Just as you consult or hire a professional interior designer for making the interior of your home look beautiful, working with landscape architects in Bangalore can make a balcony, patio or garden stunning besides enhancing the functionality of the area, ensuring that you use it more often. How often do you see a terrace or balcony being used as a storage area? Usually, it’s because the area is not designed to optimise practical and aesthetic elements. One of the advantages of hiring a landscape architect or designer is that the garden will transform into a relaxing oasis where you can unwind after a hard day’s work.
For a home in Bangalore, it makes sense to hire a local landscape architect who has years of experience in designing gardens in the city and can provide valuable inputs on the types of designs or plants that are ideal for the city’s unique climate that has a notable difference in day and night temperatures throughout the year. Besides, he will also know the best places to source plants, garden accessories and other materials to build a perfect home garden.
Many homeowners think that a landscape architect and a landscape designer are the same. It’s important to know the differences in the types of work they can undertake. Otherwise, a structure in the garden may collapse as it wasn’t strong enough to face the heavy wind in the region. Similarly, a plant may look beautiful when the patio garden is set up, but before long, it might dry up as it isn’t suitable for the local climate. Professionally trained landscape architects in Bangalore will not only take care of space planning but also consider structural and ecological aspects when designing the outdoor area.
A landscape architect will have a bachelor’s degree in architecture after which he specialises at the postgraduate level in landscape design. As a result, he is technically qualified to offer holistic design for gardens, patios and other outdoor spaces. In comparison, a landscape designer completes a shorter certification course or diploma, which focuses only on aesthetics. While one can hire a designer for smaller projects that don’t require structural work, for designs that require structural elements, it’s advisable to hire a landscape architect.
The garden design should include elements that make the area beautiful and exciting. Landscape designers and architects incorporate the following factors into the design.
For many homeowners, the garden is their pride and joy, and they earmark significant funds for its design and maintenance. Therefore, it’s advisable to undertake some research to verify the credentials and work quality of a professional before hiring him. The first thing is to ask if the landscape architect is qualified in architecture, especially if the project requires adding and altering structures.
Next, one should view the professional’s completed projects to get an idea of the design style and finishes as it will ensure that the garden design lives up to expectations. The best way to do this is by requesting to visit some of the projects that the landscape architect has executed. In case it isn’t possible, then looking at photographs of completed projects is the solution.
It’s also essential to ask about the fees of the professional to ensure that it is within your budget.
The method of calculating fees can vary from one professional to another. Most landscape architects charge a percentage of the project cost (usually around 10% to 20%). For a project worth Rs.500,000, the fee will be between Rs.50,000 to Rs.100,000. Sometimes, the professional may charge on a cost-per-square-feet basis (ranging from Rs.40 to Rs.400 per sq. ft). Occasionally, a landscape professional charges a flat fee based on the complexity of the design.
While it’s easy to search and find listings of landscape architects in the city, one should follow the steps of verifying credentials and reviewing the portfolio of projects completed by the professional before hiring. On homify, our Bangalore landscape architect directory has listings of verified professionals as well as images of projects completed by them. After browsing through the profiles of various professionals, a homeowner can submit the online contact form to receive free quotes from the professionals they choose.