First, what do I mean by “independent designer?” I mean someone trained in landscape design/landscape architecture who does not work for, or have financial arrangements with specific installers/contractors. Contractors that have in-house designers are usually referred to as “design-build” contractors. In my long career, I have worked for both. I was the senior landscape architect for the largest design-build firm in the San Francisco region and I’ve had my own landscape architecture/design firms in New Mexico, Idaho, and Colorado. While design-build can offer convenience and ease of a one-stop-shop, you will be limited to their design and they may have conflicts of interest in what they propose for your property and you will likely not be able to get comparative bids.

The benefits of using an independent designer include:

• Be assured you are getting a design totally customized for your exact needs and vision.
• Be able to get apples-to-apples comparative bids to ensure the best price vs quality.
• Be able to get the best contractors for each component, not limited to the general contractor’s skillset.
• Have your own knowledgeable champion during construction to ensure the project is done according to the design and done correctly. And you should ask yourself–will I know if the right plants were planted, correctly; the irrigation installed properly with the right equipment; and other built features like decks and patios installed correctly with proper drainage?
• For DIYers, be able to get a professional design to implement yourself or just the parts you feel capable of and get discounts on plants and materials, hand-selected by your designer, and delivered to your property.

But will it cost more overall?

It might, but you will get a fully custom and personalized product. When design-build companies say “the design is free” think about how they can do that? Is the design copied from other properties? Or, for “high end” companies, is the design work covered by extra costs added to the construction?

The bottom line

Design-build can be a good option for people that don’t care that much about a fully customized landscape project or find a company they really want to do the job and don’t care about getting competitive bids. If you do want a customized project from a trained designer and want to get the best bids from the best installers, then using an independent designer makes sense for you.