Why can landscaping proposals vary so much in price when everything else appears to be the same?
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Two landscaping proposals can include many of the same things—plants, irrigation, decorative rock, lawn, grading and hardscape—yet the proposals can vary considerably.
So why can the proposals be so different?
Because a finished landscape is the result of dozens of individual decisions and installation details.
Site preparation, grading, drainage, soil preparation, plant selection, irrigation design, material quality and installation practices all affect the amount of planning, material and labor that goes into a project.
Many of the most important differences disappear once the landscaping is finished.
At Wall & Company, we approach landscaping as a complete system rather than a collection of individual features.
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Wall & Company vs. Common Shortcuts
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| Construction Detail | Wall & Company | Common Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape Design | Complete landscape planned around the property and how the homeowner will use it | Designing individual areas or features without considering the complete property |
| Site Preparation | Existing conditions addressed before finish materials are installed | Minimizing preparation that won’t be visible after completion |
| Grading | Finished elevations carefully established throughout the property | Working primarily with existing grades to reduce excavation |
| Drainage | Water movement considered as part of the complete landscape | Addressing drainage only where an obvious problem already exists |
| Soil Preparation | Planting and lawn areas prepared for what will be growing there | Installing plants or lawn into minimally prepared existing soil |
| Plant Selection | Plants selected for their location and Inland Northwest conditions | Selecting primarily around appearance, price or availability |
| Irrigation | Irrigation designed around the needs of different landscape areas | Using simplified zoning and coverage to reduce components |
| Materials | Quality materials selected for the application and long-term performance | Selecting primarily around initial material cost |
| Integration | Hardscape, planting, irrigation, lighting and other features planned together | Installing each feature largely independently |
| Finish Work | Attention to transitions, elevations, curves, edges and final details | Prioritizing installation speed over construction detail |
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What You’ll Never See
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When your landscaping is complete, you’ll see plants, lawn, decorative rock, patios, pathways and the finished outdoor space.
You probably won’t see:
• Much of the excavation and site preparation
• Soil improvements beneath planting areas
• Underground irrigation
• Drainage systems
• Base materials beneath hardscape
• Utility routing
• The grading work beneath the finished surface
• Many of the details responsible for connecting the different parts of the landscape
Yet those hidden details can have an enormous impact on how the landscape performs over time.
They’re also some of the easiest places to reduce materials and labor when preparing a lower proposal.
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Good Landscaping Starts with a Complete Plan
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A landscape isn’t simply a collection of individually attractive features.
Everything needs to work together.
Wall & Company considers how the homeowner will actually use the property and how the individual elements relate to one another.
That can include:
• Patios and outdoor living areas
• Walkways
• Retaining and boulder walls
• Lawn areas
• Trees and planting beds
• Irrigation
• Outdoor lighting
• Fire features
• Water features
• Outdoor kitchens
• Sport courts
Planning those elements together allows decisions about elevations, drainage, utilities, traffic flow and materials to be made before construction begins.
The goal is for the finished landscape to feel intentional—not like a series of unrelated projects.
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Site Preparation Matters
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Before a new landscape goes in, the existing property needs to be properly prepared.
Depending on the project, that can involve excavation, removal of unsuitable materials, soil preparation, grading and other site work.
Much of this work isn’t exciting.
And once the project is complete, almost all of it is invisible.
But the finished landscape is built on the conditions created during site preparation.
Wall & Company doesn’t treat the fact that this work will eventually be covered as a reason to give it less attention.
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Grading Is the Foundation of the Landscape
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Water follows gravity regardless of what the landscape plan says.
That’s why grading is considered before finish materials are installed.
Wall & Company evaluates how elevations relate to:
• The home
• Patios and walkways
• Driveways
• Retaining walls
• Lawn areas
• Planting beds
• Neighboring properties
• Drainage locations
Small changes in elevation can have a significant effect on where water moves.
Good grading often goes unnoticed.
That’s the point.
The landscape should naturally direct water where it’s supposed to go.
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Drainage Needs to Be Planned, Not Hidden
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Installing new landscaping doesn’t make an existing drainage problem disappear.
Decorative rock, sod or plants can temporarily hide it.
The water will eventually remind you it’s still there.
Wall & Company considers drainage as part of the overall landscape installation.
Depending on the property, that may involve grading changes, drainage materials or other site-specific solutions.
Spokane landscapes have to deal with irrigation, rain, snow accumulation and snowmelt.
Water needs somewhere appropriate to go.
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Healthy Landscapes Start Below Ground
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Quality plants and beautiful lawn still depend on what’s happening in the soil.
Wall & Company prepares planting areas according to the plants and site conditions rather than assuming the existing soil is automatically suitable.
Planting depth, root conditions and soil preparation can all affect how well vegetation establishes.
These details disappear almost immediately after installation.
But plants continue interacting with that soil for years.
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The Right Plants Need to Be in the Right Places
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The Inland Northwest gives plants a wide range of conditions to handle.
Hot summers. Cold winters. Dry periods. Substantial seasonal temperature swings.
Conditions also vary throughout an individual property.
Wall & Company considers:
• Sun and shade
• Cold hardiness
• Heat tolerance
• Water requirements
• Soil conditions
• Mature height and width
• Growth habits
• Seasonal appearance
The objective isn’t simply to make the landscape look full on installation day.
It’s to create a planting plan that becomes better as the landscape matures.
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Irrigation Should Match the Landscape
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Different parts of the landscape have different watering requirements.
Lawn doesn’t necessarily need the same watering schedule as shrubs.
Sunny areas may require different watering than shaded areas.
New plants have different needs while they’re becoming established.
Wall & Company designs irrigation around those differences.
That can include thoughtful zoning, proper sprinkler coverage and drip irrigation where appropriate.
A well-designed irrigation system shouldn’t simply make everything wet.
It should put water where it’s actually needed.
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Materials Matter
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Landscaping involves a surprising number of materials.
Plants. Rock. Soil. Pavers. Retaining wall products. Irrigation components. Edging. Lighting fixtures.
Two materials can look similar when they’re brand new and perform very differently over time.
Wall & Company uses quality materials appropriate for the application rather than selecting primarily around the lowest initial cost.
We don’t believe premium craftsmanship makes sense if it’s paired with materials that weren’t selected to last.
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The Individual Features Need to Work Together
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One of the advantages of working with a full-service landscape contractor is the ability to coordinate the entire property.
A patio affects grading.
Grading affects drainage.
Planting affects irrigation.
An outdoor kitchen affects utilities.
A retaining wall changes elevations.
Landscape lighting needs to work around plants that will grow.
When these elements are planned independently, conflicts often aren’t discovered until construction is underway.
Wall & Company considers those relationships from the beginning.
That helps create a landscape in which the individual features look—and function—as though they were always intended to be together.
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The Details You Do See Matter, Too
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Quality construction underneath the landscape still needs quality craftsmanship above it.
Wall & Company pays attention to:
• Bed lines and curves
• Plant groupings
• Boulder placement
• Material transitions
• Hardscape patterns and borders
• Finished elevations
• Clean edges
• Irrigation head placement
• Lighting placement
• How the landscape relates to the home
A landscape can be technically functional and still feel unfinished.
The final details are what bring the individual pieces together.
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Where the Wall & Company Difference Shows Up
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Landscaping proposals can be especially difficult to compare because they contain so many individual components.
Two proposals may appear to include essentially the same finished landscape.
But one may include more site preparation, better grading, more thoughtful drainage, improved soil preparation, higher-quality materials, more complete irrigation and considerably more attention to how everything fits together.
Each of those differences requires planning, materials, equipment and labor.
Then the plants go in. The rock is installed. The irrigation is buried. The hardscape is finished.
And much of the difference disappears from view.
Wall & Company’s approach is to consider the complete landscape: thoughtful design, proper site preparation, grading and drainage, appropriate soil preparation, quality materials, well-designed irrigation and careful integration of the individual landscape features.
The objective isn’t to build the cheapest or the most expensive landscape. Our objective is to build a landscape that will stand the test of time.
At Wall & Company, we aim to build you a landscape that you, your family and friends can enjoy for years to come.