Landscape Design: Everything You Need To Know

What is Landscape Design?

Landscape design is a broad term- a general descriptor that covers a wide variety of different actions and trades. It typically encompasses horticulture (garden design) and the arrangement of outdoor construction features (including masonry, hard surfaces and landscape structures) within the landscape.

Landscape design is both a heuristic and scientific discipline. It is heuristic in that good landscape design considers the subject’s internal motivations like conceptions of beauty, art, culture, views, frames and ideal traffic patterns. It is scientific because it specifies construction methods and horticultural materials according to their scientific limitations and tendencies.

The purpose of landscape design is to make outdoor areas both useful and beautiful. The best landscape designers are able to successfully take preferences, places and project elements (such as plants, pergolas and patios) to create a completely engrossing experience.

Our Backyard Philosophy

Play Video

Landscape Design Process & Your Project

To begin the landscape design process, we will ask you a few questions. These questions might initially feel like constraints, but they are helpful because they help us to get you to where you want to be sooner in the process. There are 4 big questions we ask as we start the landscape design process.

What are the ‘big things’ we should know about?

Do you have a plot plan that shows building setbacks and property boundaries
Easements, use restrictions, HOA or impervious surface constraints
Drainage concerns
Utilities present (utility locators help with this)
Long term settling of the earth or structural uncertainties
Color or material preferences
Chemical, plant or bee allergies
Other problems, annoyances or pet peeves

How have you typically engaged with this or other outdoor projects in the past?

Sometimes potential clients have no idea what to expect.
Sometimes a past bad experience can color the relationship- if it isn’t known and addressed.
Do you plan to assemble a decision-making team (like in-laws, contractor friends or even kids) or do you plan to make the decisions yourself.

PRO TIP: Some of our potential clients like to make decisions as a couple- with one person being the “budget brain” and the other making the “aesthetic selections.”

What is the purpose of the outdoor space? Why this project?

Time outside with friends and family?
Health?

Environmental sustainability (like a butterfly or native plant garden)?
The joy of gardening- whether vegetables, kitchen herbs or lush cutting flowers?
A pool for the kids to splash in?
A pavilion to shade the baking sun?
An outdoor kitchen to show off your legendary cooking?
A messy tree (that is ruining your Saturday evenings) causing hours of cleaning up unwanted debris and sap off your patio furniture?

What is the budget?

This may or may not be a tough question to answer, so don’t worry if you don’t know your budget. Once we have a complete understanding of your project, we’re able to create both high and low budget scenarios for your project, based on our past work. We can usually create this high-low budget scenario as soon as the first call or site visit.

Once you decide what price range will work best for you, we can narrow in on specific products and installation methods. Everyone (I have worked for) has had a budget. Our goal is to stay within it.

The sooner you know what is possible, the sooner you can get your wishlist within the associated constraints.

Headline per section

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Budgeting for Landscape Design

Even if your last name is Rockefeller, your budget is likely a decision-factor for your landscape design project. The extent of the project hinges on it. Arriving at a budget is as simple as establishing what you want to spend for your project.

PRO TIP: Sometimes the budget can be thought of as the total investment you want to make into the property/project over time, with “this year’s phase” being a portion of the overall budget. One way to get what you want in your backyard, even if you are on a budget, is planning your landscape design project into phases. Phase building is when aspects of a project are planned up front, but completed in sequential stages over time. This planning process helps avoid double work and inefficiencies by working backwards from the desired outcome and properly sequencing all of the steps.

Discover Your Landscape Design Aesthetic (Yes, You Have A Style!)

Once your budget is set, it’s time to talk to design aesthetics. Simply put, your aesthetic is the way that you like things to look. Some people refer to it as a style or you can simply call it ‘my idea of beauty.’ Designers have developed their own language and have given these styles names. It’s very helpful to figure out your aesthetic (if you don’t already know it) so that you’re better equipped to participate in the design process.

A landscape designer should make quick work of helping to identify your particular style. At PLANT, we identify your style by looking at recent renovations, your kitchen and/or existing color palettes and material choices. ‘I personally love it when someone tells me they just had a renovation done that they’re raving about,’ says Jon Kontz, CEO of PLANT Design Group in Yardley, PA. Having an established aesthetic makes the planning process easier, because we are starting with something you already like.

If you don’t have an idea yet, don’t worry. Here are some easy things you can start on now in order to define your personal style for your landscape design project.

Create a Pinterest board. (pinterest.com). Search for and save inspiring photos of the elements you want.
Create a Houzz board. (houzz.com). Search for project photos, saving ones that “speak to you.”

Search Google images. Create keyword combinations for the things you want, then get scrolling and saving!

Drive for Design. Jump in the car and look around at what neighbors have done with spaces like yours. You’ll be surprised at how many opinions you have once you start looking at what other people are doing!

PLANNING FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGN PROJECTS

A successful landscape design project is heavily dependent on the designer’s ability to be creative within your budget, while satisfying your aesthetic and functional goals. Your designer will shepherd you through the landscape planning process- but there are things that you can do to inform yourself independently. More collaboration means a more personalized result.

Head to Pinterest

Pinterest is the place to find images of the best of well… everything. Landscape design projects are no exception. Creating an account is free and browsing images of projects that are similar to what you want to accomplish is genuinely easy. Just save the designs you like to one of your ‘boards.’ You can then easily share them with collaborators. There’s even a place for notes- which is useful if you want to expand on a particular aspect of a design or design element that you like (send it to the designer!). For help with boards- check out the link below.

Helpful Link > How To Create A Pinterest Board

LINK URL: https://help.pinterest.com/en/article/create-a-board

Here are 100 or so examples of pinterest boards created by Ed (one of PLANT’s designers) and I have assembled a few more pinterest boards for people just like you! You will see that each has a unique and different aesthetic and creative feel.

Whether or not you’re working with a landscape designer, Pinterest images will help you to create a collection of designs that inspires you. As you collect images that appeal to you, a style or a general aesthetic will start to emerge and finding more of what you like becomes easier. You will find yourself empowered to articulate what you like and don’t like, having the language to search online effectively for valuable project inspiration and ideas.

At PLANT, we routinely use Pinterest to suggest and receive design ideas during the landscape design process. Pinterest is an easy-to-use tool and has a ton of amazing images of just about every conceivable type of backyard project.

Google Image Search

You can also perform Google image searches for the project type you’re interested in based on what you consider to have beauty and appeal.

PRO TIP: To search Google for images results only, perform your search as you regularly would and then select ‘images’ in the upper left hand corner of your screen (mobile and desktop).

If you find an image of a patio and landscape that you just love- save it. If you find an image that has one or two elements you love- save it. If you find an image and can see that very same design applied to your own outdoor space- save it.

Once you start to build a collection of examples that you like- a designer will be able to get a feel for where you want to go with the project. They will get to know your likes and dislikes. When an aesthetic is determined, you can narrow in on materials and products that are a part of that design style or tradition.

Here are several common landscape styles:

Formal－ Characterized by clean lines, manicured hedges, mass plantings of brightly-colored annual flowers and perfect symmetry.

Bucks County Formal－ A formal landscape punctuated by flowing curves, traditional Bucks County stone walls and muted colors via perennials like Hameln Grasses, Nepeta, Geranium and Periwinkle.

Traditional American－ Manicured and well-spaced individual plantings are interspersed with mulch and flowering landscape trees.

French Provincial－ Hedges, courtyards, purple, silver and white flowers, with dusty tans, wrought irons and aged timbers.

Modern－ Sweeping asymmetrical features, clean lines, mass plantings and unique, artful interruptions of the status quo.

Cottage/English－ Multi-layered plantings of lush flowers and grasses, sweeping bed lines and a well-planned garden layout.

Step Into The Matrix: Knowing Your Soil

Landscape design, as much as it is an art, has to consider the science as it relates to the environmental conditions of your property. Environmental conditions that affect a landscape design are:

Soil health
Hardiness zone
Sunlight exposure
Available space
Drainage

Those environmental conditions determine what plant, shrub and tree species are best suited for your area. Soil analysis can feel like a rabbit hole, as there are many aspects and all soil is not created equal.

Soil should be evaluated for each one of the following aspects:

pH
Compaction
Humus and mineral content
Available nutrient status
Mold and funguses available to break down humus
Grade, water retention & drainage
Earthworms, insects & pests

PRO TIP: A ‘cultivar’ (cultivated variety) is a plant that has been produced with certain defined characteristics through selective breeding. For example, the Knockout Rose is a rose bred to bloom all year long. It is a hardy, disease and pest-resistant rose choice for someone who wants the summer-long color of roses without the typical maintenance of less hardy cultivars (the kind that are bred by master gardeners for master gardeners).

Understanding soil profile aspects like pH and drainage ability (as well as knowing how big plants will be at maturity) ultimately determines what will and won’t thrive in your space.

Landscape designers are trained to accurately assess the growing conditions so that whatever is planted flourishes. For instance, planting an azalea in a wet area is not going to be successful. Planting roses and daylilies where deer have unhindered access to them will surely disappoint as the flower buds will be constantly chewed off.

These environmental conditions must be understood before selecting plants and trees for the area and ultimately, prior to implementing a design.

Landscape Design Cost

The landscape design project budget is split into two phases:

Design/Planning
Purchasing/Installation

The budget for landscape design and planning can be roughly allocated 10% / 90% between design/planning and purchasing/installation, respectively.

There are three stages of a landscape design project, to which costs may or may not apply, depending on the project.

STAGE 1

The first stage of landscape design is discovery. PLANT typically does not charge for this, because it isn’t always clear until we are through this stage whether or not we are the best fit to take on the project. Discovery is where we identify the environmental conditions present, the general project and budget constraints and the aesthetic and style preferences that should guide the design and planning process.

STAGE 2

The second stage of landscape design is the drafting stage. Research is done into applicable building codes, property zoning setbacks, HOA restrictions, utility easements and elevation changes within the work area.

These practical considerations are incorporated and planned for on a conceptual level to create a first draft creative design to the scale of the property (either hand drawn or in auto CAD). The resulting product is a 2-dimensional drawing that gives a clear representation of layout, traffic patterns, planting suggestions, sizes of the project elements as well as their proportions and orientations to one another, and the existing structures. There are often multiple revisions in this stage as different scenarios are considered from different viewpoints- including design ideas, zoning compliance and budget prioritization.

PLANT typically charges a drafting fee equal to about 3% of the total project amount to perform the discovery and draft an initial 2D design plan.

STAGE 3

The third stage of landscape design is the rendering, material specification, construction drawings and permitting. We can model the entire space in 3D, create multiple perspective renderings and create detailed 3D construction drawings at this stage. Though almost every project goes through stage 1 and most projects go through stage 2 － not every project goes through stage 3. This is because not every project is complex enough to require such a level of drawing and planning.

The cost of a landscape design project is broken down into 3 stages.

Stage 1: Typically free

Stage 2: 30% of design budget (or 3% of the overall project budget)

Stage 3: 70% of design budget (or 7% of the overall project budget)

PATIO LIGHTING

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Landscape Project Pricing: How It Works

If you are considering a landscape design project and are wondering how to go about getting a price, here are some pro tips on how to budget for a landscape project and how to know a fair price when you see it.

First, a common frustration among those looking for landscape design pricing. Here’s the scenario: You call two different landscapers, asking both for ideas and pricing for your backyard project. You become frustrated when you learn that one price is $3,000 whereas another’s is $30,000… for the same exact space. In the next couple of paragraphs we will break down how exactly landscape project pricing works, and how to make sure you are getting a fair price on your landscape project.

It is a common misconception to think of two separate prices to install landscaping in the same space as being comparable.

The truth is that in most circumstances- two prices for the same yard are impossible to compare, except that one might be higher than the other- it can be super frustrating.

Here is why.

Say you see someone in your neighborhood cutting grass, so you show them the front yard of your home. You ask them to put together a design and quote. Soon enough, they come back with some plant names and suggestions. If purchased at a local box store’s garden center, the cost for the plants would come to roughly $820. After applying a 3 times markup to account for labor and profit, the landscaper gives you a price of $2,460.

The problem?

Are the cultivars aggressive and hard to control? What will they look like 2 years from now? Production grown plant cultivars, like those supplied by most box store garden centers, are sold because of their profitability- which correlates directly with the speed at which they grow- fast growing plants create fast growing ROI, for the supplier. But when it comes to your landscape, it’s not a stretch to say you’d be paying for a ‘pretty weed’ (which will continue to grow at a high rate) that will require removal in just a couple years.

The same materials, sourced from a local garden center might be available in a better cultivar, although they are likely to be more expensive. This is because the plants themselves might be 3 times the age, even if they are the exact same size as their invasive cousin. Although slower growing cultivars may be better suited to grow in your space, the initial purchase price could be higher because you are buying a slower growing, higher quality plant.

Almost all landscapers base their pricing on what it costs them to acquire the products and materials for a given project. Therefore, the two factors you want to identify when getting pricing for landscape design services are:

#1 The suitability of the material(s) being recommended.

#2 That the markup is fair.

We recommend that you start by specifying(or having a qualified landscape designer specify) the material cultivars that work for your environmental conditions, and the size you want to purchase them at (small, mature or large).

Once you decide on material cultivar/maturity, you’ve defined a “product” that multiple contractors can bid on- so then you are able to compare ‘apples to apples.’

You will see from their responsiveness, their pricing, and the quality of your interactions just who you will want to work with to create your perfect space.

If you call PLANT for an estimate on your landscape project, we can help you establish a scope, suggest cultivars and create an ideal budget range on the first visit, so you can get the answers you need without waiting!

Landscape Design Ideas

Jon’s Go-To Landscape Design Elements & Materials

Let’s look at some of PLANT CEO Jon Kontz’s favorite landscape design aesthetics and materials.

“I love weathered cedar and rough-sawn, square cut, white oak. I love to work with restored and repurposed timbers. It never ceases to amaze me just how well that aged and weathered wood can serve a landscape design project. This is one way to get a whole lot of character- a one-of-a-kind creation that will turn heads.’ Reclaimed and repurposed wood tells a timeless story.

And when it comes to patios and walkways,, Kontz is fond of designs that incorporate fieldstone boulders, irregular flagstone and 2-inch thermal cut bluestone.

Here are some of Jon’s favorite tree picks

River Birch (versatile and hardy, excellent bark color and texture)
White Oaks (beautiful, epic shape and excellent for providing shade)
D.D. Blanchard Southern Magnolia (head-turning, fragrant ivory blossoms, beautiful large, green and brown leaves)
‘Merlot’ Multi-Stem Redbud (fine, red leaves with slender, silvery branching patterns add a splash of drama in the light green Bucks County background)
Amelanchier ‘Serviceberry’ multi-stem tree (beautiful white spring color and a native PA specimen- a great transitional tree for woodland areas)

Jon’s Perennial Picks

Nepeta (a member of the mint family, few pests, easy care, stunning violet hues)
Geranium Rozanne (easy care, produces vivid, violet-blue flowers that bloom longer than most perennials)
Coral Drift® Rose (changes color according to light conditions)
Japanese Painted Fern (grows about 18” tall, container-friendly, great for bordering wooded areas, stunning blue-green color)

Creeping Jenny (a versatile plant that grows in between rocks, produces gorgeous flowers, likes to spread)

Headline per section

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Patio prices

Headline per section

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Front Yard Landscaping

When we design a landscape, we think and design in terms of layers. When we landscape the front yard of the home, we also do it according to layers. Although each layer is designed to stand on its own, together they work in concert like the brass, strings and percussion to create a swelling concerto with crescendos and decrescendos, intersecting harmonies and melodies. Coordinated bloom cycles and complimentary colors collaborate to create a slow motion, natural fireworks display.

Ideally, we want to do our best to compliment a home’s architecture- to frame the structure and shape of the home with landscape and hardscape elements that do not block or otherwise detract from the structure itself but that complement it. Landscape design and architecture should work together- never blocking or competing with one another. Well-designed, well-planned front yard landscapes should be low maintenance, roomy, well-proportioned and subtle.

Popular Landscape Design Styles

Beach Landscape – Beach anyone? You might guess by the name that this style has a nautical, flip-flop vibe to it that puts the seashore right in your own backyard. Wispy, ornamental grasses are reminiscent of the ones found in dunes.

Arid Landscape – This style draws on elements of the desert with drought tolerant plant species alongside rocky features.

Farmhouse In The City – This approach utilizes rustic elements from the country and places them in the city, creating a stark contrast as country elements synthesize and take on new dimensions inside their urban backdrop. (Think corten steel- its supposed to rust)

About Jon Kontz.

Jon has designed and installed landscapes for more than 25 years. He founded PLANT Design Group in 2015, with locations at Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, PA, and Carousel Village in Newtown, PA.

Outside of business hours, you can find Jon fly fishing, rock climbing and farming with his wife and 3 children.

Restoring a backyard patio

Restoring or redoing a patio is a worthwhile endeavor in certain cases. It’s dependent on 2 factors:

1) The installation method used to create the original patio

2) The condition of the existing materials and base

The labor cost to re-lay a patio can range from $10 per sq. ft. to $40 per sq. ft. depending on whether the surface is dry-laid pavers or natural stone, set in mortar and concrete or on a concrete slab that is sunken or weathered.

If you’re interested in restoring a stone patio surface that is dry-set and buckling, it could be as simple as removing the pavers carefully, re-compacting a proper base then re-laying and sealing the pavers. But if the patio pavers, stone or bricks are mortared to concrete and that concrete is heaving and buckling- you’re almost certainly looking at starting from scratch.

There are some exceptions, when the concrete can be ‘mudjacked’ into place using a process like this one here. If the surface is in good condition, it might be able to be lifted in which case the patio can be rebuilt reusing those same materials.

Backyard Patio Design Consultation

When we go into a design consultation with a new client, the very first thing we want to know as landscape designers is how the space will be used. It seems obvious, but this end-goal dependent element can go overlooked even by professionals.

When we know how the homeowner is going to be using that space, then we have the basis to lay out the size, shape and orientation to the home that will meet its intended purpose.

Next, we’ll need to know:

Are there obstacles that prevent a certain build approach or design element?
Are there any special build limitations such as slopes or inclines?
What kind of materials are best suited for the budget and application?

First we identify the intended purpose, any key project constraints, the desired outcome and budget, then we are able to show you what’s possible- effectively working backwards to arrive at a design and material selection.

Backyard patio cost estimate tool:

Backyard Patio Types & Estimating Cost

Threshold Level Patio (Porch) Cost Estimating

A threshold level patio (if your threshold is raised) is typically the most expensive type to build as it will be tied into the structure of the home, and requires walls and footers if it is going to be off the ground.

Here is a way to estimate how much your patio will cost if it were built raised off the ground.

You’ll need to estimate:

The square footage of the patio area. For a 10’ x 20’ patio, multiply 10 x 20 to get 200 sq. ft. 10’ x 20’ = 200 sq. ft. of patio

The face footage of the patio wall. Take the average height of the wall surrounding the patio and multiply by the length of the wall in linear feet (LF) to get face footage. For a 12” high patio wall that is 30 feet long: 12” high x 30 LF = 30 Face Feet of wall

If the patio is over 6” high, you may want to incorporate railings or seating walls per local code

If you need steps, we factor them in, too. Take the width of the steps and multiply by the number of risers to get linear footage. For 48” wide steps with 5 risers: 48” wide steps x 5 risers = 20 LF of steps

Click here to try our instant patio price calculator (desktop or tablet only)

Ground-level Patio Cost Estimating

The least expensive option is to create a ground level patio. Here is a way to estimate how much your patio will cost if it were built at ground level.

You’ll need to estimate:

The square footage of the patio. For a 10’ x 20’ patio, multiply 10 x 20 to get 200 sq. ft. 10’ x 20’ = 200 sq. ft. of patio

Multi-level Patio Cost Estimating

Besides having multiple levels to the patio- functionally speaking- different patio levels are used to separate the areas of the patio into ‘rooms’ according to use.

Here is a way to estimate how much each patio area will cost depending on how far each “area” or “room” is raised off of the ground.

You’ll need to estimate:

The square footage of the patio area. For a 10’ x 20’ patio, multiply 10 x 20 to get 200 sq. ft. 10’ x 20’ = 200 sq. ft. of patio

The face footage of the patio wall. Take the average height of the wall surrounding the patio and multiply by the length of the wall in linear feet (LF) to get face footage. For a 12” high patio wall that is 30 feet long: 12” high x 30 LF = 30 Face Feet of wall

If the patio is over 6” high, you will want to incorporate railings or seating walls per local building code.

If you need steps, you will have to factor them in. Take the width of the steps and multiply by the number of risers to get linear footage. For 48” wide steps with 5 riser: 48” wide steps x 5 risers = 20 LF of steps

Backyard Patio Styles

Classic American. This patio is usually made out of traditional pavers, concrete or stamped concrete and surrounded by bushes, mulch and seating walls.

Boutique or English. Reminiscent of an english garden or ‘cottage style,’ this style can be created with brick, irregular flagstone or dimensional bluestone.

Formal. Formal patios typically have a more manicured feel, leaning towards natural stone construction. This formal style can be created with fine crushed gravel, dimensional bluestone or even travertine.
Modern. Modern patio style is sleek and sophisticated, typically with asymmetrical geometric shapes and lines.

Headline per section

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

POOL PATIOS

We’re often asked, ‘What is the most ideal poolside patio?’ Here is our list of backyard patio recommendations along with the materials best suited for poolside use.

Make sure your backyard patio is big enough. If it isn’t, people will inevitably resort to walking on the grass, tracking grass and dirt into your clean pool water (a headache for whoever has to clean the pool). You need at least 5-6 ft. of patio width around the pool in the narrowest areas (enough for two people to pass each other while carrying something). You’ll need even more room if you want to put a chaise lounge or bistro table in the area.

Low maintenance tops the list of concerns when creating a poolside patio. Paver patios or natural stone patio joints and materials that “spall” (produce fine gravel or sand) will bug you if you don’t like sand and gravel sticking to your wet feet.

Comfort is pretty high on our list too. Bluestone (unless it is in almost full shade) can get too hot to walk on with bare feet. We encourage all of our pool patio customers to stick with materials that are light-colored, steering clear of dark greys and browns.

Safety, although mentioned last, is definitely not least of our concerns. Even though it looks beautiful, polished and stamped concrete has to be properly prepared or it can be very slippery. Tile, like sealed travertine, can become slick when it’s wet or if a thin film of mildew or moss is present.

The patio surface materials we use most often:

- Light colored pavers like Techo Block Blu Grande: up to $39 per sq. ft.
- Bronte natural stone set in concrete: up to $67 per sq. ft.
- Plain brushed concrete: up to $15 per sq. ft.
- Stamped concrete (finished with a non-slip surface): up to $30 per sq. ft.

Backyard Patio Structure Types

Your patio can be built with or without a structure. There are two different categories of patio structures:

‘Attached’ and ‘standalone.’

Attached Backyard Patio

An attached backyard patio structure is connected to the home and requires customized architectural drawings since attached structures make use of the house for some degree of structural support.

The most common factor used to determine the feasibility of an attached design is the home’s existing window locations relative to the proposed structure’s roof line. (Specifically, where the patio structure’s roof line will intersect with the home.)

Though we create custom designs and pricing for each project, the cost range for attached pavilions and porches we have built in the past range from $110-$167 per sq. ft. The cost range to budget for a 300 sq. ft. attached pavilion would be approximately $33,000- $50,100.

Standalone Backyard Patio

A standalone (unattached) patio structure or covering is structurally independent from the home. A standalone pavilion offers more design flexibility since you don’t have to coordinate with existing roof lines and windows. A potential downside is that a standalone pavilion puts the patio roof farther away from your current living space(typically a minimum of 3-7’ depending on the township regulation).

Though we create designs and pricing that are customized for each project, the typical cost range for standalone pavilions we have built in the past range from $88-$147 per sq. ft. The cost range to budget for a 300 sq. ft. standalone pavilion would be approximately $26,400- $44,100.

Ideally, we generally want to keep the patio area as close to existing living areas as possible for a smooth transition and maximum usability.

COVERED BACKYARD PATIOS

Patio coverings are structures used primarily to provide protection from weather elements like sun, rain and wind. There are multiple structure types that can be used to create cover for a patio.

Pergola

A pergola is a structure built with columns and rafters that provides partial protection against sun. They can be built attached to your home or existing outdoor structures or standalone. Though we create custom designs and pricing for each project, the cost range for pergolas we have built in the past range from $64-$109 per sq. ft. The cost range to budget for a 300 sq. ft. custom standalone pergola would be approximately $19,200-$32,700.

Pavilion

A pavilion is a roofed structure that has sides that are typically open. They are common, free-standing structures ideal for creating a roof over a patio and provide complete overhead protection from rain and sun.

Gazebo

A gazebo can provide comprehensive protection from the sun as well as rain by way of a hexagonal or octagonal roof. They come in all flavors and can be attached or standalone. Add curtains or lattice for an extra level of protection. Or, add automatic curtains that deploy and retract with ease.

Play Video

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

Our team of design experts listen to how you want your new space to make you feel, and then create a haven that does just that. Your outdoor space has the potential to be its own special getaway. Savor it as your best kept secret, or share it with your friends… we won’t judge, we just want to help you build it.

Call us at 215-321-5678 if you’re ready to talk about how we can help bring your ideas to life this summer. We can’t wait to hear about your ideas!

About JOn Kontz

Jon has designed and installed landscapes for more than 25 years. He founded PLANT Design Group in 2015, with locations at Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, PA, and Carousel Village in Newtown, PA.

Outside of business hours, you can find Jon fly fishing, rock climbing and farming with his wife and 3 children.