FAQ on Landscape Design
When it comes to improving the look and value of your home and property, few things can compete with landscaping. Landscape designers help to bring your landscaping ideas to life. They will not perform the labor in most cases. Instead, they take your ideas and use their skills and software to create landscaping plans. These plans let the landscapers know how to place things on your property to create a desired look.
Q: What is required for a career in landscape design?
A: Depending on the job and company, a landscape designer is often required to have an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape design. Outside of formal education, many companies require experience or apprenticeships in the field before hire as well. Additional licensing is required in the majority of the United States.
Q: How long does the average landscape design job take?
A: While property size and the complexity of the desired design may influence the time it takes to complete landscape design job, the average time it takes to complete most jobs is around six to 12 weeks.
Q: What steps are common in the landscape design process?
A: While the process might vary from company to company, there are roughly six steps in the average landscape design project. These steps are consultation with the client, site measurement, site survey and analysis, initial concept design, choosing the final design and drafting of the final design.
Q: What are the duties of a landscape designer?
A: Landscape designers are responsible for property analysis, providing project estimates, working with the client to determine wants and needs, communicating progress with the clients and drafting preliminary and final plans for the client. In some cases, after a plan has been drafted, the landscape designer may be involved in finding a crew to perform the labor and supervision of the work.
Q: What is the average annual income in the landscape design field?
A: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for landscape design was $58,960 in May 2008.
Q: What software is popular for landscape design?
A: Many professionals will use company-specific software or a version of AutoCAD. However, there are many pieces of landscape design software available for all skill levels. Popular titles include Realtime Landscaping Plus, Total 3D Home Landscape & Deck and HGTV Home & Landscape Platinum Suite.
Q: Where can I find a landscape designer?
A: Licensed landscape designers can be easily found online with a quick search or in your local yellow pages. Word of mouth is a common way of finding a designer as well. Simply ask the people around you who have had work done. If they liked their landscape designer, you might too.
Q: Are landscape designers necessary?
A: While most state and local laws do not require a plan for landscape design, most projects will need equipment and labor that you might not be able to offer. The choice to use a landscape designer is largely personal. However, the benefits they offer can improve the landscape design’s final appearance and reduce overall project costs substantially.