Hiring a Pro

When it comes to landscape plantings, a lot of people assume that they can perform the work on their own. And when projects are small enough, that’s certainly true in many cases. If you are willing to put in some research and hard work, you could likely perform some other installations on your property.

If you’re thinking about having an outdoor living project designed and built for your Reading, Lancaster, York, Lebanon, or Hershey, PA home then you may be thinking about your landscaping budget—that is, how much of your hard-earned money you are willing (and able) to invest in the project. Of course, we understand that a lot of homeowners go into the process with absolutely no idea what to expect cost-wise. After all, it’s not something that your friends may choose to openly talk about and if you’re not familiar with the industry, understanding costs for projects may be a challenge.

Is your outdoor living wishlist growing bigger than your budget? If it is, then you’re not alone. When push comes to shove, most homeowners, regardless of means, have bigger dreams for a space than they actually plan to spend on it. And that’s okay—because it’s great to dream big. We only live once and there’s nothing wrong with putting some thought into what you really want, if your budget would allow for it.

One of the most critical steps in bringing your outdoor living dreams to life is the design phase. This invaluable process is where ideas start to evolve from mere conceptions to reality. Given the value of a great landscape design, it’s important that you fully maximize your first step in this process, the landscape design consultation meeting. If you're considering or have already scheduled a landscape design consultation with us, then this article is perfect for you. In order to get the maximum benefit out of your consultation, here are 6 questions you should ask yourself in advance.

Deciding to have a large landscape project completed at your home is an exciting endeavor. Of course, whether it’s an outdoor kitchen, a patio, a pavilion, or all of the above, you want to be sure that it’s built right. That means hiring a landscape designer to professionally complete your design. But excellent landscape design isn’t exactly cheap and you want to know that investing in it will be worth the cost. You may have been searching for “landscape design near me” online but you’re still not exactly sure what you’re going to get for your expense. The last thing that you want is to invest a lot of money into a “design” that took someone a measly 15 minutes to sketch.

Ever-improving advances in health care are allowing people to live longer than ever before. That means we have an unprecedented rate of aging Americans. In fact, according to Pew Research, 10,000 people retire every day. This phenomenon has demanded new solutions for “aging in place.” Homeowners want a space that they can stay in for the long-haul. They don’t want to have to move down the line because their home or yard wasn’t aging-friendly.

The cost of a landscape design plan may seem confusing. That’s because there are a lot of different ways that landscape companies charge for their design services. These options can vary dramatically based on everything from their level of experience to how time-involved your project may be. While you might be certain that you want to hire a landscape design company, you might have no clue what pricing option is best for your project. No matter what, you want to be able to get a unique design and if you pay for one, you want it to be well worth the expense.

Being able to spend more time outside with family and friends was a top priority for these Ephrata, PA homeowners. The existing concrete patio was too small for entertaining and our clients needed additional living space for grilling, dining, and visiting with family and friends. They desired a fantastic space for entertaining—but needed to stay within the confines of their budget. Making some creative choices allowed them to have the space they’d dreamed of without breaking the bank.

No matter what type of landscape design you are investing in, chances are you want something completely unique. A cookie-cutter backyard that looks like everyone else's on the block just won’t do. In fact, you’d love to incorporate some of your own personal style and preferences into the project to make it truly your own. While an ordinary landscape contractor might point you toward standard design ideas that they’ve used many times, you want creative, out-of-the-box solutions, and a landscape design company that can handle them. Finding a landscape designer who can take your ideas and run—turning them into something spectacular and truly unique, is what it’s going to take. Here are seven examples of homeowners in Lancaster, Reading, and York, PA that found that type of solution.

You’re outside, cooking up a delicious meal on the grill, and you’re enjoying your Friday night—that is, until the fighting over what’s playing on your outdoor audio speakers begins. The kids want to listen to the newest hits while they’re swimming in the pool, but you’d like to have your favorite tunes playing in the outdoor kitchen area. And besides the fact that you can’t all seem to agree on the same music, you may be frustrated by your complicated set-up. You either have cords running from inside the house or have to remember to charge your bluetooth speakers, all to just to enjoy a little music. It’s far from ideal and you may have decided you need a better solution.

Water is said to be the most powerful element on earth. After all, it carved the Grand Canyon. With that kind of power, just imagine what water can do to your backyard. Whether you already have a wet backyard, or you’re worried about water problems in the future, water can not only be a nuisance but destructive. Every time it rains you could find your yard sloshy and difficult to use. And if you invest in a patio in a wet backyard, your water problems could get worse and cause big problems for your new outdoor living area as well as your home itself.

Imagine planning your gorgeous custom dream home and finding out later that it is spectacular in every way except one—the outdoor area. It would feel like a major letdown. Whether it’s a boring and not-so-functional patio or landscaping hillside areas for getting the most use out of the land, outdoor areas have the ability to really burst your dream bubble if it doesn’t fit the look and function of the rest of the space. Unfortunately, it happens more than you’d realize.

When you own a property, you want to be able to use the outdoor living spaces to their fullest. The last thing you want is for them to be difficult to traverse. But that’s exactly what can happen if you have steep slopes in your yard. In some cases, these grade transitions can be dealt with by a professional analyzing the grade of the site and creating a landscape design that gradually transitions elevations from one area to another with sloped mulch beds, lawn areas, or even paver stone ramps (especially helpful for aging homeowners). However, there are some properties that will require a different approach.

You’ve been thinking about a pool for a long time and have finally made the decision to have it built. It will be a great way to encourage the kids to spend more time at home this summer, to entertain family or friends, or even just to cool off after a long day. And it will be so much more enjoyable dining al fresco now that you can dine pool-side. As you begin the process of thinking about it, you want to know how long does it take to build a pool. You may have decided that you simply don’t want to go another summer without a pool. That’s why you want to know when you should start the planning process in order for it to be ready-to-go come swim season.

Exceptional vs. Typical: Landscape Design in Lancaster, York, Hershey, and Reading, PA Imagine stepping outside in your dream backyard—the yard that you’ve been thinking about for quite some time. Your favorite colors are reflected in the plant material. That idea for a unique water feature is in just the right spot where you can enjoy the sound of the water while reading a book on the nearby bench. And your patio was designed in a way that it’s not only gorgeous, but it’s extremely functional and you aren’t quite sure how you ever lived without it.

Trees provide beauty, shade, and tremendous value to an overall landscape. But waiting for small trees to grow can take many years. That’s why we get a lot of inquiries about large tree planting services from clients who are looking for a more mature landscape right away. They want a landscape that provides benefits such as shade and beauty—but without any delay.

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably experienced what it’s like to have workers come to your home that you’re not exactly comfortable around. You hire a contractor to complete a job and suddenly you feel as though you have to cover your children’s ears because of bad language or you can’t even step out for a quick errand because you don’t trust them alone on your property.

Every project we do at Earth, Turf, & Wood is exciting for us since it means we get to help bring our clients backyard dreams to life. But some projects certainly stand out. This project, completed just outside of Reading, PA is one such endeavor. In addition to providing beauty and functional use to this client's backyard, this project received two significant recognitions on the national stage.

Finding a landscape company that truly listens to you—the client—is such an important part of a patio design for your Reading or Lancaster, PA home (or its surrounding areas). It might not sound like such a big deal, but the truth is that it can be the difference between a patio that you love and one that doesn’t meet many of your needs.

Once pool building season begins the pool companies in Lancaster, PA and its surrounding areas are looking to get as many jobs done as they can. The sad reality of this way of doing things is that (in most cases) they just want to build a pool, pour a concrete patio, and move on to the next job. Unless you hire them for any ongoing maintenance of your pool, their relationship is pretty much over after it's built.

When thinking about an outdoor living space, it is your hardscaped areas that tend to bring the most value. A patio is where you entertain, share meals with your family, or even just sit outside to read a book or enjoy the nice weather. Adding a patio provides a lot more versatility to your outdoor space. Patios are incredibly popular so it’s no surprise that a lot of companies build them. But you’ll likely find that natural stone or paver patio costs can really run the gamut.

You’ve made the decision you want to build a pool. Now that you’ve decided the project is a “go,” you are about to embark on an exciting journey that will end with your brand new swimming pool. But it is your next steps, in selecting from pool contractors in Lancaster and Reading, PA, that will be critical in the outcome of that process. Choosing the right pool professional to carry out your vision will make all the difference.

There’s no question that landscape lighting can seriously boost the curb appeal of your property. By lighting up key architectural features of your home and some of your beautiful plant material or trees, you can transform your property in the evening hours. The right outdoor lighting contractor will know how to make your property truly spectacular.

When a retired couple in York, PA wanted to have an outdoor family entertainment area completed, they knew they had to find the right professional for the job.