Have a landscaping-related question? We have the answer. Check out these FAQs and give us a call today for more information!
Investing in a design allows the client and designer to collaborate on thinking through every detail of the
future project before any construction begins. This allows for significantly more accuracy in budgeting &
estimating. Ultimately this creates a smooth path for a considerably more efficient construction process once
the project begins. In the long term the initial investment made in the design has huge returns.
The length of the design process varies per project, depending on the scope of work. The range of time in
our experience working with clients has been as quickly as 2 weeks to over 1 year. Because of the value we
place on the design process, one thing is for sure- we are extremely thorough & generous in dedicating
the time necessary to ensure you get the best results.
Just like the time involved in the design process varies, based on the scope of work, so does the investment.
We work with a lump sum price based on an hourly rate aligned with the projected time. Once the projected
time has been met, we then begin with strictly an hourly rate with more in-depth revisions or changes.
We have rarely seen an overage on our projected time because we have a thorough process in determining
the length we anticipate each project will take. While each project will have a different cost associated
with it, our hourly rate that we work off of is $125/hr
Having a general idea of a budget for your project is always helpful. However, this is often difficult to
pin down. One thing we definitely discuss and walk through together during the design process is budgeting.
Once we begin to get ideas on paper and concepts to review we can then begin to associate more accurate
costing with those ideas. This is a huge part of the revision process to ensure what we design meets your
goals within the financial investment you are willing to make.
Each property has its individual value along with comparable homes nearby. Having a fairly accurate
appraisal of your home & property value is a good start. There are standard percentages of home and
property value that have historically brought some form of a financial return when the project investment
stays within that range. 10%-20% of your home and property value is a standard amount to safely invest.
However there are other factors that come into play. How long do you plan to own this property? What
other values other than a financial return are you looking for- lifestyle, family, entertainment etc. While
starting with strictly a financial return in mind is a good place to begin, there are many other ways to see a
ROI in property improvement
During our initial in-person consultation we allow for 1 full hour to help understand your goals and the best
possible way that South House Co. can accomplish them for you. There is no fee for this time. If we begin to
significantly surpass that allotted time we have a $75 fee. This allows us to generously stay attentive and
present with all we need to hear and learn in order to best serve you.
The initial design consultation sets the tone for our design process. Our goal is to learn as much as possible
about who- the client & what- the land we will be designing and working with. The more we know the closer
we will get to the exact results you were hoping for- even if you weren't exactly sure what those results
were to be when you started. All that to say- we will do a lot of listening on the front end and a lot of
questions on the back end. Any detail about you, your family, the history of the land, your hopeful use of the
space and so much more- we hope to learn. Any visual communication such as images of things you like can
also be helpful. If you have time and are interested we have an initial consultation form that can be helpful
in giving you some things to fill out that will help us gain insightful information. We will also have this form on
hand for the initial consultation.
In some ways there really is not a "best time" of year for us. The real question might be something more
like- when are you hoping to break ground on your potential project. Based on this information and the
scope of work we can guide you on what to expect from a scheduling stand point from the design process first
and even a loosely for a potential construction project. This question can actually be a good opening, leading
to other questions that really help all of understand each other better. Feel free to ask it when we meet!
This really depends on two things- budget and scope of work. You will see in a future FAQ below that people
often wonder about phasing projects out. This is very common for a few reasons. The main one is budget.
Depending on what phase and what the scope of work is on that phase we might suggests starting at certain
times of year and we will definitely set some expectations for what to expect when doing certain types of
work in one season verses another. Another thing you might be considering when asking about the best
time of year questions is, when is the best time to plant a landscape. We plant all year round and with our
strategic seasonally based warranty for our plants this can give you a peace of mind. Horticulturally speaking
though- we believe the best time to plant most things is in the fall. Please see our blog entry regarding this
detail if you care to know more.
As you can a imagine a gunite pool is going to vary in cost depending on several factors- size, location,
number of features etc. In our experience though, an average pool with a standard equipment packagefilter pump, filter, sanitation device & (3) LED lights on an automated system will be in the range of 80K to
100k. This price would include the gunite shell/tile/plaster, plumbing & equipment pad install & set up.
Similar to the answer about pricing it really depends on the size of the project, including other work being
done outside of the pool. In general though, a gunite pool built during a drier season should be
approximately 2 months worth of work including from the dig until equipment is set. Because this work
is not linear in nature and we are typically working on other components of the garden- there could be
a longer actual time before plaster & water is added. Construction during the rainier, colder months would
create a longer construction period.
Shelby, TN
and surrounding areas
(901) 231-5577 - Call or Text
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