Jeff Halper offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [email protected] - Article Marketer (www.ArticleMarketer.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Article Marketer does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: Using a Professional Landscaper Author: Jeff Halper Category: Landscaping Word Count: 526 Keywords: Professional Landscaper Author's Email Address: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
You are more likely to achieve your landscaping goals by hiring a professional landscaper-no matter if your project is a themed garden, like an English garden design or a Mediterranean landscape design, a small garden design that only encompasses landscape planting or a complex construction project. A well-versed Houston professional landscaper will take into account not only your desires, but the specific challenges of this region: dense soil, weather conditions of the Gulf coast, drainage issues, and likely insect infestations and plant diseases. Choosing a Professional Landscaper Begin the process by distinguishing between off-the-shelf landscaping design services and a professional designer who can capture your vision for your landscape. During the preliminaries, visit the company website and ask to see a portfolio to determine if the design firm under consideration has a sense of style that complements your own. Ultimately, you want a professional who can design a landscape that reflects your home's architecture and your lifestyle. As you begin the early discussions, be as specific as possible about what you want the end design to look like. Perhaps you would enjoy hardscapes, like a well-thought-out patio design or pool design, eye-catching gates or interesting pathways. Maybe you like to entertain, something that calls for an outdoor kitchen. Understanding these landscape elements, their relationships to each other and the open space, and interpreting them well distinguishes a Houston professional landscaper working in the top echelon. The Process After selecting a landscape professional and the subsequent exploratory discussions, the next steps involve meetings, site analysis, program of uses, and use of the design professional's expertise. During the conceptual phase, the landscape professional develops the overall design and puts it onto paper. The resulting documents will show such specifics as lawn areas, plantings, areas of general use and their sizes, irrigation systems and drainage systems, landscape lighting, and the projected overall cost. Once you have agreed to the designer's overall layout and made general material selections, it is time for the implementation and construction phase. This phase comes with its own set of landscaping design drawings for documentation purposes: - For permitting. - To convey final design intent and material selections for you and the installation contractors. - To specify materials and installation methods. This paperwork is also known as construction documents. In the permit arena, each governing body has its own set of requirements for landscape plan approvals. Usually a submittal of the permitting package will be accepted or rejected by a committee. This checkpoint illustrates why it is important to hire a knowledgeable professional, as they will know what information to include-items like engineered drainage plans, pool fencing layout, lot coverage ratios and specifications. Taking the Long View In choosing among Houston landscape designers, remember that it makes sense to use a design firm that also performs the project management and landscaping installation. You want someone who not only has great ideas, but also knows local contractors and their methods of construction, the best use of materials and their availability, and overall budget development and containment. In other words, you want a landscaper who can bring you a landscape design that thrives in the Houston climate-and is on-time and on-budget. Jeff Halper has a passion for landscaping and landscape design, for more information about landscaping and gardening visit http://www.exteriorworlds.com ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
