Prioritize essential elements: Identify the most critical aspects of the design that align with your client’s goals and budget. Then allocate more resources to these focal points while finding cost-saving alternatives for less important features.
Value engineering: Find creative solutions to achieve the desired outcome while reducing costs. This may include using less expensive materials that still provide a similar aesthetic or designing in phases to spread out expenses.
Communication and transparency: From the very beginning, establish open communication with clients regarding budget constraints. Be upfront about potential cost implications and offer alternative suggestions to meet their needs within their budget.
Long-term planning: Most don’t realize that over time, maintenance costs are often more than the initial cost of the project. So recommend durable materials and low-maintenance landscapes that will save clients money in the long term.
Establish a clear brief: Begin the design process by thoroughly understanding your client’s vision, preferences, and desired outcomes. Document these details to ensure you’re on the same page.
Present design concepts: Develop multiple design concepts that showcase your creative ideas. Present them to clients and encourage their feedback. Try to allow for a collaborative approach that merges your expertise with their preferences.
Educate clients: Guide clients through the design process. Don’t be afraid to explain the reasons behind your design suggestions. Educate them on any challenges and help them understand the limitations and possibilities.
Communication throughout the process: Maintain regular communication to update clients on the progress of the design and construction. Address any concerns promptly and provide clarity on timelines and expectations.
PRO TIP! – Instead of relying solely on verbal explanations and your client’s imagination, use 3D visuals to showcase your ideas. This is a huge help in avoiding miscommunications during the planning stage. The easiest way to get professional 3D images is with Cedreo’s landscape planner.
SketchUp is a highly versatile 3D modeling software used in various design industries, including landscape design. It is a powerful software that helps users create intricate 3D models and visualize their designs from different perspectives.
On your tax return, report this income under the retailing classification of the business & occupation tax (B&O). You must also charge your customer retail sales tax based on the sales tax rate for the job location. Remit the sales tax with your tax return.
Items you purchase that are directly resold to your customer (without intervening use) may be purchased without paying sales tax by using a reseller permit. Examples are mulch, fertilizer, potted plants, sod, paving stones, and so forth. Installing these items for a customer is not considered to be taxable (intervening) use by the landscaper.
On your tax return, report this income under the public road construction classification of the B&O tax. You do not collect retail sales tax on these services. You must pay sales or use tax on any materials you purchase that are installed on this job. (Examples: soil, seed, rocks, gravel, etc.)
On your tax return, report this income under the retailing B&O classification. You must also collect and remit retail sales tax. Materials you purchase that are installed on this job may be purchased without paying sales tax by using a reseller permit. (Examples: soil, seed, rocks, gravel, etc.)
A farmer is a person in the business of growing, raising, or producing any agricultural product to be sold, upon land he or she owns or has a present right of possession.
When you purchase items that will be applied on farms, such as fertilizers, spray materials, and baling wire, you must pay sales or use tax on those items. Exception: You are not required to pay sales tax or use tax on these materials if you bill the farmer separately for them. In this case, you can purchase these materials using a reseller permit.
The income from separately billed materials is generally subject to the retailing B&O tax classification. You must also charge your customer retail sales tax and remit the sales tax with your tax return. Exception: Sales to farmers of feed, seed, seedlings, fertilizer, spray materials, and agents for enhanced pollination are subject to the wholesaling B&O tax classification. Do not collect sales tax on these sales.
These services include clearing limbs and brush from power lines, telephone lines, etc. Report your income from this work under the service and other activities B&O classification. Do not collect sales tax on these services.
If you are hired by a general contractor who provides you with a reseller permit, report the income from that work under the wholesaling B&O classification. You do not collect retail sales tax from the general contractor.
Free QuoteItems you purchase that are installed on the job or directly resold to your customer (without intervening use) may be purchased without paying sales tax by using a reseller permit. Examples are mulch, fertilizer, potted plants, sod, paving stones, and so forth. Installing these items for a customer is not considered to be taxable (intervening) use by the landscaper.
Landscape design services (if those are the only services you are providing) are reported under the service and other activities B&O classification. Do not collect sales tax on the design services.
If you provide landscaping design and installation services, then report the total income under the retailing B&O tax on your tax return, and collect and remit retail sales tax on these services.
Charges for retail services such as lawn mowing and trimming, while subject to retailing B&O tax, are exempt from retail sales tax when these services are performed for property owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. If hired as a subcontractor, sales tax would not need to be collected and the income would be subject to the B&O tax under the wholesaling classification. For more information regarding these types of activities, see WAC 458-20-226.
Office of the Secretary of State: If you intend to register your business as a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), you must contact the Secretary of State office. Complete your articles of incorporation before completing your business license application with the Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service.
Washington State Department of Revenue – Business Licensing Service: To license your business, you must file a Washington State business license application. This application also allows you to register with:
Department of Agriculture to get a Nursery Retailer/Wholesaler license if required. (You must have a Nursery Retailer/Wholesaler License if you sell or hold live plants or turf, or install live plants or turf provided by the customer.)
Your Local City Business Office: You may be required to register with each city where you do business as well as the State of Washington. Go to our city license endorsement page to see a list of cities that you register through the state. If the city is not listed, contact the city to find out if you need to register directly with the city.
When designing a residential landscape, the most important step is to put a plan on paper. Developing a master plan will save you time and money and is more likely to result in a successful design. A master plan is developed through the 'design process': a step-by-step method that considers the environmental conditions, your desires, and the elements and principles of design. The goal is to organize the natural and man-made features in your yard into an aesthetic, functional, and environmentally sustainable landscape.
The five steps of the design process include: 1) conducting a site inventory and analysis, 2) determining your needs, 3) creating functional diagrams, 4) developing conceptual design plans, and 5) drawing a final design plan. The first three steps establish the aesthetic, functional, and horticultural requirements for the design. The last two steps then apply those requirements to the creation of the final landscape plan.
The process begins with a site inventory and analysis of soil, drainage, climate conditions, and existing vegetation. This is a critical step for both plant selection and placement and locating family activities and functions. It's important because the same climate conditions that affect the plants—temperature, humidity, rain, wind, and sunlight—also affect you, the user. The next step is to make a list of your needs and desires—this helps you determine how your yard and landscape will be used. The site and user analyses will also help you establish a theme for the form and style of your design. The functional diagram is then used to locate the activity spaces on the site and from this diagram a conceptual plan is developed. The last step is a final design that includes all the hardscape and planting details that are necessary for installation. Throughout the design process there are ten important things to consider:
A thorough inventory and analysis of the site is important to determine the environmental conditions for plant growth and the best use of the site. Issues of concern include the soil type, topography, and regional climate. The type of soil determines the nutrients and moisture available to the plants. It is always best to use plants that will thrive in the existing soil. Although soil can be amended, amendment is often costly and most times ineffective. Existing vegetation can provide clues to the soil type. Where plants grow well, note the soil conditions and use plants with similar growing requirements. Pay particular attention to areas where plants are not doing well and adjust when choosing new plants. Topography and drainage should also be noted and all drainage problems corrected in the proposed design. A good design will move water away from the house and re-route it to other areas of the yard.
Climate concerns begin with temperature: plants must be able to survive the average high and, most importantly, the average low temperatures for the region. Use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (planthardiness.ars.usda.gov) as a starting point to choose plants appropriate for your zone, but remember microclimates within your yard can offer alternatives. Sun/shade patterns, the amount and length of exposure to sun or shade (Figure 1), create microclimates (sometimes called microhabitats). Recording site conditions and existing vegetation on a base map will reveal the location of microclimates in the yard. Plants usually fall into one or two of four microclimate categories-full sun, partial shade, shade, and deep shade. It is important to remember that sun/shade patterns change with the seasons and over time as trees get larger.
It is essential to note all the existing conditions on an accurate base map when doing the site inventory (Figure 2). Utilities such as power lines, septic tanks, underground utilities and roof overhangs determine plant location. Use a surveyor's plat of your property for the boundaries and location of your home. Measure and note on the survey other structures and hardscape such as patios, driveways, or sidewalks. It is very important to hire a surveyor if you do not have a plat; guessing the location of boundaries can be a costly mistake.
The users are typically you, your family, the family pets, and visitors, and each have their own needs. There are five things to consider: 1) how do you currently use the yard, 2) how do you want to use the yard, 3) aesthetically, how do you want it to look, 4) what is your maintenance style, hands-off or hands-on, and 5) what is your budget.
It is very important to consider how you currently use the yard. For example-which entry is used by whom, where do the kids play and where does the dog usually run? (Figure 3) Thinking about how you currently use the yard, and how you want to use the yard in the future (Figure 4), determines the need to re-organize old spaces into new spaces and amenities. It is also important to remember the vehicles used by your family; driveways and parking are space intensive. Budget concerns include the materials, initial installation costs and the on-going maintenance costs. Determine the time and money you are willing to put into maintaining the plants and hardscape-be realistic about your intentions and ability.