Arlington, VA Landscape Design

The Groff Landscape Design Process

We believe our design process is the best you can find and can conform to almost any homeowners needs in Arlington.  Whether you need a simple walkway or a full property master plan juggling a broad array of elements, we have a process that is low-stress, goal oriented and crafted around your short-term and long term-goals.  Here is what the process looks like:

After initial contact, we will schedule a phone consultation between you and one of our Landscape Architects, each of whom has experience with landscape design in Arlington.  We’ll be asking you a wide range of questions starting with where you are located and what your timeline goals are.  Once we get through the basics to ensure we are a great fit for you, we’ll ask you for your goals, priorities, problems, property strengths, property weaknesses and what you are looking for from us. We have a great deal of experience with landscape design in Arlington, and we’ll leverage our knowledge of the area, regulations, and the environment to help you through the entire planning process.

This will typically result in a paid landscape consultation between you and your landscape architect.  We will put this consultation on the calendar and we will follow up with you via email with a schedule invite, background information on your landscape architect and our special Dreambuilder Workbook.

Landscape Design Services

We believe our design process is the best you can find and can conform to almost any Northern Virginia homeowner’s needs. Whether you need a simple walkway or a full property master plan juggling a broad array of elements, we have a process that is low-stress, goal-oriented, and crafted around your short-term and long-term goals.

Landscape Design Costs

We like to work closely with our clients to ensure they are getting the best possible price along with professional service. Depending on the scale of the project and the timeline, we calculate a cost that accommodates the hours of work our design team will put into your project. We also offer financing options so we can pertain to different types of financial households.

We have a workbook that we send to you and it is meant to paint a picture for you of what the planning process looks like. The workbook ends with a budgeting page to give you an idea of cost so you can start planning your budget and prioritize what is important to you early in the planning process.

Backyard Landscape Design

We believe our design process is the best you can find and can conform to almost any Northern Virginia homeowner’s needs. Whether you need a simple walkway or a full property master plan juggling a broad array of elements, we have a process that is low-stress, goal-oriented, and crafted around your short-term and long-term goals.

We extend your living space outdoors with custom projects built for you. Our designers plan for your whole space, understanding that front yards and side yards bring you to the back yard. We also tackle tight spaces, maximizing the beauty and utility of your entire yard. We can build or enhance your backyard patio, pool, or fire feature. We can also offer a variety of styles to best meet your needs.

Landscape Design Ideas

At Groff, we have a team that can help you design and fully customize any backyard arrangement you have in mind. We make it our priority to be in communication with our clients throughout the entire design process. We will do more listening and observing than talking. You can expect open-ended questions so that we can begin to build an idea of your goals. We’ll likely throw out some ideas to see how you react and to make sure that no stone is left unturned. We are confident that our design team can accomplish your vision.

Planning with our Workbook

The workbook we send to you is meant to paint a picture for you of what the planning process looks like.  The workbook also contains a questionnaire for you to fill out (if you have time) in pdf format.  In a perfect scenario we ask that you fill out the questionnaire and send it back to us via email so that we can be as prepared as possible for your consultation.  After the questionnaire, the workbook contains one page per each component of your landscape that you may or may not be interested in.  For example, if you want a new patio, you can flip directly to the patio page.  You’ll be able to see what the planning process looks like in crafting the perfect patio for your needs.  This patio page will have questions for you to answer and will set expectations of where this planning process starts so that you know exactly what you are getting into.  This provides an unbelievable starting point in the planning process.  It also allows you to focus on what you are interested in rather than having to read every page of this 21 page workbook.  The workbook then ends with a budgeting page to give you an idea of cost so you can start planning your budget and prioritize what is important to you early in the planning process.  This is then followed by a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section to help answer some of the questions that you may have.

Site Visit

Whether you have the time to fill out this workbook or not, the next step is for us to come to your home and visit the decision makers of the household.  We’ll do more listening and observing than talking.  You can expect open ended questions so that we can begin to build a very good idea of your goals.  We’ll likely throw out some ideas to see how you react and to make sure that no stone is left unturned.  At the end of the meeting, we’ll all have a much better picture of what you are looking for from an aesthetic, functional and budgeting standpoint.

The next step is for us to follow up our consultation with a design agreement.  This agreement will include different design options at certain price points for you to choose from.  For example, do you want to have a design in ‘plan view’ or do you want supporting design options to help you make decisions such as 3D design images or possibly even a fly-through of your future landscape so that you can rest assured that the planned outdoor spaces feel exactly how you want them too.  Everybody has different visual needs and abilities and we recognize this.  There is never any pressure to purchase a certain type of design.  These are simply options put in place for those that need them to help make decisions.  Once we have executed a design agreement, it’s time to get to work!

Planning your Landscape Design Project

We build your initial plans based off of everything we have learned about you and your property through our initial phone call and consultation. It’s extremely important to remember that when we create your initial plan, you are not stuck with it. This is simply a base-point to start from so that we can slowly craft a plant that meets your needs and desires. Sometimes the initial design is exactly what you are looking for which would involve a little luck. Other times we may be way off. Our goal is to create this base point and then methodically craft the plan around your feedback and reactions.

Once we have crafted a plan that you feel you love, it’s time for us to create an itemized proposal so that you can see where your money is going. This can sometimes result in a little sticker shock. If sticker shock occurs, this is where we need to go back into the plan and discuss what is most important to you and/or if we need to redesign the project to be more in line with your budget. This is not an abnormal step in the process and is all a part of molding this plan around your functional, aesthetic and budgetary needs. It’s important to know that many of our clients fall in love with the plan and do not want to change it but cannot pay for it all at once. In this case, we have several solutions (assuming a redesign is not desired). First, we offer financing through Wells Fargo to help you if you desire. Oftentimes this financing comes with a zero percent interest rate. Second, we can install the project in phases over time if you have the patience to do so. This is the route that many of our clients choose to follow.

Finishing the Process

This design process can typically take anywhere from two to six weeks.  The timeline is oftentimes dictated by how quickly you get your revisions back to us and just how comprehensive the focus of the plan is.  There is never any pressure on you to respond quickly and we take everything at your pace so that you never feel pressured and you can take your time to make the best decisions for your household.

When the planning is completely finished, you will have a customized action plan to install as you please. At this point, when you are ready, we prepare for a smooth transition into the Groff installation process! We love landscape design in Arlington because it lets us be creative and use our design expertise to help homeowners use their sometimes limited space in the most effective way possible. If you’re interested in initiating a design project for your Arlington home, contact us via phone, our contact us page, or email to get started.

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR PROJECT? WE’RE HERE TO HELP.