FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Q - As a Landscape Designer - What do you do - exactly ?
While selecting the right place for your pool, the right plants, patio material and furniture for your project, we are responsible to be aware of many factors not obvious to everyone but paramount to us in the Landscape Architectural profession. Our main concern is how the natural environment affects your safety in the personal space that we design to last. Landscape Architectural practices incorporate schematic layouts for ergonomic use, environmental resiliency, planting design, lighting, grading, stormwater management, adherence to building code and conservation policies and much more. While selecting the most efficient and practical material and construction processes for your project, we bring the practice of professional Landscape Architectural design to the residential environment.
While designing elements like Gazebos, Pools, Patios, Outdoor kitchens, and gardens, your project requires special consideration when you are trying to maximize your space and minimize maintenance and cost. Our consultation covers a wide range of services from simply answering technical or design questions to planning a landscape layout, deck design or making planting suggestions.
Q - My Property is small but I want to plan and build the various components over time. Is your service right for me ?
Yes. We help a wide range of clients from Condo owners, Semi-detached home owners to owners of Large homes and Estates plan their designs and provide them with workable construction phasing, budgets, drawings, resources and ideas for a final efficient built project.
Q - I am just now planning to build my House - Should I consider The Landscape Design So early ?
Yes. For many Municipalities, homes that are in the planning and permit application stages require addressing RNFP (Ravine and Natural Feature Protection), Forestry, Conservation Authority restrictions and/or certified grading plans. If any of these issues aren’t addressed or don't match the Landscape Design that you want, you may have to reconsider the use of your space or resubmit a design(especially for a new certified grading plan) that works with the landscape design you are planning. You can reduce your cost and frustration by submitting plans that take the municipal challenges into consideration.
Q - I am a Contractor will you work with my clients ?
Yes. We work with all stakeholders producing the drawings, details and take-off information they require for accurate efficient projects. We can be involved as much or as little as needed.
Q - Are you a Landscape Construction Contractor ?
Uncommon Ground is not a Construction Contractor. We are an independent design consultant that brings building experience and education in Landscape Architectural Technology and Horticulture to develop the best creative and practical design solutions to our clients.
Q - How does hiring you help me SAVE money ?
Simply planning a design project saves money by preventing mistakes. We also help choose materials and build processes that can be more efficient, last longer and reduce maintenance cost. Most importantly, we help our clients develop budgets at the design stage with options that keep control of costs during the planning stage.
Q - Does a designer know anything about construction ?
Well, they should - The construction process defines project longevity, efficiency and project cost. Uncommon Ground can only claim creativity and efficiency by understanding construction processes and how materials work. In more than a few cases, we have solved potential issues with our understanding of alternative solutions saving the project thousands of dollars. We have been overseeing the construction of many of our projects staying involved with specialized trades and bring those building experiences into the design and planning stages where it has the most beneficial impact .
Q - What does grading and Conservation have to do with Landscape and Garden design ?
Over the past few years we have experienced intense weather changes that cause flooding and erosion. Planning the landscape design that you want that works with the requirements of Conservation policies and Municipal bylaws can prevent property damage and reduce time in the permit application process.
Q - What is "Green" ?
Green is a catch-all phrase for what is considered sustainable or 'Sustainability'. We now practice design to address environmental resiliency. This is the process of considering the environmental impact of implementing natural or construction elements in our environment as well as the ability for a built environment to withstand the natural changes that come with climate change. As an example, we can specify plants that are native species and drought resistant or we specify locally available material to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact. Uncommon Ground suggests the installation of components like cisterns to harvest rain water for grey water use and solar panels to reduce resource consumption. If we manage construction schedules to reduce emissions and plan to use more material on-site versus trucking material off site, we can reduce our carbon footprint. Sometimes it is not enough to suggest methods of environmental resilient impact so, Uncommon Ground documents the environmental impact of the landscape design which makes these efforts tangible. You can find out more by asking how we do this or, visit the Green Building Council web site http://www.cagbc.org/.
Q - Where have you done work ?
We have designed an outdoor patio bar for a condo project in Beijing, however most of our work has been all over southern Ontario. Ancaster, Aurora, Cambridge, Collingwood, Etobicoke, Kawartha Lakes, Markham, Mississauga, Niagara on The Lake, Oakville, Kitchener & Waterloo,