Boutique landscape design and build services in Austin, Texas.
OES’s Comprehensive Design process typically develops in the following sequence, including three presentations to make sure you love your design:
Pre-design: Once you’ve approved OES’s Design Proposal, we will conduct a thorough inventory of existing site conditions to establish a basis for design. This inventory may include code research, permitting requirements, site analysis & feasibility study, and assembling available floor plans and surveys. Since surveys are often inaccurate, we use a hi-tech Lidar scanner to create a highly accurate 3D model of the site in order to minimize surprises during construction. After these pre-design services are complete, the design process begins.
Schematic Design: In the SD phase, OES works to translate your requested landscape elements and character into an illustrative site plan based on the Pre-design work. According to the unique needs of your project, we may pair the plan with diagrams and supporting precedent images to explain the design concept. In this phase, we have two presentations to work with you to establish the big-picture design strategy, including an opinion of probable cost as a pricing exercise to allow for major and minor revisions.
Design Development: In the DD phase, the site layout is refined and materials are identified and roughly quantified. We provide another, more refined pricing exercise, working with you to identify minor cost savings opportunities if required. We will review the deliverables at a third presentation and pick up any minor revisions you might request when moving to the Construction Documentation phase.
For less complex projects, OES offers Planting Plan and Object Design Packages. This is an option for planting update plans, single custom objects like a piece of furniture, an outdoor kitchen, or fencing system with an automated drive gate/entry gate + mail slot.
Construction Documentation: In the CD phase, OES finalizes the drawings initiated in the Design Development phase and prepares a comprehensive construction drawing set (commonly thought of as "blueprints" or ‘CDs’) thoroughly documenting the elements of the design. In this phase, we often collaborate with an engineer for more complex built objects and also submit for permits through the City of Austin, when appropriate. The final Construction Documentation set can be shared with the contractor of your choice for final pricing and construction. OES would love to be that contractor!