Design Process and Consultations

Start by thinking about how you want your whole property to work: swimming, entertaining, cooking, relaxing, privacy and how guests arrive. Then contact Richard Lusk Landscape and Design at 800-808-7510 or info@richardlusk.com to schedule a complimentary site visit. We meet you at the property, learn your goals and evaluate the site. From that consultation, we prepare a complimentary detailed scope of work and budget. Once you approve the budget and hire us, we create a plan for the front yard, side yards and backyard designed with that budget in mind.

As a design-build company, we follow a clear process. 1) Complimentary site visit: we meet you at the property, learn your goals and evaluate the site. 2) Complimentary scope of work and budget: from that consultation, we prepare a detailed scope of work and budget for your project at no charge. 3) Approval and hiring: once you approve the scope and budget, we enter into a signed design-build Home Improvement Contract, including the payment schedule, before design or HOA plans begin. 4) Design: we create your plan with the approved budget in mind. 5) Review and refine: we meet with you to review the plan, make any necessary changes, and adjust the plan and budget accordingly. 6) Construction, final inspection and follow-up. This detailed, budget-first approach reduces the likelihood of unforeseen change orders down the road.

Because a plan drawn without a budget often turns into a beautiful design that costs far more than expected, followed by painful cuts. Our complimentary site visit leads to a complimentary detailed scope of work and budget. Once you approve that budget and hire us, we create your plan with the budget in mind, then review the plan with you and adjust the plan and budget together. Building the budget in detail first also reduces the likelihood of unforeseen change orders during construction.

Bring a few photographs of the property, examples of outdoor spaces you like, and a short list of priorities. If you already have a property survey, house plans, a soils report or HOA guidelines, bring those too, but they are not required to contact us. Tell us what does not work about your current yard and how you want to use it. That gives us a far better starting point than choosing every material in advance.

The timeline depends on the size of the project, how quickly decisions are made, and whether engineering, surveys or HOA review are needed. Our process moves in clear steps: a complimentary site visit, a complimentary detailed scope of work and budget, your approval and hiring, the plan, and a review meeting where we make changes and adjust the plan and budget. Because the scope and budget are settled first, the design phase is focused and efficient. We give you a realistic schedule for your property at the start.

Yes. We regularly build from plans prepared by architects and landscape architects. Bring your plans to the complimentary site visit, and we will review them for constructability, drainage, structural requirements and cost. We then prepare a complimentary detailed scope of work and budget based on those plans, so you know what it will take to build them. If the plans need adjustments to fit your budget, we can refine them once you hire us.

Yes, for a complete property transformation we strongly recommend designing them together. A whole-property plan creates a consistent material palette, coordinates shared systems such as irrigation, lighting and drainage, and sets a sensible construction sequence so finished work is not disturbed later. You can still build in phases, but an overall plan prevents paying twice. Our written scope always states exactly which areas are included.

Yes. Many clients build in phases, such as the pool and backyard first, then the front yard or an outdoor kitchen later. The key is to design the whole property first, so the first phase includes the right utility sleeves, gas lines, electrical conduit, drainage and grades for future work. That planning avoids tearing out new work later. We will help you decide what to build now and what can wait.

Begin with the main views and walking routes between the indoor living spaces and the outdoors. We repeat selected materials, colors and planting themes to tie areas together without making every space identical. The front entry, side yards and backyard each get a purpose within the overall plan. We design for daily use as well as entertaining, so the finished landscape feels practical and connected to the architecture of your home, not just attractive in a photograph.

We create a few deliberate connections: compatible paving, a related planting palette and a consistent lighting approach. The front entry still responds to the architecture of the house and to how people arrive, so we design the driveway, walk to the front door and side-yard transitions together. Planning the whole property first lets us decide where continuity adds value and where a different character works better.

They shape almost every decision. We study the yard at different times of day and consider both summer and cooler-season use. We place gathering areas where they are comfortable, protect important views, and think about how the water looks from the main living spaces of the house. Trees, buildings and shade structures change those conditions, so we balance open sun, sheltered seating and privacy before fixing the pool and patio positions.

Yes, in most cases, with smart design. We start with your priorities and the site's real constraints rather than trying to squeeze in every feature. A compact seating area, a longer and narrower pool, a plunge pool or combining functions into fewer spaces often creates a better result. Access, utilities and required setbacks can be decisive, so we assess the site in person before recommending a layout. Some of our best projects are on small, difficult lots.

Choose the activities that matter most, then test their arrangement with realistic furniture and walking routes. Cooking, dining, conversation and swimming can share space instead of each needing a separate feature. We also consider sound, evening use and neighbors as well as the daytime view. A great outdoor space usually comes from a few well-designed areas rather than every possible amenity.

We design and build in many styles, from clean modern courtyards and contemporary geometric pools to Mediterranean, Spanish, Tuscan, coastal, California ranch and naturalistic landscapes. Our goal is a design that suits the architecture of your home, your site and how you live. Bring photographs of spaces you love, and we will translate them into a plan that works for your property.

Yes. We often design around existing trees, patios, walls, pools or structures that are in good condition and worth keeping. We evaluate each feature for condition, compatibility with the new design, drainage and long-term performance, and the scope will clearly state what is retained and what is new. Keeping sound existing work can be a smart way to invest more in the features you care about most.

We combine several tools: layered planting, strategically placed trees, walls and fences within local height limits, patio covers and pergolas, and the placement of seating and the pool relative to neighboring windows. We look at views from your windows and from neighboring second stories, not just at the property line. The right combination depends on how quickly you want screening and what your jurisdiction and HOA allow.

We design first for how you want to live, while considering the property’s long-term appeal. A coordinated pool, landscape and outdoor living area can improve how a home looks and functions, but a resale return is not guaranteed. Buyer preferences vary between coastal neighborhoods, hillside estates and desert homes. Durable materials, comfortable circulation, appropriate planting and sensible maintenance help the finished project remain useful over time.

No. Before you hire us, we provide a complimentary site visit and a complimentary detailed scope of work and budget based on that consultation. Plans are created after you approve the scope and budget and sign our design-build agreement. Because the budget comes first, your plan is designed with the budget in mind. We then meet with you to review the plan, make any necessary changes, and adjust the plan and budget accordingly.

Yes. The initial site visit with Richard Lusk Landscape and Design is complimentary. We meet you at your property, learn how you want to use it, and evaluate the site, including slopes, drainage, access, utilities, views and likely permit or HOA requirements. The detailed scope of work and budget we create as a result of that consultation is also complimentary. Call 800-808-7510 or email info@richardlusk.com to schedule your site visit.

After the complimentary site visit, we prepare a detailed scope of work and budget for your project at no charge. It describes the work, the areas included, significant materials and equipment, and what is included and excluded, along with the budget for building it. You review and approve the budget before any plans are drawn. If you then hire us, it becomes the foundation for your plan.

After you approve the scope and budget, we enter into a signed design-build Home Improvement Contract with the agreed payment schedule. We then begin the design and HOA plans included in that scope. We review the plan with you, document any changes to scope, price and schedule, and coordinate the engineering and approvals needed before construction. We do not offer the HOA-plan phase as a separate design-only engagement.

Yes. Reviewing and refining the plan is a built-in part of our process. After we create your plan with the approved budget in mind, we meet with you to review it, make any necessary changes, and adjust both the plan and the budget accordingly. Making these decisions on paper, before construction starts, is far easier and less costly than changing work in the field.

Most surprise change orders come from scope that was never defined: drainage, haul-off, access, engineering, utilities or details left vague in an early estimate. We prepare a detailed scope of work and budget before any plans are drawn, design the plan with that budget in mind, and adjust the plan and budget together during our review meeting. Because the work is defined in detail before construction begins, this approach reduces the likelihood of unforeseen change orders down the road.

Yes. 3D renderings help you compare the layout, scale, views, materials and outdoor rooms during the agreed design phase. We begin with a complimentary site visit and detailed scope and budget; visualization starts after you approve the budget and sign the design-build Home Improvement Contract. The scope defines the views and revisions included. Renderings illustrate the design and do not replace engineering, permit plans or physical material samples.

3D Renderings →

Craftsmanship and Precision describes our attention to layout, elevations, tile and coping alignment, paving joints, material transitions and the preparation beneath the finishes. It also includes planning drainage, lighting and service connections before surfaces are completed. These details are coordinated within the agreed construction scope, from the first layout to the final walkthrough. You can see examples on our Craftsmanship and Precision service page.

Craftsmanship and Precision →