Outside Collective
We are a thoughtful landscape design studio with over a decade of experience working with clients, providing design services and managing installations. Read our 5-star reviews on Yelp. Our superpower is listening to your needs and translating them into thoughtful designs that align with your style, the spirit of the site, sustainability principles and project goals. Let's build your dreams together.
About Christel
Christel Leung is the owner and principal designer of Outside Collective. She has a BS in Design from UC Davis and a Landscape Architecture Certification from UC Berkeley Extension. She has a former career in web design, and has been designing the outdoors since 2010.
Our Process
Our process is our product. From our initial conversation, the exploration of ideas, selecting plants and materials, and finally, the documenting of all our intensions for the purpose of construction – you are involved in every decision, both great and small. And, you can confidently put your budget towards a design that you know you will use and love.
We are a thoughtful landscape design studio with over a decade of experience working with clients, providing design services and managing installations. Read our 5-star reviews on Yelp. Our superpower is listening to your needs and translating them into thoughtful designs that align with your style, the spirit of the site, sustainability principles and project goals. Let's build your dreams together.
About Christel
Christel Leung is the owner and principal designer of Outside Collective. She has a BS in Design from UC Davis and a Landscape Architecture Certification from UC Berkeley Extension. She has a former career in web design, and has been designing the outdoors since 2010.
Our Process
Our process is our product. From our initial conversation, the exploration of ideas, selecting plants and materials, and finally, the documenting of all our intensions for the purpose of construction – you are involved in every decision, both great and small. And, you can confidently put your budget towards a design that you know you will use and love.
FREE SITE CONSULTATION & ESTIMATE
We'll start with a Site Consultation (free of charge), have a look at the property, hear the ideas you have in mind, and offer thoughtful suggestions. From there, we'll send you a fixed price estimate for Phase 1 Schematic Design. With a 50% Deposit, we can start work, beginning with a Site Analysis, then a Base Plan, 2-3 design options and ultimately, the Schematic Design.
PHASE 1: SCHEMATIC DESIGN
This rough, sketchy plan drawing is developed through several rounds of communication, and documents all the design intentions for the space. Circulation is worked out, spaces are designated for specific use, trees are located, and paving materials are generally specified (e.g. concrete, gravel, steel edging, etc). Note that plants are still 'green blobs' in this phase. In Phase 2, planting design has its own iterative process of conceptual design, plant selection and placement onto a plan. Note that a Schematic Plan is ideal for an initial conversation with landscape contractors and ballpark estimating, but does not have enough detail for construction. However, it could be sufficient for do-it-yourself homeowners that plan to install the design themselves. The drawings on the 'Plans' tab are examples of what you can expect.
We'll start with a Site Consultation (free of charge), have a look at the property, hear the ideas you have in mind, and offer thoughtful suggestions. From there, we'll send you a fixed price estimate for Phase 1 Schematic Design. With a 50% Deposit, we can start work, beginning with a Site Analysis, then a Base Plan, 2-3 design options and ultimately, the Schematic Design.
PHASE 1: SCHEMATIC DESIGN
This rough, sketchy plan drawing is developed through several rounds of communication, and documents all the design intentions for the space. Circulation is worked out, spaces are designated for specific use, trees are located, and paving materials are generally specified (e.g. concrete, gravel, steel edging, etc). Note that plants are still 'green blobs' in this phase. In Phase 2, planting design has its own iterative process of conceptual design, plant selection and placement onto a plan. Note that a Schematic Plan is ideal for an initial conversation with landscape contractors and ballpark estimating, but does not have enough detail for construction. However, it could be sufficient for do-it-yourself homeowners that plan to install the design themselves. The drawings on the 'Plans' tab are examples of what you can expect.
PHASE 2: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
For smaller projects, Planting Design may be all that is needed. If the project is large and complex, additional thought and detail may be required. This can include paving design, material selection, lighting design and fixture selection, and the design of custom features (e.g. bench design, gate and fence design, etc.). Prior to the construction start date, all materials need to be ordered, custom features need to be fabricated, lead times need to be coordinated, unavailable items need to be substituted, etc. All of the steps below help transition the conceptual design into a physical reality, moving towards specificity and selection. Each step is optional and may be pursued as budget allows.
Contractor Bidding Administration (billed hourly)
With the Schematic Plan in hand, we meet with several local landscape contractors on-site, walk them through the design, and field bid-related questions. This competitive bidding process allows you to compare different contractors before making a decision, with the goal of getting bids that are 'apples-to-apples'. Together, we choose the contractor, based on cost, experience, availability, communication, organization skills, etc. Once the bid is formally signed, our project gets placed on the contractor's construction calendar, which is typically a few weeks/months into the future. While awaiting construction, we identify aspects of the design that need additional detail and specification (such as Planting Design). Together, we make these design decisions, with a close eye on the budget.
Planting Design (fixed price)
Based on the Schematic Plan, we'll offer a fixed price for Planting Design. Once we receive a 50% deposit, we identify a planting style to complement the Schematic Design and narrow in on a plant palette. We love meeting clients at a local nursery to better understand their preferences. Once plants are selected, we place them on the plan, based on color, texture, sun/shade conditions, water requirements, and experiential qualities. Once the planting plan is completed, plants can then be sourced. On-site Plant Placement (at the time of planting) is offered for an additional flat fee. This allows us the flexibility to respond to on-site conditions before final plant placement.
Plant Sourcing (material cost)
While you can source the plants on your own, we recommend that we supply them for you, especially on large projects. This is often the easier path as we work with wholesale nurseries that offer large plant inventories and delivery services. Also, these plants are reliably high quality, healthy and uniform in appearance. We pass some of these discounts on to you, with prices that are intentionally lower than retail nurseries (taxes, delivery and plants purchased at retail are not subject to markup). We also manage plant substitutions (if necessary) and coordinate delivery. Then, as if by magic, all the plants appear on-site the day of planting, ready for plant placement and planting.
Contractor-Ready Drawings (billed hourly)
All the design decisions above are documented and detailed in Contractor-Ready Drawings. These are not needed for planting design alone, but for more complex builds. For instance, they can include a Materials Plan indicating the selected materials throughout the design or a Score Joint Plan for poured-in-place concrete paving. Note that there can be an adjustment in the contractor's initial bid, based on these drawings. However, this cost differential shouldn't be too great, if we've made budget-conscious decisions. During the construction kickoff meeting, we walk the contractor through these large format drawings so all parties are on the same page. Note that all means and methods of construction (e.g. footings, retaining walls, deck framing, drainage, irrigation, etc.) would be determined by the licensed landscape contractor. You can see examples of CAD-based Contractor-Ready Drawings (scroll to the bottom of the page).
PHASE 3: CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Once construction has started, issues may arise on-site, requiring on-site meetings and adjustments in design. We see the project through any hiccups and last minute decisions, to ensure that the details come together beautifully, in a timely and cost-efficient manner. This last phase is billed hourly.
Additional Services
In addition to landscape design, we offer container garden and interiorscape design services—serving both residential and corporate clients. Let us know how we can apply our talent to your specific project needs.
For smaller projects, Planting Design may be all that is needed. If the project is large and complex, additional thought and detail may be required. This can include paving design, material selection, lighting design and fixture selection, and the design of custom features (e.g. bench design, gate and fence design, etc.). Prior to the construction start date, all materials need to be ordered, custom features need to be fabricated, lead times need to be coordinated, unavailable items need to be substituted, etc. All of the steps below help transition the conceptual design into a physical reality, moving towards specificity and selection. Each step is optional and may be pursued as budget allows.
Contractor Bidding Administration (billed hourly)
With the Schematic Plan in hand, we meet with several local landscape contractors on-site, walk them through the design, and field bid-related questions. This competitive bidding process allows you to compare different contractors before making a decision, with the goal of getting bids that are 'apples-to-apples'. Together, we choose the contractor, based on cost, experience, availability, communication, organization skills, etc. Once the bid is formally signed, our project gets placed on the contractor's construction calendar, which is typically a few weeks/months into the future. While awaiting construction, we identify aspects of the design that need additional detail and specification (such as Planting Design). Together, we make these design decisions, with a close eye on the budget.
Planting Design (fixed price)
Based on the Schematic Plan, we'll offer a fixed price for Planting Design. Once we receive a 50% deposit, we identify a planting style to complement the Schematic Design and narrow in on a plant palette. We love meeting clients at a local nursery to better understand their preferences. Once plants are selected, we place them on the plan, based on color, texture, sun/shade conditions, water requirements, and experiential qualities. Once the planting plan is completed, plants can then be sourced. On-site Plant Placement (at the time of planting) is offered for an additional flat fee. This allows us the flexibility to respond to on-site conditions before final plant placement.
Plant Sourcing (material cost)
While you can source the plants on your own, we recommend that we supply them for you, especially on large projects. This is often the easier path as we work with wholesale nurseries that offer large plant inventories and delivery services. Also, these plants are reliably high quality, healthy and uniform in appearance. We pass some of these discounts on to you, with prices that are intentionally lower than retail nurseries (taxes, delivery and plants purchased at retail are not subject to markup). We also manage plant substitutions (if necessary) and coordinate delivery. Then, as if by magic, all the plants appear on-site the day of planting, ready for plant placement and planting.
Contractor-Ready Drawings (billed hourly)
All the design decisions above are documented and detailed in Contractor-Ready Drawings. These are not needed for planting design alone, but for more complex builds. For instance, they can include a Materials Plan indicating the selected materials throughout the design or a Score Joint Plan for poured-in-place concrete paving. Note that there can be an adjustment in the contractor's initial bid, based on these drawings. However, this cost differential shouldn't be too great, if we've made budget-conscious decisions. During the construction kickoff meeting, we walk the contractor through these large format drawings so all parties are on the same page. Note that all means and methods of construction (e.g. footings, retaining walls, deck framing, drainage, irrigation, etc.) would be determined by the licensed landscape contractor. You can see examples of CAD-based Contractor-Ready Drawings (scroll to the bottom of the page).
PHASE 3: CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Once construction has started, issues may arise on-site, requiring on-site meetings and adjustments in design. We see the project through any hiccups and last minute decisions, to ensure that the details come together beautifully, in a timely and cost-efficient manner. This last phase is billed hourly.
Additional Services
In addition to landscape design, we offer container garden and interiorscape design services—serving both residential and corporate clients. Let us know how we can apply our talent to your specific project needs.
Contact Us
christel@outsidecollective.com