Frequently Asked Questions

Does Verdance work on projects like mine?

Verdance designs exceptional landscapes for single-family homes in primarily San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, along the San Francisco Peninsula (from Hillsborough and Burlingame, through Woodside, Atherton, Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills, to Saratoga and Los Gatos). As a licensed landscape architect, we also design multi-family developments and small commercial landscapes. Our projects comprise sites ranging from 5,000 square feet to multi-acre estates. Most important to us is to work with enjoyable people who share our values and are committed to achieving unique, exquisitely conceived outdoor spaces that inspire life.

Do I need a landscape architect?

Landscape architects are licensed by the State of California to provide the highest level of professional service in developing, enhancing, and/or preserving our precious land and water resources. Your landscaping project will benefit from—if not require—the services of a landscape architect if any of the following is true:

• Your property is a large residential estate, a multi-family or commercial property, or a public space such as a park or plaza
• Your project will comprise more than 500 square feet of landscaping
• Your wish list includes a structural feature such as an arbor, pergola, patio, deck, retaining wall, fountain, fireplace, outdoor kitchen or swimming pool
• You want to reduce your home’s energy and water use with low-maintenance and drought-tolerant or California native plants
• Your home is on a sloped lot which needs to be leveled to be more usable
• Your town’s planning or building department requires a landscape plan prepared by a licensed professional
• You or your architect will want complete drawings and specifications to bid with a landscape contractor for construction

Verdance is well versed in all of the above, so you can trust our expertise will ease your landscape planning process. However, a smaller or simpler project might be a better fit for an unlicensed landscape designer, and a project with serious time or budget constraints might benefit from a design-build landscape contractor; please see “What's the difference…?”, below. You might also find California's “Consumer’s Guide to Hiring a Landscape Architect” helpful in making your decision.

What’s the difference between a landscape architect, a landscape designer, a landscape contractor, and a gardener?

Unless you’re simply replanting garden beds or repairing your irrigation system, which an unlicensed gardener can handle, you ultimately will want a licensed landscape contractor (California license class C-27) to install your hardscape, irrigation, landscape lighting, and of course plants. (A "design-build" contractor can also offer design services, but must install their own designs.) An unlicensed landscape designer legally can’t provide construction plans or specifications, or design for anything other than single-family homes, but can be a great choice if you only need a conceptual design and planting plans, not detailed construction documents. Landscape architects are licensed by the State to do all that a landscape designer can, as well as to create plans for landscape grading and drainage, to design landscapes for multi-family residential, commercial and public projects, to certify plans to satisfy your town’s water-efficient landscape ordinance (WELO), and to develop construction specifications and full documentation for a landscape contractor to bid and build from. Please see “Do I need a landscape architect?”, above.

I’m planning to build a new custom home—when should I involve a landscape architect?

It’s never too soon to add a landscape architect to your team. Even if you’re still working with a real estate agent to evaluate properties, our expertise can help you with site selection and feasibility studies (always informative but especially valuable if you are pursuing LEED certification). If your architect has already begun designing your new home, try to engage a landscape architect as soon as possible, so you can begin the landscape planning process the moment you settle on a schematic design, or at least when your architectural design is approved by the city planning department or design review board. Of course you can retain a landscape architect at any point in the process, but earlier involvement will make for better collaboration—and better results.

How long does it take to design and build a custom landscape?

The scope of your landscaping project will be the single biggest determinant of its timeline—not only because a more complex vision takes longer to plan and execute, but also because the pool of available installers shrinks as a project becomes larger and more involved. For a large parcel in a heavily regulated town such as Woodside, Portola Valley, or Los Altos Hills, the landscape design and permitting process may take one year or longer, and contractor bidding and construction may take 18 months or more. Even in a city such as Palo Alto with a reasonable regulatory process, a high-end custom landscaping project may be in design for six months or more, plus another nine to 12 months for installation. Only the simplest of projects—replanting, hardscape replacement, installation of prefabricated structures or furnishings—can be designed and installed in just a few months without sacrificing quality.

How soon can you get started on my landscape plans?

In order to provide each of our clients with all the thoughtful attention their unique project deserves, Verdance accepts only a limited number of commissions each year. As a result, we may have a waiting list of several months to begin a new landscape design. However, there may be services such as site surveying that can be performed in the interim, so please contact us to discuss your landscaping project if you think we otherwise are a good fit.

How involved do I need to be during the landscape design and construction process?

We hope that when you commission Verdance to plan your landscape, you’ll do so with full faith in our expertise and creative vision. Because each of our designs is unique to the site and the owner, at a minimum we’ll want your input at three key points:

• the start of the process, to capture your wishes, needs and budget in the design program;
• the preliminary design phase, to ensure our recommendations resonate with your expectations; and
• the design development phase, when we’ll want your approval on the materials and finishes we have selected.

Beyond that, we’ve developed procedures to keep you in touch with cost projections from start to finish, and to help you select the best landscape contractor to bring our vision to life. We’re gratified by your trust in our ability to manage your project, and we’ll do everything we can to make the process as easy and predictable for you as possible.

How do I select a good contractor? Do you provide landscape construction?

Verdance is a design-only landscape architecture studio and does not provide any construction services. We strongly prefer you select only a licensed landscape contractor to install your new landscape, and we regularly work with the best in the business. We’re glad to recommend contractors based on the extent of your landscaping, your project budget and your work style.

Can I have my home gardener install your design?

The features and details in our landscape plans exceed the capabilities of most gardeners. For your legal protection as well as to ensure consistent high quality, we strongly recommend that your new landscape be installed only by a licensed (C-27) landscape contractor. While your gardener should be made familiar with the new plants, lighting and irrigation, their expertise will be in the maintenance of the new landscape rather than its installation. We pride ourselves on working with the best landscape contractors in the Bay Area, and we will be delighted to help you find the contractor who will be the perfect fit to install your unique landscape.

Will I need a construction permit for my landscaping?

You may need a permit, depending on what is being installed. Most cities don’t require building permits for planting, irrigation, low-voltage landscape lighting, or hardscaping such as a driveway or patio. However, anything structural—such as a retaining wall, arbor, pergola, deck or pool—as well as any utility such as natural gas, line-voltage electrical or sanitary sewer—probably requires a building permit. Even without these elements, larger landscape renovations may be subject to the city’s water-efficient landscape ordinance (WELO). Almost every town has restrictions on fence heights, building envelopes and lot coverage, and some regulate the placement of landscape lighting and privacy screening. Because codes vary from city to city, one of our first tasks on every project is to familiarize ourselves with the local building, planning, and design-review requirements, and check in with the appropriate city officials as the design evolves to be sure you remain in compliance.

Will you work with the architect who is designing my new home?

Yes! You will enjoy wonderful synergy when your architect and landscape architect collaborate on the design of your home and site. The landscape architect can help analyze and optimize for environmental factors such as solar exposure and stormwater management, while responding to the architect’s vision for circulation, sight lines and aesthetics. We also can share files and supplement each other’s plan sets to remain in sync and ensure your project proceeds smoothly from planning through permitting and construction. And if you’re still in the process of selecting a property to purchase, we can even help you find the architect who will be perfect to design your your new custom home there.

My architect says I need a landscaping plan to get our permit—will you provide one?

Yes! Please see the next question regarding WELO plans.

The city permit office says I need a WELO plan—what is this?

WELO stands for Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, which is essentially a building code that California requires its cities to implement. The purpose of your local WELO is to conserve water through conscientious landscaping, including waterwise plant selection and smart irrigation design. Each city or town in California has its own version of WELO (although most are quite similar, following the state’s model). Typically WELO documentation will include a planting plan, irrigation system details, and calculations of landscape water needs and irrigation efficiency, which must be prepared by a "qualified professional" such as a licensed landscape architect. Most cities require you to submit WELO documentation in order to receive your building permit, so the sooner you commission a landscape designer to develop your WELO plans, the better. As a full service landscape architecture firm, Verdance knows the WELO requirements in Atherton, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Woodside, and most other Peninsula cities, and we will work with you and your architect or home builder to design your water-efficient landscape and provide the plans you need for submittal. (Please note that we never certify or stamp others’ plans.)

Can landscaping help me earn points for my LEED or GreenPoint Rated home?

Yes! For LEED certification, your landscape architect can help you earn points for site selection, habitat and open space protection, stormwater control, and water efficiency. For GreenPoint Rated (Build It Green) certification, your landscape architect can help you earn points in the Site, Landscape, and Exterior categories—plus Innovation points for site and landscape features such as permeable paving.

How often do you visit the site during construction?

Our contract almost always includes regular site visits throughout the installation of your new landscaping (sometimes called “construction administration,” although we aren’t really administering anything). We recommend establishing weekly meetings with us, your landscape contractor and you present to review progress, answer questions, and highlight key issues and decisions that must be addressed. We also will drop in on your project between meetings to observe the contractor’s work. And, of course, if you have an urgent question or need, we will be on-site as quickly as possible to help however we can.

How much will my landscaping project cost?

In our experience, the traditional advice holds true: for a moderate- to high-end home landscaping project you will get the best return on an investment of about 10% of your home’s value. Our Bay Area home values can make this number surprisingly large; but the prices of construction materials and labor are fairly proportionate to home values. As a result, for a typical lot in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos Hills or other mid-Peninsula cities we see very few comprehensive, high quality landscape installations that cost less than $200,000. However, the real answer to this question is that your new landscape will cost as much as you wish to put into it. Because there are so many variables in landscaping—from overall scope to the quality and quantity of materials, right down to plant sizes—Verdance strongly recommends that you determine in advance how much you are able to invest in your property, then allow your landscape designer to incorporate as many of your interests as creatively as possible within that budget. If that 10% number gives you the shakes, then pick a number you are comfortable with; it may change over time, but it at least gives your design team a starting point to discuss the feasibility of your wishes within the reality of your budget.

How much does it cost to hire a landscape architect?

Every landscape designer and landscape architect operates their practice and sets their fees differently. An unlicensed landscape designer who provides nothing more than a conceptual design or planting plan for a typical Palo Alto property might charge less than a thousand dollars, while a licensed landscape architect who provides detailed drawings and specifications as well as comprehensive project management for a Woodside estate might charge tens of thousands. For most projects, Verdance charges a flat fee that encompasses all aspects of the design process including all research and site analysis, preliminary designs and design development, construction drawings, bidding, and support throughout the project’s installation. Historically our fees have fallen in the range of 15%–25% of the overall project cost. We ask every prospective client to be candid about their project budget in our first conversations, so that we can all be realistic about whether or not Verdance represents the best value for you. If your project does not require our level of expertise or our fees would strain your budget, we’ll be the first to tell you so—and recommend alternatives that might be a better fit.

Where are most of your projects located?

From our office in downtown Palo Alto, we design projects throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, with a particular focus in the communities of Atherton, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Portola Valley and Woodside. We generally do not consider projects in the East Bay, Marin County, or south of Los Gatos.

What does “Verdance” mean?

It probably means “green-ness”… or it may very well be a made-up word. For us and our clients, though, it's a blending of the Latin “verde” (green) and the German “danz” (dance)—the joy that thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces brings you every single day.

Where can I learn more about Verdance Landscape Architecture?

If you’ve already read our reviews and press, by all means follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Houzz—or just contact us.

I like what I see here; what’s our next step?

Let's talk about your vision and goals for your property. Be sure you’ve read about our process, then contact us and we'll schedule a phone call to continue the conversation. If Verdance seems like the landscape architect that can deliver the best results for you, our landscape design consultation service will probably be the best way to move forward in the process from there.