How We Work - 6 Easy Steps

Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with our process.

Step 2... Consultation. Once you have submitted your questionnaire, we will review it carefully and contact you to set up a time to meet with you at your property for a consultation meeting. The initial consultation with you at your property is a flat rate of $65.

This meeting provides you the benefit of our years of experience, along with our creative ideas and insights. We are confident you will find our ideas very useful in planning your landscape project, whether or not you ultimately hire us to draw your design.

Step 4... We complete your design with your final approval and provide you with a free, no obligation cost estimate for Balcones Landscaping to install your landscape plan.

Step 5... Should you contract with Balcones Landscaping to install your landscape plan, we will rebate 50% of the design fees back to your project!

Step 6... We go to work for you installing your design and are not finished until you are 100% satisfied!

to fill out and submit your Landscape Questionnaire.

Note that Balcones Landscaping has a minimum project budget of $10,000.

Why do you have a minimum? Click here for an explanation on project minimums.

More Information

Do I Really Need a Landscape Design?

YES! Based on our years of experience, we can confidently state that a well-conceived landscape design plan is the most critical element of any successful landscape project. While it is a very small percentage of your overall landscape budget, your benefits are many.

• You own the design, not the landscaper, and are free to get independent bids from any landscape contractor

• Accurate cost estimates from contractors - every element on the plan is specified by the designer

• Apple-to-Apples bids from multiple contractors - accurately compare bids

• Contractor accountability - did you get what you paid for?

• Plant material and trees that will perform well long term

• Ultimate control over your project - you know what goes where, why, and for how much

The Design Cost and Process

The landscape designer’s primary task is to accurately reflect all your landscaping ideas, needs, wants and goals on a scaled drawing that can be properly interpreted, estimated and installed by a professional landscaper.

A basic design plan may take 7 to 12 hours to complete. Master design plans involving retaining walls, pools, re-grading of your property and/or additional hardscape elements will take longer. Therefore, you can anticipate a design cost of $500 to $1,500, or more, depending upon the size and scope of your project.

The design process begins with our designer meeting with you at your property for the purpose of learning more about your project goals, taking photographs, measurements and performing an overall site evaluation. A 50% deposit of the estimated design cost is due at this time, with the balance due upon completion of the design.

Based on information gathered at this meeting, a preliminary design is drawn to scale for your review and approval. This preliminary drawing will show planting bed sizes, shapes, plant material and any hardscape features (walkways, retaining walls, patios, etc.) that are to be constructed.

If any major changes are required, another preliminary drawing is presented to you. Once the preliminary design is approved, the final design is drawn and presented to you. At that time, we begin working on the formal cost estimate and bid for Balcones Landscaping to install your project.

IMPORTANT: Balcones Landscaping requires a professionally produced landscape design plan for projects to be bid on and/or installed by us. Please note that employing one of our designers to draw your plan does not obligate you to hire Balcones Landscaper for the installation.