Investing In Your Home
It’s time to invest in the luxury landscape of your dreams. You want to hire a firm that’s the right fit. A company that doesn’t cut corners, delivers your project on budget, and excels at communication. It’s a tall order. Before you invest in your landscape, you spend time researching on Google, read reviews, speak to industry experts, and talk to your trusted friend who has an amazing luxury landscape design. All of these aspects of your research play an important role in making a confident and informed decision. But there is another component you should consider before you contract with a luxury landscaping firm: the internal structure of the team you work with.
In this article, you will learn about the elements that differentiate a fully in-house luxury landscaping team from other outfits. Why is a company that has a robust internal structure more likely to communicate better, establish unwavering rapport, and complete your landscape on budget? Continue reading as we explore the key reasons together.
Many landscaping firms specialize in only one area. For example, a luxury landscape design firm has a team that is strictly dedicated to design. Design teams that tout this business model are very talented. But they also come with a potential downside. Their narrow focus doesn’t allow them to:
Personally visit your site and take measurements of your property when designing
Establish a personal relationship with you
Quickly pivot when there is an inevitable change to your design
In contrast, when a landscaping firm provides all of its services in-house, it allows your luxury landscape designer to be more flexible with their design. A designer working within this ecosystem is able to:
Visit with you personally to ask questions about your property.
Understand your vision. They can gain insights about particular features or details of your property that a builder might neglect to mention.
Establish a personal relationship with you– the most valuable feature of doing business with anyone.
“When I am able to go onsite and take all of the pictures and measurements I need, I am able to see what my clients’ vision and goals are. I can create a connection with them,” Senior Landscape Designer, Justin Cameron explains. “Talking with my clients gives me a different perspective. I learn what people like, how many grandkids they are going to have at a party, and other important details.”
Senior Landscape Designer Justin Cameron explains elements of his latest design
Landscaping requires alignment of your vision with the artist’s creativity. Alignment between a project team and stakeholders can only reach its potential via collaboration at every step of the process.
We have all worked with somebody who says they will do one thing and then do another.
It's difficult to maintain trust with a firm that quoted you $2 million on your initial proposal when your actual project ends up costing $2.5 million. In project management, alignment between all stakeholders is also a prerequisite for a project to stay on budget.
Why do budget overruns occur more frequently on landscape projects than they should? These are the reasons:
The size of the project
Adjustments to the timeline
Changes to the scope of work or subcontracting costs
Have you ever attempted to host a party with a group of friends who weren’t on the same page? What ended up happening?
Perhaps the friends you were planning with were adamant that a certain amount of money should be spent on hors d'oeuvres, but you wanted an open bar.
After a couple of tense exchanges with your friends, you decide to concede and order the hors d’oeuvres because other features of the party are more important to you. If the hors d’oeuvres cost more than you had planned, the party runs over budget.
Scenarios similar to the one imagined above frequently occur at a larger scale on complex luxury landscaping projects. In custom landscaping, they are more likely to occur when you contract a design firm that doesn’t work in-house.
Any large project like luxury landscaping will inevitably involve project changes. When changes occur, they have the potential to impact the completion date of your landscape.
When a luxury landscape designer isn’t working in-house, the greatest hurdle both parties typically face is communication.
When you involve multiple companies in the design and construction process, there is a greater likelihood that delays will occur because the designer won’t be able to frequently visit onsite. Any time a design change is necessary, you will have to wait for the construction team to relay information about any changes.
If your designer can’t meet with you about the specifics of your project, they won’t be able to hone in on any nuances in nonverbal communication.
“Talking with a client gives you a different perspective. I am able to better understand what the long term plan is for their landscape,” Cameron says.
It’s difficult to find a Salt Lake City landscape company that is as passionate about plant material as we are. Our horticulturalists have University Degrees in landscaping, and years of experience caring for plant material. Their training and background equip them with a keen eye for the plants that best complement your property.
Our procurement team works closely with our property care managers to identify which perennials need to be planted or replaced. They coordinate with our holding yard manager for ordering and delivering your plants so that your landscape continues to look amazing.
In the words of our holding yard manager, Bryson Ewell,
"I look at plants and I see how they learn and grow with nature. Plants will be here long after I'm gone, so my passion is to thoughtfully integrate plants with design. That way they will endure and be appreciated for generations.”
Bryson Ewell, Sunline Landscapes Holding Yard Manager
After your luxury landscape is complete, you’ll need to enlist a team that continues to make it look beautiful.
Educated, in-house property care maintenance managers
Source the correct plant material from vendors at the best price possible.
Communicate about any changes that need to be made (for example, swapping one perennial for another)
Have an intimate knowledge of your property
Property Care Manager, Aubrey Stewart
Have you ever paid for something that didn’t work as advertised? I consistently experience this with my phone service. Despite all of the promises about “5G” and “improved connectivity” my phone often lags in the middle of the city.
This isn’t nearly as annoying as having to call customer service to describe the issues that I experienced more than I would like to. When I pay for a service, I don’t want to spend time to make sure that the service works properly.
Similarly, you don’t want to invest significant money in a project that requires you to invest significant time and effort to coordinate the work of trade partners. Your time is much more valuable than your finances.
When you work with a team that offers all services in-house you buy back your time.
An in-house team is complete with project managers that manage trade partner work or perform it, saving you time and energy.
Selecting the correct partner to bring your vision to life is one of the most important decisions you will make for your landscape. It will affect the trajectory of your entire project.
Custom landscaping projects are complex. They involve design, construction, installation, and maintenance that can span months to years. This requires a team that is capable of managing dozens of evolving elements on a daily basis.
Now that you are aware of why a fully in-house luxury landscaping team is structured to offer these qualities, who will you choose to work with?
The Sunline Landscapes Team
We have a highly esteemed reputation for creating landscapes that are an extension of your style and preferences.
Our passion for people begins at the ground level. It starts with how we treat our employees and gets passed on to you.
When you partner with us, you’ll experience a consistent degree of professionalism, communication, and infectious passion.
We complete projects on budget and hold ourselves accountable
When you partner with us, we will go out of our way to meet your expectations. Our specialists in every department will work together to transform your outdoor space into a sanctuary of connection for you and your loved ones.
The best way to get started is to request a quote. Our team members give you a call and discuss the details of your project. They will use this information to create a thorough project breakdown.
Let's get started!
