Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 12, 1993 TAG: 9303050390
SECTION: LAWN & GARDEN PAGE: LG-20 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
THE ART OF LANDSCAPING
DAN Chitwood admits he has trouble sticking to just one career, so he doesn't even try anymore. Among other things, he is a professional watercolorist, and the walls of his home are hung with his paintings.Gnomes and birds sculpted from driftwood are scattered in corners. A banjo sits waiting on a stand not far from his basement office, from which he runs his landscape design business.
There are flower beds in the yard, and he's teaching himself calligraphy. He's also working part time so he can take care of his two children while his wife works full time as a certified public accountant.
"I'm a jack-of-all-trades," he said.
Chitwood thinks he's hit on a career that makes the most of his talents - except perhaps the banjo-playing. Chitwood can help homeowners design and landscape the yard or homesite of their dreams. Most people, he said "have ideas floating around in their minds about what they want to do, but don't know where to start."
Many contractors, architects and nursery operators can offer some of the same services, he said, and some of them charge less, but they often don't have the time to work with homeowners on a one-to-one basis. He sees himself as a "coordinator," coming up with a master plan and working with the homeowner and other professionals.
Many people are looking to create entire "outdoorspaces," rather than just a pretty yard, Chitwood said. To accomplish this, he offers five levels of help, and there's one to fit every budget.
The first approach is a simple consultation, and it's intended for homeowners with no budget but with long-term goals. For $50 an hour, Chitwood can help plan the layout of a site, and will provide sketches and plans showing possible locations of plants, flower beds or anything else the homeowner might have in mind. This method is especially appealing to do-it-yourselfers, he said.
The second approach is intended for homeowners who have limited budgets and long-term goals, but also some immediate short-term goals. Chitwood will meet to gather information and to get a feel of lifestyle and needs. He then develops a master plan showing all of the desired site features, such as shrubs, beds and construction materials. Chitwood supplements these with plans and perspective drawings done in color. These drawings can be used by a landscape contractor, but are not suitable for bidding purposes. This process takes from eight to 12 hours, and costs between $300 and $500.
Chitwood's third approach is intended for clients with a budget and big plans. After an initial consultation, he will make several site visits before drawing the final master plan. He then prepares a budget estimate and sets priorities. Again, although the plan can be used by a builder or landscape contractor, it is not suitable for bidding.
Master plans take 20 to 30 hours to complete, and cost $800 to $1,000. These plans are hand-drawn and colored by Chitwood, and come on vellum sheets mounted on poster board. Because of his skill as a watercolorist, these plans are suitable for framing.
The fourth approach is a planting plan, which is intended for clients with a minimum budget of $2,000 and immediate plans for landscaping. Also drawn on vellum, these plans include all details and specifications needed to obtain competitive bids. The design fee ranges from 10 percent to 15 percent of the total budget, and may include some construction administration and supervision.
Chitwood's last approach is for clients with immediate plans for an outdoor construction project such as a deck, patio, gazebo, waterfall, pond or fountain, or arbor. Construction drawings often are required, and they include all details necessary for competitive bids. The fee for this service is 10 to 15 percent of the budget.
Chitwood also will provide site planning for new home construction. He can make recommendations at every stage from siting and grading to layout and landscaping, and even help clients select a house that fits a site or a site that fits the house.
He will work with property owners to save existing trees, and to find the best location for a driveway, decks, patios and other features. Many people call themselves landscape designers, he said, but very few of them are certified, as he is.
While earning his degree, Chitwood studied everything from business law to psychology to urban forestry. He has planned projects as large as the Branderwood and Forest Edge subdivisions, while he was working for a contractor, down to small back yards.
Most importantly, he said, he works on behalf of his clients, rather than a contracting company or a nursery, and can give advice independently. There probably are plenty of other landscape architects around who would like to be doing what he is doing, he said, but they can't afford it. Most large contractors have landscape architects on staff, but "`they don't sell that." They are more attuned to the bigger projects, he said.
Chitwood has been working on his own for two years, but business has not been as good as he would have liked it to be. Although hiring a landscape architect is common in other parts of the country, he said, the Roanoke Valley is an untapped market.
"People don't understand it. They don't know what it is and what I can do."
As his children get older, he said, he would like to "step up business." His dream is to someday plan large estates. For now, he said "I just want people to know that this [service] is here."