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Picture credit: All photographs are taken from actual Dezines sites

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WHY HIRE A PROFFESIONAL TO DESIGN YOUR LANDSCAPE?

LANDSCAPE II
THE PLAYERS

If your goal is a unique, distinctive landscape, the most vital factor that has to be considered is that properly studied plans, schedules and pricing have to be prepared before using a shovel in order to achieve your goal in having that outcome as much as you have in designing the interior of your home. So why hire a professional, to design your garden as opposed to attempting to conduct the procedure yourselves? Landscaping design requires the systematic investigation, study and collaboration of various disciplines such as the geological profile of the site involved as in soil type and the construction methods plausible for it, the environmental study of factors like wind, sun, air direction etc and its consequence on zoning of the elements in the project, as well as architectural design and its different styles with distinguished elements and features for every style , in addition to horticulture with its subdivisions whether in evergreens, seasonal trees etc. As I have stressed earlier, prior to any design task, whether architecture, interior design and now landscaping , every home owner have to have a scrap book of pictures from magazines, internet or even ones he shot himself of preferable features and ideas that he would desire to apply in his project. Only a professional can implement all those ideas in a coherent design that combines successfully both utility and beauty. Another important fact that only a professional can wisely perform is budgeting, it is a vital influence in any design, as a matter of fact it could alter it entirely. A professional designer can easily

budget a design preceding any constructions, therefore any cuts or amendments can be swiftly made, and if a stages plan is required then he can draft it simply with a budget for each stage. Even if you are working within a tight budget, it does not make good economical sense to cut corners on designers fees in hiring a good professional aware designer. Since talented professionals will help you avoid costly mistakes and can assure that the design you aspire is ideally suited for the way you live and in every possible means within your desired budget. So you can now visualize the diversified fields a professional have to cleverly and consciously take into consideration when designing a landscape, in addition to presenting this blend in an aesthetically appealing result that not only pleases but personifies the residents. It would require a truly aware homeowner to grasp all needed factors as well as having a lot and I mean a lot of time on his hands to accomplish that mission.

There is a common misconception between a Landscape architect and a Landscape designer worldwide, in Egypt the term Landscape Architect is rarely used, the commonly one used is Landscape Designer,only professionals would know the existence of separate identities. A Landscape Architect is licensed to offer both commercial and residential design services. His study entitles him to design: urban design, site planning, environmental restoration, parks, private estates, golf courses, ski resorts and many other services. He would also be skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable of local and government regulations. Landscape Architects are usually educated in a HUGE range of subjects; planning, urban design, architecture, horticulture and botany, ecology, soils and geology, and especially civil and structural engineering. A Landscape Designer are not licensed, are not required to obtain educational and/or training background Many landscape designers are self-taught after having read and worked in the landscape business. Knowledge is picked up in nurseries, workshops and so forth. The landscape designer is focused on residential garden design.

Professional designers spend every working day solving problems most people only face once or twice a lifetime.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER?

Dalia Sadany Ask Magazine's design consultant, Chief Designer & Founder of Dezines Architecture & Interiors, Managing Director& Partner of Divine Contracting as well as the creator of the new furniture brand GUSH is dwelling into the world of Architecture, Interior Design, Contracting and Landscape."
INTRODUCTION
In the former article of the March issue, I initiated a discussion about the extensive field of landscaping. For a full six page article, the surface of this broad undermined topic was merely scratched! I gave a swift review of the history of this interesting subject, as well as its definition and its main branches, whether hardscape (i.e. all elements that are built and inanimate such as walkways, patios, gazebos, fences, gates, stairs, bars ,water features etc.) or softscape( i.e. all living , horticultural components of the gardens such as trees, shrubs, turfs, flowers etc.) .I followed that by, important pointers to be taken into consideration before plunging into the experience of designing your garden, your sanctuary.
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Recapping my most important advice to anyone on the threshold of designing their yard or better yet designing their entire house, Never underestimate the significance of a properly designed landscape . As I mentioned ,it is a commonly made mistake among home owners to exert excess effort on the architectural design of their dream houses and as much devotion to the interior design of the dwelling and tend to pay less attention to performing a successful, coherent landscape design. The simple fact that most homeowners overlook is that gardens are an extension of their homes. There are more aspects to landscape design than most homeowners realize. Landscaping

plans are far more elaborate and involved than just deciding which plants to purchase and where to plant them. Note that a lot can be said about the different styles and types of landscaping but that is a huge subject that will be discussed individually later when we initiate the research in The Architectural styles. Today I will focus more on the practitioner in this profession; The Landscape Architect or commonly yet mistakenly known as a Landscape Designer, which is a difference that I will elucidate on later, in the article.

A Landscape Designer is NOT permitted to prepare any construction documents, details, or specifications for tangible landscape objects or landscape features and may NOT prepare grading or drainage plans for the alteration of sites. They are limited to preparing specific plans for a single family home only such as softscape layout.

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Landscape architects have a wider repertoire and consequently offer a wider range of skills and expertise from planning, project management, and design at various scales/size. They have a different and much broader education beyond that of a landscape designer. This is what is referred to as the "backwards compatibility;" A Landscape Architect can be a landscape designer, but a landscape designer cannot be a Landscape Architect.

14. Acting as the owner representative in matters of dispute with contractor. Basically administer your project from start to finish

WHAT ARE THE SERVICES AN L.C. CAN PROVIDE?

WHAT IS THE LANDSCAPING PROCESS AND WHO ARE ITS PLAYERS?

The scope of work for the L.C. has identical criteria to that of the Architect that was published in the October 2011 issue, here is a reminder of his work; 1- Bidding: The tender is treated as an offer to do the work for a certain amount of money (lump sum), or a certain amount of profit (cost plus). The tender which is submitted by the competing contractors is generally based on a bill of quantities, a bill of approximate quantities where the materials, parts and labor costs are itemized. It would generally show you the cost estimate with regards to area in square meters for flooring cladding etc. or number of items installed. desired purpose for you yard, what features will be included and what landscaping style will be employed. The designing phase ends with you receiving a completed set of drawings that proposes location and materials for hardscapes and outdoor living features, as well as softscape with its numerous categories of plantations. Diagram two clarifies the Design Process The construction phase carried out by the L.C. consists of the actual building process. Most designers will sub out the work to a contracting company that specializes in residential landscaping.During this phase the designer and contractor will work closely together to bring to life the design plan created in the previous phase. At the end of construction, your yard will have been transformed into a space that's ready for you to enjoy with friends and family. Diagram three clarifies the Construction Process developing ideas with the client, establishing budgets, assessing their needs. From my long and extensive experience in both fields , stay alert and make sure your agreement with your L.A. , abides him to the following points that resemble the tasks expected from him/her ; 1. Discussing the objectives, requirements and budget of a project. 2. Consulting with other professionals about the design. 3. Preparing and presenting feasibility reports and design proposals to the client. 4. Using software packages such as Computer Aided Design (CAD)to present drawings, as well as colored presentations and /or 3D max presentations if needed. 5. Producing detailed workings drawings and quantity specifications (BOQs). 6. Specifying the nature and quality of materials required. 7. Preparing tender applications and presentations (i.e. all the necessary documents for tenders). 2- Working: The contractor hires sub-contractors as well as individual workers. The Contractor hires, schedules and pays the subs. When you hire a Contractor you only have a contract with him not the subs. A good Contractor has an extensive network of relations with all types of subs. He has worked with many subs and knows the best in terms of quality, cost and ability to deliver on time. He also knows how they work and deal with them. It is because of this ongoing relationship, the Contractor is assured of a high quality job from the subs, they are confident of dealing with a professional that will pay them on time and bring future jobs.

A residential landscaping project doesn't have to be overwhelming, this overview will help you know what to expect. The two main player in that department are The Landscape Architect (abbreviated as L.A.) and The Landscaping Contractor (abbreviated as L.C.) .The relationship between the homeowner and the tw players is shown in diagram 1.The process of landscaping your yard can be broken down into two phases: design and construction. The designing phase carried out by the L.A. consists of research, idea gathering, and planning. During this phase you, the homeowner, will work closely with a landscape architect that specializes in residential design. Together you will address design considerations such as the

WHAT ARE THE SERVICES AN L.A. CAN PROVIDE?

The scope of work for the L.A. has identical criteria to that of the Architect that was published in the September 2011 issue, but let us recap it. Landscape Architects are involved from the earliest stages of the project, which starts with

8. Preparing drawings and documents for permits approval if needed. 9. Helping choosing the appropriate contractor ,and negotiating with him. 10. Project managing and co-coordinating the work of contractors. 11. Regular site visits to check on progress, ensuring that the project is running on time and to budget. 12. Resolving problems and issues that arise during construction. 13. Supplying any altered drawings during the construction process.
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3. Check out specialized magazines for informations about Landscape. 4. Check out a literature as in a portfolio that describes the firm's qualifications and experience. TIPS; *** Talking to your L.A. enables you to verbalize your needs and desires for your project. It helps the architect understand where you are coming from and to respond appropriately. *** Make sure you choose a well established experienced L.C. with a good portfolio, so as he would be as resourceful as possible with subcontractors and if they drop out or dont do their jobs right then their substitutes when needed. *** Make sure that the L.C. you choose is capable of working in your area, putting into consideration that small contractors could charge you excess money as travelling expenses. Whether bigger contracting professionals would have that point covered due to their various diversified work sites.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: In the field of landscaping there are three main branches for the contracting ,hardscape subs(built items), softscape subs (planted items)and waterscape subs ( pools/fountains/ waterfalls/Jacuzzis) you are preferable to hire one general landscape contractor as to avoid hassle of dealing and collaborating several. Some landscape architects offer project management services. This means that after they have designed your yard they will subcontract out the installation to one or more contractors. This is most successful when the architect has a pre-existing relationship with the contractor. Many architects offer complete design and build services. This means that they have their own construction crews that come in and install the design they created for you. In-house firms like this pride themselves on good communication and on schedule results and this is the best deal you can get.

sure they had some former satisfying experience with them. One other venue I would highly recommend is driving around your area and looking at gardens having work done. You can also check professional magazines which could be a good source of information. Surfing the net should be your last resort. It's advisable to make a short list for each via the following channels; 1. Ask friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the required professional whether a landscape architect or contractor. 2. Check out online directories, for the websites of Landscape with their recommendations for the L.A. and or the L.C.

*** Plan to spend at least one hour on your first meeting with each L.A. and L.C. *** Confirm that the professionals you are meeting is the people who will actually work on your project. After interviewing both your professionals , make sure your choices are not affected only by pricing, but also factors such as portfolios, previous work, compatible style to your preferences and most definitely personal chemistry. Hopefully you will end up with two pros that will bring you closer to obtaining your dream garden.

HOW TO WORK WITH A L.A. AND A L.C.?

There are plenty of tips I could offer on the most fruitful, flowing method you can exercise to successfully work with both your main players the L.A and the L.C. , but instead of spreading long lists of tips, I have simplified it into two diagrams , diagrams 4 and 5 . In these diagrams you will be able to have a clear vision of how to handle each professional ensuring benefiting the most from each in every works stage. I have stated that a reasonable budget for a landscape project would be in the vicinity of about 10-15 percent of the value of the home. This cost includes both hardscape and softscape elements excluding the pool and its supplement deck or Jacuzzi, since its quite an expensive item on its own ,and its cost could vary drastically according to its type , size and finishing and that will be elaborated on separately later.

B- As for the fixed rate per visit for the second phase of the work that is less predictable, like site supervision this is usually calculated as in the range of 1 to 2% per visit of his fixed fees for the design phase. Some Landscape Architects have a lump sum figure for the design phase a quota , and this of course depends on several variables, the projects size , the complexity of the design requested, his/her portfolio of whether he /she is a reputable , well known Landscape Architect or a relatively young aspiring one.

A- The Lump Sum Contract is when the Contractor provides the required contracting services for a fixed price covering the cost of labor, materials, supplies, equipment and professional consultants to do the job as well as the contractors overhead and profit margin. B- Cost-Plus-Contract, its contract are direct costs and an additional percentage. The calculated cost of Labor, materials, supplies, equipment known as direct costs, added to that a fixed percentage which covers the fees for the contractor. And now as we have clarified all need to know information about Landscape and its players. daliaspeaks.ask@gmail.com
You can reach me at my email

HOW TO PAY AN L.C.?

Generally there are two types of contracts: Lump Sum Contract and Cost-Plus Contract.

HOW TO PAY AN L.A.?

HOW TO CHOOSE AN L.A. AND AN L.C?

Part of your costs for your project will be the design fees and naturally you would be worried about the L.A. you end up working with. That actually is a key point to consider, the "working relationship" you develop with your architect not only for design purposes, but also because he or she will be your representative throughout the project. As for choosing your L.C. ,I am more inclined to personal recommendations. Start with your L.A. first, ask for his/hers preferences. If for any reason that doesnt work ask friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues etc. If you have good work experience with subcontractors then ask them too, but make
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L.A. fees in Egypt are generally split into two components by phase preparing the project design documents during the design phase and site inspections during the construction phase. The fee structures are typically based on a percentage of construction value, a visit rate or a fixed lump sum fee. Combinations of these structures are also common. Generally the L.A. or their representative makes one visit per week unless there is a problem and their presence is requested on site. A- Fixed fees are used for The first phase of the work that they have the most control over, such as the preparation of design and it is usually based on an a project's allocated construction cost and can range between 10 to 15 % of the full work cost.