F.A.Q.

Why use Vinlandsverket for landscape design?

For its combination of quality, affordability, and personalized service. Full-service landscape architecture firms are unaffordable for the average home owner. Billing rates at full-service landscape architecture firms typically start at about $85/hour for work conducted by newly-graduated, entry level designers and ramp up much higher than that for work conducted by more experienced individuals. Additionally, the typical full project life cycle is much longer than is the case with Vinlandsverket (the 80-20 concept), so the total expense on design really adds up fast with the traditional approach. The traditional approach utilized by full-service landscape architecture firms is very appropriate and worthwhile for many projects, but those sorts of projects don't include modest private homes.

What makes a Vinlandsverket design different from a design produced by a full-service landscape architecture firm?

The final design deliverable documents produced by Vinlandsverket stop short of the standard construction document package provided by typical full-service landscape architecture firms. Typical construction document packages will include highly detailed drawings that illustrate every aspect of the proposed landscape design such as the exact appearance and dimensions of the various components of a metal fence, the depth and material of the subgrade beneath the bricks in a brick patio, and the exact installation method of a light fixture. It takes a lot of time and thus costs a lot of money to create documents with this level of detail.

A Vinlandsverket design will provide the layout, material, and important dimensional information for a contractor or D.I.Y. property owner to follow without going down the rabbit hole of creating detailed documents that specify construction minutiae.

Vinlandsverket does provide custom design services for property owners interested in specific, individualized (not property-wide) landscape features such as gates, fences, planting beds, etc. if that is something you’re interested in.

Why not just go straight to a design/build landscape contractor and cut out the designer entirely?

That depends entirely on the value that you place on design quality, and it is important to note that there is a distinction between design and craftsmanship. The craftsmanship of a constructed landscape feature such as a stone wall, for example, will contribute substantially to its visual appeal; stones stacked tightly together generally look better than stones stacked loosely and sloppily together.

The craftsmanship of the person building any given landscape element will thus determine how well it is built (which will in turn affect its appearance), but the design will determine the optimal location, size, and materials for the various elements to best integrate with one another and with the rest of the property to create the desired feeling for the outdoor space. Anyone can call themselves a “designer,” and while there are certainly some albeit few exceptions, most contractors are not trained in design nor do they have a good eye for it.

Is this an online service, or do you visit properties in person?

A bit of both! If you live in Maine or New Hampshire, an in-person, on-site meeting can be arranged. Site visits are a welcome and helpful part of the process if you live in one of these states.

That said, Vinlandsverket’s can be done entirely online, and thus are not geographically limited to any one region.

What makes Vinlandsverket different from other online landscape design services?

Personalized attention and service and the fact that you know who is doing the design and his qualifications. Vinlandsverket operates more like a boutique design firm than an online retailer where you put your property in the shopping cart and check out with your credit card up front. Other online landscape design services force you to create an account and pay for the service as the first step in the process. Vinlandsverket does not. Also, Vinlandsverket provides more of an ongoing dialogue with the client over the course of the process at no added cost. Questions often arise through the course of the design process; wouldn’t you, as a potential customer, like to have some input at any such critical junctures?

Lastly, the goal of a Vinlandsverket design is to provide a document that a D.I.Y.er or contractor can follow as a guide when doing the actual physical landscape work, with appropriate annotations included (notes about important alignments, dimensions, etc.). Other online landscape design services emphasize pretty graphics for the customer over clarity of layout for the builder. All online landscape design services provide some sort of a scaled-back level of design document.

What does a Vinlandsverket design cost?

The pricing depends on specifics of each project. Please see the Pricing page for more information.