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Topography Got Problems?
by DIG-IT
Hire a landscape architect to solve them!
But what, exactly, is a Landscape Architect?
When to hire a landscape designer or a landscape architect can be a trifle confusing at times. What are the differences other than a landscape architect being licensed? DIG IT! posed these questions to Diane Devore, principal of Devore Associates, an award-winning landscape architecture firm in Fairfield, Connecticut.
DI: I know there are different regulations for several things and procedures in different states, which are beyond this article, and that landscape architects do a lot more than design gardens. But what exactly do they do? What is the difference between a landscape architect or landscape designer and when should someone hire one or the other?
Diane Devore: I first started off doing landscape design; my undergrad was in horticulture. I was mainly working at different nurseries and I was doing more plant design and as time went on I wanted to look at a broader scale.
The biggest difference is probably that we have to pass our boards so we’re certified by the state. It is knowing grading, understanding how to pitch everything away from the house, how to do a survey, how to do a grading plan. If you have areas like that that need to be dealt with, then you usually need to go to someone like a registered landscape architect.
On a lot of properties there are a lot of drainage issues. With more and more homes being built, there is a lot of water runoff and it has happened on a few of our projects where neighbors downstream or down the hill have complained. Then you get the town engineer involved and everyone else. So you really need to work with a professional if you change the water flow on your property.
There are wonderful garden designers and you think of Russell Page who was fabulous. He looked at it as a whole. We do more structural drawings, structural retaining walls and masonry packages and typically fit it all out as a complete set of documents. Most landscape architects are in a bigger firm, though there are some individual people. They tend to do sets of drawings that get bid out. A lot of the garden designers do more sketches.
So if your project is of a good size magnitude, then I think you should hire a landscape architect, especially if you want to put in a pool and a tennis court, patios and walls. That’s really what they’re about: the larger piece. If you want a small patio and some planting, I think you should go with a garden designer.
DI: Even with a small property, a lot of home owners may not even know they have drainage issues.
Devore: Yes, I think that is the biggest factor going. If you have drainage issues you should really get a professional in. A lot of the garden designers have a really strong knowledge in horticulture; some of them probably more than some landscape architects. For filling in the garden and the horticulture end of it, that’s really their forte and maybe doing a patio. But when you get into the drainage and that bigger picture and how some of the spaces are going to function and all the other amenities, I think go with a landscape architect.
DI: What about the homeowner who may not be aware that they have drainage issues? How can a homeowner say, “Oh, maybe I do have drainage issues.” Are there any red flags other than standing water?
Devore: In every case you want to pitch the water away from the house. Go outside and take a look at your property. If everything is already pitching away from the house and you’re not going to be putting in a lot of hardscape surfaces that are not permeable, you probably can work with what you have. If you have water from your neighbor coming down that’s pooling somewhere or you have some really wet areas that you want to drain, you need to take a harder look at that.
Then when you put in, whether it is patios, tennis courts or pools, none of those absorb water and that starts to increase the water flow off your property. If you’re really looking at doing a good amount of hardscaping, you need to start thinking about what you are going to do with that water.
DI: What about residences with wells? Does landscaping on a grander scale with hardscaping affect the quality of well water?
Devore: It typically doesn’t. That’s when you get into the whole organic approach – about being really careful about what you put down. A lot of the towns now do have regulations about how much hardscape you can put on your property. It’s a percentage.
Wetlands are another huge issue. Wetlands can be absolutely beautiful. A lot of people think wetlands are wasted space but we have supplemented then and planted them with native plants and worked with the town and put in boardwalks and they’re absolutely beautiful. People need to realize that wetlands aid in taking water, filtrating it back in, and that if you question whether you have wetlands, you need to call your town and check. They all have maps that show whether there are wetlands on your property. If there are, there are setbacks you have to follow.
Both landscape architects and designers can be used. I’m one of the few avid plants people in my field. I’ve noticed that over the years doing the planting plans, which is probably why I ended up doing residential.
If you need to get core in – drainage and such – you can always get a master plan done and the construction drawings. And if you are an avid plantsperson let them establish the space for you – like “you should have a hedge here” – and then you, as a homeowner, can fill it all in. That’s another approach especially if you like to garden. You’ll be better off that way. Then nobody can say “one clematis” and on planting plans you can’t.
DI: What do you mean?
Devore: When you do a planting plan it’s very difficult to say “let’s do one clematis here and two violets here.” Plans tend to be a bigger, broader range. They say “ok we can have three rhododendrons and six azaleas” but those people who are interested in gardening should get the conceptual framework set up and then plug in all those spaces once you’ve got your patio and you’re sure the drainage works and you’ve created the space. I think a lot of the garden designers and horticulturists look more at the plants and not the overall space. You can combine the two.
DI: What is a typical rate range?
Devore: I do pretty high end residential, so just to come up with an overall view, our rates start at $4,500. We work at 16% of construction costs. Most of our projects are $1 million so it’s pretty high but there are a number of people who bill out at $100/hour or maybe $75. At the nurseries, often when you say you’re going to buy from them there’s usually no charge for design. They sometimes go out to your property, take measurements and do a planting plan but then you need to purchase everything from them.
We always start with a survey looking at the topography. I think a lot of garden designers will often just work off of a plot plan (like a plan that you get when you buy your house with the property lines). A lot of garden designers are comfortable working off of that. I will not work off anything unless I have all the topographical information: all the spot grades, the trees, because mine are much more detail oriented and I’m always looking at that drainage.
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published July 08, 2011
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