Watch as Mitch explains what goes on during the exciting first day of construction at new project. With a space for a large dining set by a custom fountain, to an elevated living/lounge area with a custom fireplace overlooking the pool and spa.. The design is going to be a Mediterranean style entertainers delight! Currently at the tail end of demolition and in the process of measuring out the plan onsite, to verify best use of space. A lot of times what looks great on paper doesn’t necessarily pan out the same way in real life. Always important to plot out what has been designed in the field to make sure the design is maximizing the space available.
Best Regards,
Distinctive Landscapes for the Finest Homes
438 Main Street, Suite #210 | Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Browsing through the HGTV website I noticed that they have a Designer’s Portfolio section set up with some of our past projects and just wanted to share this info.
The Truth About Shortcuts and Price Cuts in Landscape Projects.
You met with your landscape designer and went over your ‘wish list’, the theme of the landscape has been decided and the colors and materials of the project have been chosen. The designer comes up with a design that you love but upon reviewing the proposal you realize that the project is over the budget you had allotted…Where can you cut corners in your landscape project? Two places you definitely DO NOT want to cut corners is the quality of the materials and the quality of the workmanship.
While your choice of materials can affect your budget drastically, be sure that your contractor is purchasing the materials from reputable sources that carry only quality products. You can lower the overall cost of materials if needed with the help of a smart designer who can insure that you have all the elements you want while staying within your budget. While your budget is certainly a concern, you do not want to choose a landscape construction company that purchases its materials from big-box stores, but instead relies upon various supply houses, specializing in each product category, i.e., lighting, sprinklers, masonry, etc.
You can have a beautiful custom outdoor fireplace built and the material used to finish the fireplace will greatly affect the overall cost of that feature. For example, depending on what your budget is you can use either colored stucco or natural stone to finish the fireplace. That is what your designer should bring to the project – the knowledge and experience to recommend less expensive options on your choice of quality materials to make you happy yet remain within your budget and stay faithful to the theme and design of your landscape.
Another top priority is quality workmanship. Sure, you can go to your local big box store and find manual labor anxious to make a quick buck, but is that who you really want creating your backyard masterpiece? With nothing to measure it against, you as a homeowner wouldn’t know the difference between a skilled landscape craftsman and someone off the street corner who is there to simply earn a wage. If you want experienced, skilled labor…be ready to pay a premium…in the end you will be glad you did. This is one instance where you really do “get what you pay for”.
So how does a client tell apart a good or decent contractor from a bad one or an exceptional one? Keep in mind that quality of work and ethics is not always established by price nor is it determined by how they portray themselves. The best thing to do, as a client, is always complete your due diligence. Do your homework and see the projects, talk to clients and ask specific questions.
There are many places that a contractor can cut corners and a qualified and competent craftsman will be able to do this without sacrificing too much of the design. It could be in the type of stone that they used or any other materials used for the project. It could be in the size of the grout joints or having radius cuts. It could be in something that has a radius, it could be miter cuts in the corners. It could be in the plant material they used; the plant material could have terrible shape or not be up to size. All of these things, as minimal as they seem, can cause the garden to look second-rate and isn’t your goal to have a landscape that just shines??
While at times price will (and should) dictate your choices, you have to keep in mind what the long-term effects of your decisions are. There really are no “deals” when it comes to landscaping projects…as time goes on and your landscape ages, how will your choices hold up? With your sprinklers coming on each and every day, do you really want to go with a cheaper, inferior product, or one that will stand the test of time? Do you want to purchase inexpensive plants that will perish after a short period of time or hearty, healthy plants that will flourish year after year? You would want your grandchildren to be able to enjoy that tree you are planting right now, wouldn’t you?
Just try to remember that the end goal is to create a space that makes you happy and gives you years of enjoyment. Your landscape is an extension of your home. Invest in it wisely and you will enjoy the rewards while you live there and when it is time to sell.
Best Regards,
Distinctive Landscapes for the Finest Homes
438 Main Street, Suite #210 | Huntington Beach, CA 92648
At this stage, the landscape design for this Huntington Beach home is really beginning to take shape. We’ve gunited the swimming pool and spa shell and started to work on the property line block walls. Once the ‘mechanics’ of the project are out of the way, we can start to add the accents that will bring the beauty of the project to life.
I decided to go for a very contemporary look, using glass waterline pool tile, flush slate coping and slate ledgestone for the water feature….
Best Regards,
Mitch Kalamian
SOLENA LANDSCAPE CO.
Distinctive Landscapes for the Finest Homes
438 Main Street, Suite #210 | Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Here is Day Four at our beautiful Cowan Heights project. Join award winning HGTV landscape designer as he takes you through the completion of a large scale landscape construction project.
In this fun video you will get to see the removal (demo and destruction) of the in ground spa. The removal of this spa will make way for the new pool that will be built into the hillside. You may want to watch this one a couple of times…
Here is day one of a large scale project in beautiful Cowan Heights in Orange County, California. In this video award winning HGTV landscape designer Mitch Kalamian introduces you to the project. This is a major remodel and includes a new pool built into a hillside, a new spa, a new barbeque and dining area, a new upper view patio with firepit feature, and some beautiful hardscape (stone and masonry) and softscape (plants, trees and nightlighting).
You’ll want to watch the progress of this job week by week as the transformation will be incredible. As always if you have any comments or questions you can leave them here or visit us at www.SolenaLandscape.com.
