Meadowbrook Design was started with one philosophy, create beautiful landscapes that make you love to live in them. From the small project in your backyard to the whole home landscape design, Meadowbrook Design is focused on ensuring that your full vision is brought to life within our designs.
Our team has the customer in mind within each project and we bring our expertise and experience.
We have a strong background in landscape construction and know each phase of a project. However, we are first and foremost designers. Our job is to work with our clients to identify a budget, select materials and develop a landscape design that meets as many requirements as possible. Once we have completed the landscape design, we hand it off to a skilled landscape contractor. Contractor selection is always up to our clients, but we do make recommendations from a preferred list of contractors—these are talented artisans and craftspeople with whom we have developed trusted relationships over many years.
A strong construction background means value for the client
Something that sets Dennis apart is a strong background in landscape construction—and that endears him to his landscape contractor colleagues. They know that when they receive a landscape design plan from Dennis, there is no guesswork, that every detail is correct.
What does this mean to the client? It means that the contractor can prepare a more accurate bid—he does not have to build in any wiggle room because Dennis has defined the plan concisely. Dennis knows exactly what’s involved in building a retaining wall because he’s done that, along with installing complex irrigation systems and lighting systems. Dennis’ experience as a landscape contractor has made him a better landscape designer.
Every project begins with questions
When we begin working with our clients, we start by asking a lot of questions. The more we know about their tastes, how they live, work and play, the better we are able to develop design solutions that match their lifestyles.
Question #1: it’s always about budget
No question about it: the number one consideration is always budget, and we need to establish this up front in order to understand the scale and scope of every landscape design project. In our initial consultation, we can provide estimates for things like pools, retaining walls, kitchens, fountains, etc. to help our clients define the scope of their projects.
A phased approach
A major landscape design project can be extremely expensive, and for many people it is economically prohibitive to do this all at once. We are adept at working with our clients to plan a phased approach to their landscape projects so they can be implemented over a period of time. Being able to address the large scope of the project is cost-effective because it enables us to create the infrastructure from the beginning, rather than having to go back and retrofit.
Landscape design starts with a consultation
We come to your home and do a walk-through of your landscape with you. Many people have very definite ideas about how they want their outdoors to look, but the way they get there can vary greatly. Even for those homeowners who are finally ready to install the pool of their dreams and an outdoor kitchen, how these new features are incorporated into the overall landscape design requires vision and careful planning.
Lifestyle questions to be thinking about
Meadowbrook Design provides a detailed checklist about lifestyle that helps us identify design requirements. We need to know if you have children, a spouse/partner, pets and grandparents living with you, if anyone in your family has disabilities or allergies. Do you love outdoor dining and entertaining; is bigger better or are you more comfortable with smaller, intimate groups. If your family and friends love to gather for weekend flag football games, your landscape has to be able to take a beating. A very important consideration—do you intend to stay in your home–aging in place–or will you sell it within the next five years? This last one significantly influences the amount of money homeowners spend on their landscape design projects.
Site analysis and measurement
This is where we gather site information that includes an evaluation of sun exposure, an analysis of existing plants and their condition, the influence of surrounding properties. We take detailed measurements and photographs that we use later in our base map phase.
Concept Plan
In this phase of our work, we develop a scaled plan of the proposed new design concept. It will show the overall garden layout and may include photographs and sketches to help our clients visualize the new landscape design.
Landscape master plan
The landscape master plan is drawn to scale and shows all of the landscape elements—patios, kitchen, arbors, pool, etc., along with the proposed planting materials. Along with this master plan, clients may choose additional landscape design sheets; depending on the scope of the project, there might be components for an irrigation plan, a lighting plan, or a plan to help the contractor in the installation process.