Designing and Planning Services

At Eco-Building & Forestry, we specialize in Eco-Plans landscape design plans for your property, whether it is a new build or a retrofit.  An Eco-Plan even takes into account the affect that your project will have on your property taxes and how to minimize that effect. 

An Eco-Plan offers the following benefits: 

1. Short- and long-term costs for the entire project are known in advance
2. Fewer mistakes are made
3. Your job is done once … correctly
4. Cost savings are affected by doing all similar tasks at one time
5. Energy efficiencies are gained by using the property resources to your benefit
6. Increased comfort is derived from an applied science design
7. Time is saved through early decisions on maintenance and functionality
8. Improved wellness is gained by integrating a design for your healthy lifestyle
9. Enhancement is made to the existing environment rather than damage
10. Legal and accounting issues are properly addressed and handled during the project.

There are several major elements to consider in planning and designing your landscape:

1. Your lifestyle.  Your property should be a destination where you want to spend as much time as possible.  To that end, it is essential to plan your landscape around that lifestyle.  Your design is then developed with #2 in mind.
2. Your budget.  Modifying your existing landscape [landscape budgeting] to fit your lifestyle can be as expensive as starting from scratch.  What you want to see incorporated into your property determines the cost.
3. Your expectations.  Prices vary according to the complexity of your plan and desires.  Large areas of perennial gardens cost more to plan and implement than landscapes that just contain trees and shrubs because of planning time involved.  A more expensive strategy can also be implemented over a three to five-year time frame with the proper planning, thus making it more affordable.
4. Zoning restrictions.  Our experience enables you to plan and design a landscape that complies with municipal and state zoning requirements.
5. Your neighbors.  While they may not want chickens in your back yard, if you do and there are no municipal ordinances against it, it becomes your decision to incorporate the element you desire into your property’s landscape.
6. Time of year.  Planning can be done at any time of year, as can a design.  The only restriction might be access to view contours or other features of your property during the winter months, and the snow can also be beneficial in illustrating areas in need of reshaping.
7. Your house.  Where your house is situated (sited) on the property and where elements such as the septic system are located can impact your design.

Eco-Building & Forestry has landscape designers to assist you in planning property and functions to fit your lifestyle.  There are fees and travel costs involved, and most clients have found that the extra time involved in proper planning more than pays for itself in making the right decisions and avoiding costly last-minute change orders.