start our process in a 3D modeling program. Backwards... like an upside pizza! I first heard of the approach from a commercial firm in Austin TX who saw better client reception to presentations using the method. It made sense.. how many folks can truly understand a set of 2D architectural plans to the point of providing critical feedback? Not many. But when shown a visualized image of their property, even if it's raw, they will feel an immediate emotional reaction to the spatial relationships presented, providing more accurate feedback and thus a more effective design process. I adopted the method a number of years ago, and being a builder/sculptor at my core, the ability to explore spatial concepts and define programming in real-time 3D dramatically improved my quality of design and understanding of space. The images aren't beautiful, yet, but they're extremely useful!
Design Development
After our schematic design review, we take your feedback and dive into the world of CAD, where we begin the development of our conceptual drawing set. I can rattle off technicalities all day but it's really a bore, when in all reality, for our clients, this is the most exciting part! We dive deep into the details, iteration after iteration, refining the materials and plant palette, adjusting the programming, expanding the narrative as inspiration speaks to us and truly cultivating a sense of place unique to you and your property.
For a typical project, this process takes a few months. Initially, we work through only the hardscape and planting plants, and after each review (which we usually have 2-3) we continue to expand until we've developed our full set including demolition, hardscape, section elevations, planting, detailed perspective renderings, drainage, lighting and irrigation.
Budgets
During the Design Development phase is when our process begins to deviate from the traditional approach of a studio or design/built company, and from what our clients tell us, is what sets us apart. It all begins with BUDGETS, and revolves around TRANSPARENCY which we all know is a faux-pas in the world of construction. After our first DD review, I engage the tradesmen likely involved in the construction of your project so we can pull together preliminary budgets before getting too far along with the design. It's miserable for both you and I to fall in love with a design out of budget. A thorough walkthrough of the property takes place and we spend a few weeks, sometimes months, breaking down the scope in detail, pulling apart every element to understand installation technique and material costs, providing insight of exactly where your funds are being allocated. This type of information at this stage in the process is invaluable when informing final decisions around design and scope. Again, we're your ally... our interests are vested. We don't do the $10,000 here, $14,000 there approach, or the $300K lump sum with no breakdown of the scope or materials and a vote of confidence that we'll figure it out along the way. Everything is detailed to a tee so we can make informed adjustments to the scope and budget, and execute construction with as few changes and little stress as possible. It's a lot of work up front, but it pays off 10 fold on the backend.
Pre-Construction
After budgets have been reviewed, the final conceptual set produced, and the design contract closed out, reality sets in. It's time to talk construction. *As a side note, at this point you own the design set and are free to part ways if you wish. It's nice to say this rarely happens, but I've had a handful of clients handle construction elsewhere, mostly so they could cut our costs and manage it themselves.* But for those who aren't retired and don't have the skills or time to manage a complex feat involving teams of skilled craftsmen, we have about a 50/50 rate of clients who phase their projects. Some folks execute in one swing, while others implement over years. Both are completely fine with us, but it's essential we have full transparency about your financial limitations and priorities.
At this point, I enter a weird pre-construction limbo where the design contract has been closed and we have not yet entered a project management contract. During this time, I front a lot of time to get the ball rolling, and when I say ALOT, it's usually about the same amount of hours that I spend on the design itself. What are these hours spent on you ask? Figuring out the exact details of who, how and how much it will cost to execute our vision. Procuring a budget is one thing, but ironing out all the tiny details, predicting potential issues, reviewing vendor contracts, setting contingencies, aligning schedules, sourcing material, adjusting costs, adjusting the design, meeting with you, and running the cycle again is a necessity before entering a 6, 7 or 8 digit contract, and trust me, the last thing either of us wants is a construction horror story of something going seriously wrong. A lot of contractors wont take this level of diligence, and I understand why.. who has the time? But personally, I don't know how they sleep at night. They've either ripped you off and have so much fluff built in there's no way they could lose money regardless of risk, or the opposite where they're crossing fingers that you won't complain when corners are cut and issues arise. I'm lucky enough to work with contractors who share my ethos, but most people I cross don't and it gives us all a bad rep. It's truly a shame.
Construction
Alright, enough venting. So what's my role in construction? In short, I manage everything like a hawk to ensure the integrity of our vision. Why spend months and a significant amount of money developing a design for it to be lost in translation? Seems like a waste. This is really where the project becomes a commission. I know very few people have ever commission a work of art, but imagine a municipality approaching a sculptor to create a new piece in front of town hall. The artist will develop and iterate concepts until the board is satisfied, he'll either be provided a hard budget or will provide the city with his fee, and if its a large piece, he'll oversee a team of artisans (sculptors, form makers, bronze casters, finishers, etc..) to execute the vision under his full control. I do the same. And if you remove myself, or the sculptor, from any point of the process, we can guarantee the end result won't be what you paid for.
In full, I provide a concierge level project management service, built on the platform of transparency, engaging only with my team of trusted and vetted contractors. My client's have to do absolutely nothing besides be available for questions, and to continue working so there are funds to pay for the project. We've had a number of major projects where we only saw the client once or twice to review at important milestones. Planning diligently ahead of time can make a typically stressful and demanding project very straight forward and hands off for those who commission us. Rarely do we have change orders, and if so it's usually an add on from the client.
The most important aspect separating our process is how we approach and manage construction. Taking the time to carefully pull apart the construction process allows me to develop a hybrid system that not only reduces overall costs by at least 25%, but reduces the risk across all parties including the client, contracts and myself.
I enter as a project manager on a fixed 18-25% of construction costs, not as a general contractor. I procure installation contracts at significantly reduced costs, primarily for labor, from a handful of specialized contractors whom I work with on nearly every project, which I pass off directly to the client. Payment is between client & contractor. In addition, I source all, or some of the major materials and bill those material directly to the client at a disclosed markup between 10-30% to cover overages and provide a warranty. Typically, this includes light fixtures, plant material, lumber/decking, hardscape or building stone, appliances, etc.. By doing this, I remove the majority of the middle men, along with their markup, and am able to retain full creative control to ensure the project is constructed to the quality level I demand. If issues arise, or the vision shifts and changes are necessary, its simple to adjust costs because we've separated materials & labor with disclosed rates. Changes are typically a mess because contractors rarely enter a project knowing their actual material costs, let alone disclosing the cost of goods or their markup, and as soon as they have share these numbers to due to a shift in scope or a discovered variable, it gets messy, and expensive. Quite literally, I've had projects quoted by GC's and our numbers come at nearly half. For example, I've had a number of beautiful steel trellises quoted, some around $20K each. The fabricator I work with is a fantastic.. ex-marine who works with his dad. He charges a very livable wage of $550/day for himself and bills the materials at cost. After everything, he's usually coming in around $11-$12K for a pergola typically going for $20,000. Carry these savings across a $250,000 project.. it adds up.
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