Design on a Dime

Traipse the walkway of a South Florida hotel, and hundreds of striking red begonias or lacy purple petunia might provide a welcoming swath of color. A grand entrance like this makes a favorable first impression on visitors – and it also can put a dent in a client’s landscape budget.

But clients don’t need to downsize their concentration of color, even if their landscaping budget has shrunk, points out Joe Janssen, president of Stiles Landscape Co., Pompano Beach, Fla. Customers who want to cut costs might drop the number of plants per square foot by 30 percent, but they will lose the look, he notes.

"It looks like you’re going cheap, but you can make subtle changes where the guest to the building isn’t going to see a huge difference," says Janssen, who specializes in commercial installations with emphasis on the hospitality industry. Rather than lessening the color impact, he would rather decrease bed sizes in other areas of the landscape plan.

These considerations are common when discussing landscape design with clients today. With a shaky economy, landscape professionals often find themselves working with neatly trimmed budgets. But tightened purse strings don’t have to mean less-than-lovely landscapes. Professionals just need to pinpoint a budget, think creatively and make a plan to make the most of a minimum budget.

CUT COSTS, NOT CORNERS. According to a survey by the American Nursery and Landscape Association, 3.2 million homeowners spent an average of $3,502 in 2002 on landscape installations and construction projects. That number jumped from $3,260 in 2001 and $1,772 in 1997. But what happens when the $3,502 budget isn’t just for a single bed or a retaining wall, but instead for the entire landscape design and installation?

When working with a minimum budget, resist the urge to throw in a cheap, low-quality solution for the sake of immediate gratification, advises Kent Gordon England, landscape architect and director of chapter services, California Landscape Contractors Association, Sacramento, Calif. Overlook bed preparation and install mediocre nursery stock, and the client will end up replanting the property within five years, he says.

"It provides a low-cost solution," England notes. "But when thinking long-term, cutting corners is not the best choice for the client because they are throwing money away. That’s a great way to ruin your reputation. But that’s a big part of the industry because some landscape professionals don’t get it. They just don’t understand."

Instead, take time with clients to determine their budgets and devise a plan that will fit financial constraints. There is a definite dance to determining how much a budget-conscious client wants to spend, points out Sandra Koslowski, general manager of the design/build operations at James Martin Associates, Vernon Hills, Ill. She suggests preparing a portfolio filled with pictures of previous work, project ideas and industry promotional pieces. The effort spent organizing pictures is well worth the time saved when trying to determine what a client likes and how much it will cost, Koslowski says.

Also, a portfolio gives the professional a tool to use to gently explain the cost of a custom-installed marble fountain or dry-stacked stone wall, she points out. "Most people have never done landscaping before and do get sticker shock," Koslowski says. "I might come back to them and say, ‘Well, a wall would be great. Unfortunately, it is going to consume two-thirds of this budget.’ I let them know the cost in relation to their budget right away."

The portfolio is especially useful with clients who decline to discuss specifics of how much they want to spend – or not spend, Koslowski adds. As a client points out appealing landscapes, explain how much each aspect of the project costs. Their reactions can tell you whether their budget is higher or lower than the project amount. "We start talking budget and asking ‘How does that sound to you?’" she says.

But even if a landscape budget seems small, don’t immediately refuse the job. A rule of thumb Koslowski refers to – between 2 and 10 percent of a property’s value should be spent on landscaping. But tell that to a homeowner who just spent $80,000 redecorating the interior of a $250,000 home or to an entrepreneur who just spent $4 million buying a business. Planting isn’t always a priority at first.

However, just because a potential client doesn’t have oodles of cash to spend today, doesn’t mean they won’t spend more with you later, England notes. "Maybe a year later they refinance their home or they sell stocks, or maybe they were spending money on a child’s college education," England points out. "Clients’ monetary status changes from year to year."

Instead, consider the $3,000 job as an investment in tomorrow’s business, says Jason Watlington, landscape designer and project director at New Garden Landscaping & Nursery, Greensboro, N.C. "If you pass that client up, you may have passed up $3,000 now," he says. "But in three years, you passed up $10,000."

PROJECT BY PROJECT. Rather than maxxing out a client’s budget on a first-time installation, piggyback small projects in one area, suggests Christopher Wager, president of Superior Design Landscapes, Minneapolis, Minn. And reward clients who are willing to wait until the busy season passes. Wager has offered discounts up to a 25 percent to clients who schedule installations after the spring rush.

"The discount is pretty significant," he admits. "But if I know I’m not paying my guys time-and-a-half, like when they’re working 70 hours a week in the spring, we still make money."

Or, rather than racking up labor hours and taxing your crews, see if clients are willing to get their hands dirty. Do-it-your-selfers who are willing to add "sweat equity" to the installation effort can reduce their overall project cost. Instead of spending on simple planting tasks, these customers can use their budgets for major work – the creation of beds, tree planting and excavation, Koslowski notes.

"We still get a $3,000 contract, which is a day’s worth of work," she relates. "And that customer will tell their friends about us and also call us for the next phase. That is definitely worth it."

And just because clients decide to install plants themselves doesn’t always mean lost business. After Watlington installs plant beds, he tries to increase his retail sales by encouraging do-it-your-selfers to purchase their plants at New Garden’s retail store.

"I don’t push it – I don’t try to limit them," Watlington says, noting that while he encourages clients to see what his store offers, he doesn’t pressure them to buy. "Don’t limit your client at the expense of losing a relationship."

However, plant quality is an important factor in the overall effect of a landscape design, and England recommends that his clients purchase the highest quality stock they can afford. That may mean only landscaping the entrance to a home rather than the entire front elevation, or filling beds in a patio area rather than a back yard.

"Create an oasis," England says. "This small area will not only give clients a place to enjoy the great outdoors, but it will show them the potential they have in the rest of the garden."

Determine the focus area of the property and concentrate efforts in this area, Janssen suggests. For example, commercial installations require more attention near signage or at entrances. He recommends using color and texture in plantings to boldly emphasize those areas. "Start at the monument signs, and as your budget grows, you can reach out into some of the other areas," he points out.

COST CONVERSATIONS. Certain components of a landscape installation simply cost more than others. One of these is hardscapes, which are often the most expensive parts of a landscape plan, notes Linda Pattie, senior designer, The Pattie Group, Novelty, Ohio. Spend money on hardscapes wisely, and use them in the most noticeable spaces in the landscape.

Another significant investment is a wrought iron fence. Clients who ask for the fencing to span the perimeter of their properties will likely break their budgets. Instead, install a wrought-iron gate at the entrance and wrought iron near the house. A black-coated chain link fence along the back will fade away into the vegetation and the background, Pattie notes.

Walkways can be another landscape budget-buster, but sometimes spending a little more than expected yields worthwhile results. Sidewalks installed by The Pattie Group typically measure 4 feet or wider so couples can walk hand in hand or an elderly friend can easily take an arm, Pattie explains.

"Talk about blowing someone’s budget; maybe this walkway does," Pattie says. "But they’re going to say, ‘Oh, I love that walk!’"

However, when extra dollars are out of the question, clients don’t have to give up big ideas when they have small budgets. Many professionals rely on creative use of plants and alternative materials to replace expensive hardscape accents, Patties says.

That doesn’t mean inexpensive material can’t look good. The key is to use it effectively, in a way that blends with the overall landscape style, Pattie says. For instance, instead of authentic stone, Pattie has used concrete to create custom patios for a fraction of the cost. "We’ve done exquisite homes with stamped concrete," she notes. "It can provide a great effect."

Koslowski steers clients toward cost-effective solutions by replacing expensive items, like stone walls, with more modestly priced substitutes. Eighteen- or 24-inch boulder accents can lend the same effect, she notes. "That’s not a solid, fancy, bordered wall, but it gives that stone look," she describes.

Water lovers that cannot afford a stream babbling through the back yard or a sparkling pond might instead enjoy a more affordable fountain, suggests Pattie. "And those can be all kinds of price ranges," she says.

And if maintenance costs are bogging down a budget, use ornamental bushes and other plant material with colorful leaves or visually interesting structures, Janssen suggests. Ornamentals require less care than annuals that must be changed out regularly.

These cost-conscious clues not only help clients stick to their budgets, but they also provide appealing, affordable solutions. And when clients are ready to add to their existing designs, they generally show their appreciate by offering the company their repeat business. "You really have to put yourself in the client’s shoes," Janssen relates. "Ask yourself, ‘What would I do if this was my property and I had a limited amount of money to spend?’"

The author is a contributing editor to Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached via nwisniewski@lawnandlandscape.com.