Thank you gardengal, that is great information! The landscape designer I spoke with has a crew she works with very closely. She recommended that I use them for the implementation of whatever plans she would draw up but also mentioned that I could use her plan to get bids on the hardscaping from independent contractors if I chose. Her portfolio has photos of many lovely projects so I have no reason to believe her contractors are anything other than excellent, and the ballpark estimates she sent me seem reasonable. From what I gather, this seems to be a common practice in my area.

I don't honestly know what is common in my area with respect to the LA vs. LD question. I have been researching people on Houzz, Angie's List, etc. and have found very highly rated designers with everything from no certifications at all (but lovely portfolios) up to APLD certification and more. I also found at least one person with a Master's in Landscape Architecture and ASLA license who does residential work in my area - perhaps he is overqualified, but residential is his specialty from what I can tell.

I'm also struggling with the process of choosing the right person for the job because many people in my area charge a consultation fee. I have no problem compensating people for their time, but it seems a bit wasteful to spend hundreds of dollars interviewing people just to get a feel for their style and whether or not we would work well together. Then again, we are looking at spending mid-five figures on this project when it is all said and done, so perhaps I should look at those consultation fees as money well spent. It just surprised me given that contractors are generally happy to come look at your project and give you estimates for no charge.

In general LAs are licensed by your state and would have credentials and insurance to deal with your project. In most locations, anyone can call themselves a landscape designer. I agree with Gardengal. LAs in metropolitan areas are more focused on commercial and high end residential. However, many designers, contractors, excavators, and masons could be qualified to handle your project. You really need to know everything about the pro you hire. With your challenging lot you don't want to end up with problems. I'm afraid you have a lot of interviewing to do. You might also consider a consultation with a civil engineer that specializes in drainage.

Some landscape designers are very garden/plant oriented and don't have a lot of experience with hardscape. Find one that does.

I think it comes down to how you want to approach the design and construction phases. For a design pro to give you a detailed, BUILDABLE set of drawings for a project like this is a lot of professional liability and a lot of work. That costs significant money. However, you'll have a set of drawings based on a topo/spot elevation base map, with final elevations, wall heights, step heights, and individual drainage components called out. Then you can put those drawings out for true apples to apples estimates. To give an idea, I'd be somewhere between $3-5k for something like that, a landscape architect probably more.

You could also hire a design pro to give you a conceptual drawing, ideally still based on spot elevations and such. Specific drainage choices and step/wall heights, finished grades, etc would be up to the individual contractors to determine in the estimating process. That would be less of a design cost; however, some contractors would still charge for the time to essentially finish the design. I certainly would.

Another option is to hire a design-build firm to do the design. You would still pay for the design, but it would generally be less expensive than the first option. The advantage to this approach is that because they're also quoting on the project, they're going to make sure that they do a thorough site analysis and everything is thought through. Additionally, it ensures (as long as you've vetted the company) that someone with hands-on experience in the type of work you need is a part of the design process. In this case the design documents our clients receive are scaled conceptual plans, and a detailed proposal. It's harder to then shop that plan around, but it's possible. It's just more work for the competitors to figure out what we're doing.

Outside of a specific radius centered on my house, I charge a consultation fee. But I don't charge to chat with those folks on the phone, and I can look at google earth images and pics they email me to at least have a higher level view discussion and determine if we might want to work together before scheduling a site visit. That may be a possible compromise step if you're interested in interviewing a few local pros but you don't want to pay for a whole bunch of consultations. It never hurts to ask.

Also, side note on my personal biases here: I don't build what other people design, because I end up having to redesign everything anyhow. I've done two installs that were referred to me by a landscape architect. In both cases I had to redesign the plantings and mitigate grading and drainage problems, make big changes to the lighting design, etc. Those sort of problems are something to consider when hiring a design-only person, and you should also be aware that you may well run into local contractors with similar views on building other peoples' designs.

A good set of working drawings by an LA should take into consideration ALL aspects and be quantifiable - AND - build able. A contractor whose experience working off of LA drawings and having to change fundamental things tells me that that "professional" does't know what the hell they are doing!

Thank you everyone for your input - some great info here for me to consider. As I have been researching landscape professionals, I have been concentrating on those who seem to have significant hardscaping experience, since I know our project is going to involve a new retaining wall and section of patio at a minimum, and possibly much more. Someone to help me choose plants and design plantings is a secondary concern, although I have certainly been paying attention to people's styles in that regard as I research.

Anyway, the people I have emailed thus far are all design-build firms, which I assume will be the easiest way to deal with this project, especially given Revolutionary's note about not building what other people design. That is understandable and I'm sure most of these designers have a team of masons/contractors they work with to avoid that exact issue. It sounds as though paying a designer for a buildable set of plans to shop around to contractors will just end up costing a lot more in the end, for very little benefit - that is, as long as I can find a design-build firm where both the designer and builders are equally talented!

Asking whether these designers are willing to chat on the phone first is a terrific idea - I will absolutely ask! Site consultations have been offered at anywhere from $200 for one hour to $375 for three hours, and while I don't find those fees outrageous for someone's expertise, I really don't want to agree to the fee only to find that I can't stand someone the moment I meet them, LOL.

Hello,

Would love a progress report and some pictures! Curious how your project is coming along.

I wish I had some to share! The designer I hired had a serious health issue earlier this summer, which massively delayed our job. We were supposed to have everything done before July 4 and instead, we are going to be getting started on August 2 if all goes according to plan. Fingers crossed she and her crew are worth the wait.

Another thought on the title question ... As a young landscape architect working at a commercial firm, while the office itself did not do any residential work, from time to time, the clients would also want work done on their own homes. The firm was not interested in those jobs, so management would offer them to any LA who was interested in making side money. When I was buying my first home, I took many of these jobs. It would depend on the individual office if they have a policy that permitted side work. It wouldn't hurt to check with any of the local commercial LA's to see if they did.

Not sure if you're interested, we live in NYC area, we went to a place called https://atheniamason.com/ in Clifton, NJ for our backyard project and were very pleased with the price, service and selection. Maybe you want to pop over to their yard and look around for inspiration? Ask for "Thomas." Perhaps Thomas can even recommend someone to you for your project, "just in case."

When my hubby compared the quality and price of the pavers at Athenia vs The Big Orange Store, he couldn't pull the trigger fast enough. It looks like they deliver to the Hudson Valley.

The parking lot was filled with big, huge, dusty contractor trucks, always a good sign.

That's really interesting for me!

A landscape architect has some degree of schooling, bachelor’s or master’s, and also needs a license to work. Typically they focus on the whole landscape- slopes, waterworks, laying out the structural components of the yard. Landscape designers have a background in horticulture or something similar. These professionals pick out the actual plants used in your landscape. While the distinction between designers and architects matters, it isn’t always the biggest consideration when selecting a landscape professional. Most designers and architects are interdependent and create spaces and plans together. Definitely look at their previous work and reviews to see if they match your needs and aesthetic and let those factors help you decide what you need. Also, make sure to ask how much work the landscape professional has done in construction in general- when it comes to more hardscape design it’s useful to have a background in construction.

You already got words from a landscape designer. Trying to find a reputable architect and discuss the matter with the professional would have cleared a lot of doubts. Anyways, you might have been done with the project a long ago. Do share what choice you made and how well it worked for you, considering the complexity of the hardscape job you shared.

In general, considering that you develop the entire design and plan yourself, I think you don't really need the services of a landscape designer. However, I graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and knew how to draw a house plan, layout, design, and so on; however, when I met a landscape designer with Vancouver Landscapes, he offered me some great ideas about how to reduce the costs of this process, as well as how to make it much better and prettier; therefore, I probably think that if you want to do everything perfectly, then you need the advice of such a specialist.