The very first thing you have to do is have a solid plan in place to handle your erosion problem. It would be a monumenetal and expensive mistake to start any type of landscape construction project without first having your erosion plan as well as drainage plan in place. If this is a large job as you have stated then you should have a decent set of plans showing all your built structures along with the materials specification sheet and construction specifications. If you do not, you are not ready to start your project. How will your contractor know how to bid and effectively build your project if he does not have any specifications written up on the product that he is suppose to supply ? In regards to your contractor asking for 50 percent down. That would not fly in my state if you were a licensed and bonded contractor. It would be against the law. As a contractor in California you can only request 10 % of the cost of the job prior to starting the job. Once the job is started you can then negotiate for any type of payment schedule that you work out with the client. 50% down is a poor amount for the homeowner to negotiate. When a contractor asks for this amount it is a tell tale sign that they do not have established accounts at the local supply houses, and one has to ask the question WHY does a reputable contractor not have established accounts. It also sends a message that the contractor does not have operating overhead in his account. _ Not a good sign. As a landscape designer I work with all of my clients to negotiate a fair and reasonable contract , in this situation I would still be sitting firmly at the negotiation table. This would not be a satisfactory contract for my client to sign.

Generally (especially in a case like yours where execution will be DIY) I think most designers charge a fee based on the hours they spend on your design. That's what I do. After the initial consultation, where I walk the site with the client and discuss the scope of work, I figure out how long the project will take me and provide a detailed, flat-fee design proposal that outlines what's included, what isn't, and how long it will take. I think the size of your lot is perfectly reasonable for a designer or LA to design, assuming you want to do something interesting (which is a safe assumption, I think). Thanks to the web you can look at work folks have done on their websites and via what they post to Houzz and similar sites. When it comes to evaluating their suitability for your project, the best way is to talk to them. If you like their overall vibe but all the projects in their portfolio are bigger than yours, remember that a portfolio is naturally going to feature the more elaborate projects. Don't be afraid to ask them to see examples of smaller projects, as they may well have an entire archive of such images. Good luck! It sounds like you value the process and the professionals, which will make people excited to work with you.

Bahansen, how many hours did you spend with her and how long did it take her to draw up the plans? In other words, what was your total cost for those plans? I would love to have similar help. The landscaping has been a complete DIY project and we are NOT skilled in this area. My husband built three large retaining walls (did a good job but had no "design" help ~ these are pretty boring walls) and we hired out a poured patio. So far, we've sunk at least $8000.00 into the landscape (not including seeding the lawn) and that's just patio and brick walls. I totally need help to bring it all together and suspect that only a professional will be able to help me get it right. I will be very interested in the responses to this thread.

I agree with GardenGal48 Good, experienced designers and landscape architects, can address the entire property. There are fees for renderings and usually additional fees for changes. Understand it takes time and money, to put project designs together. These designers are professionals. I personally do our design work in both plan view and 3D. I have to consider all the grade changes on challenging properties to drive the design. Because I'm the contractor and I work in the field, I know what to expect. I'm not a landscape architect or a true designer, but I've been around the block a few times. Landscapers I work with, will tweek a plan a bit and decide the best plants on the property. Sometimes hardscaping is changed a bit. Renderings are conceptual. I've done a few where my clients approve the design, and leave as is. Certain aspects of a project must be done in a particular order so you don't paint yourself into a corner, so to speak, or make it difficult for one of the contractors doing their portion of the work. This really comes from experience. Once you have a design decided upon, you can put it out to bid, as GardenGal said. Sometimes the designers work for a landscape firm, and can perform everything in house. Or, they can recommend a good contractor to execute the project.