Need tips on hiring landscape designer


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Old 03-20-18, 03:12 AM
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Need tips on hiring landscape designer

I am normally a DYI'er, but I have no sense of design. I want to add a detached garage in the backyard, but do it in a way that it sort of ties in with the screened in porch and new driveway. Just doing any one of these alone I would try. However, when trying to do them all and have them look really nice together just is not something I have.

Can someone tell me where I would look to get the design help I need? A landscape designer?
 
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Old 03-20-18, 10:12 AM
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I would go to a small, local garden center and ask for recommendations. Look at the bulletin boards. Look in Yellow Pages under various headings for a designer. Try Google and YELP.

Invite 3-6 over for their thoughts, at no cost to you. Some will be glad to visit. Listen carefully, but no commitment just yet. You don't need a landscape architect....just a designer....or a long-time gardener. There might help from your County...ask around.
 
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Old 03-20-18, 10:52 AM
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Sounds like you need an architect, not a landscape designer, but you'll pay a pretty penny for their services. You could download a free trial version of a home design program and toy around with ideas. In general, I would say to use the same style and materials on the garage as the main house for cohesiveness (same roof pitch, overhangs, shingles, siding, cornice, etc). Not sure what you mean about matching the driveway.
 
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Old 03-20-18, 11:48 AM
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but you'll pay a pretty penny for their services

Not really. I had a small local architect firm do the plans for my accessory building and it only cost $400.

When we moved into our house we had a landscape designer do plans for our house, if I recall it was only $300 and if we bought all our materials from the nursery we got that cost back.

So, shop around there are options!
 
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Old 03-20-18, 01:36 PM
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$400 would be really cheap in my area, but I would still consider that a "pretty penny". The design fee for the builder that did the structural on my garage addition was $1,600, and another I worked with prior was $2,800. Most places will offer that back as a credit if you hire them, which is something to consider.
 
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Old 03-20-18, 03:30 PM
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To the OP.......I misread your post. Yes you need plans and a permit, etc. Sorry for my dumb post.

FYI, we had an un-permitted studio in our back that needed electrical, plumbing and beefier walls. We found a designer, not an architect, to draw up some plans for $300-400. He sent to a licensed architect for a stamp, maybe $200.....and county said OK.
 
 

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