If, like us, you're considering doing serious work in the yard, then hiring a designer is definitely a good decision. Getting a professional like a yard drainage contractor to plan your landscaping project can mean a 5-20% increase in the value of your home, so it's worth considering. Although they are commonly confused with each other, land designers and architects focus on different areas of their property. A landscape architect has a formal license and can design a plan for your entire yard, including structural changes.
A designer focuses on plants and usually has experience in horticulture. Landscape architects have a wide range of capabilities beyond basic landscape design. They can help plan outdoor structures and irrigation systems, as well as large-scale retail spaces. If you need a more complete landscape review, they would be the perfect professional for the job.
Small projects that require little or no planning, such as planting some plants in the garden, may not require a landscape architect. However, if you plan to remodel your backyard by installing a patio, walkway, or fountain, a landscape architect can provide a tremendous amount of value. So what is the difference between landscape architects and landscape or garden designers? Apparently, more than you can imagine. Licensed landscape architects plan and design outdoor public spaces, such as parks, campuses, gardens, cemeteries, shopping malls, resorts, transportation facilities, and waterfront developments.
They also design and plan the restoration of natural places disturbed by humans, such as wetlands, stream corridors, mined areas, and wooded lands. Education and respect for historic landscapes and cultural resources enable landscape architects to work on conservation planning projects for national, state, and local historic outdoor areas and sites. Landscape architects will work in private, public and academic organizations. The main distinction between landscape architects and landscape designers is that designers often work on smaller residential projects.
While some landscape designers may have training equivalent to that of a landscape architect, especially if they have a college degree or higher in landscape architecture, they do not have the state license, which is a requirement. The hard landscape involves the non-living parts of landscaping, such as paved roads, retaining walls, and patios. Some common hard surface materials include bricks, slabs, concrete, and metal. Larger projects have many moving parts that garden designers or landscape designers might not be equipped to handle.
Because landscape architects work on larger projects that incorporate multiple general contractors, they are better equipped to handle large-scale projects. Landscape architects have more credentials and are allowed to work on more complex projects than designers. Maybe you or a family member like working with plants, designing and building things so much that one of you wants to study architecture or landscape design. Landscape architects often collaborate with engineers, architects, surveyors, community planners, and other professionals.
Through each project, landscape architects thoroughly investigate the history of their site and ensure that they preserve and elaborate what should not be left behind. Trained with a wide range of skills that combine art and science, the opportunities are endless for landscape architects. They often work on large or custom landscaping projects, but may also work on smaller residential projects. From there, they will make suggestions for another contractor or landscape professional to do the physical work, which may include digging an existing garden and hard landscape, building patios and decking, and installing plants.
With a creative eye and environmental awareness, landscape architects design to improve everyday life. Experienced landscape architects can work with a wider range of plots than landscape designers and demonstrate an erudite understanding of almost any site you can imagine. If you've ever wondered who was responsible for designing and developing a magnificent golf course or botanical garden, look no further than a landscape architect. Because landscape designers are often experienced in horticulture, they can develop a plan for your garden and help you avoid costly mistakes that result from using the wrong plants in the wrong place, as well as using the wrong soil types for different plants.
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