The Three Steps
Simple Process, Stunning Results
Every project follows the same flow. The only thing that changes is how big the transformation gets.
1
Quick Call
Ten-minute conversation with John to understand your vision, your timeline, and confirm we’re the right fit before anyone drives anywhere.
2
Design Visit
John walks your property in person. Takes measurements, listens to what you’ve been picturing, and gives you a real plan with real numbers.
3
Your Paradise
Three to four weeks from start to finish for most transformations. Same crew on site every day. No subcontractor surprises.
Step 1: The first phone call
Every project we’ve ever finished started with a ten-minute call.
You call (860)329-2014. John picks up or calls you back within a few hours. He’ll ask you four or five questions: where the property is, what you’ve been thinking about, roughly when you’d want the work done, and whether you have a budget range in mind. You’ll ask whatever you want to ask. The whole thing takes about ten minutes.
By the end of that call, both of us will know whether we’re the right fit. If we are, we book a property visit. If we’re not, John will tell you honestly and usually point you toward someone who is. That’s it. No quote on the phone. No pressure to schedule. No follow-up calls from a salesperson you’ve never met.
What to have ready for the call
Nothing. You don’t need plans. You don’t need budget numbers. You don’t need to know what you want. John will ask the questions that pull the picture out of you. The best calls are the ones where someone says, “I don’t really know what I want, I just know my backyard isn’t doing anything for me.”
What you’ll get on the call
● An honest read on whether your project is in our wheelhouse
● A rough sense of timeline based on the current build calendar
● A rough sense of budget range based on what you described
● Clear next step if we’re moving forward, or a referral if we’re not
Step 2: The design visit
Once we’ve decided we’re a fit, John drives to your property. The visit takes about an hour. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more if the project is complicated.
He walks the entire backyard with you. He takes measurements, photographs every angle that matters, looks at the grade, the drainage, where the sun lands at different times of day, the existing plants and trees, and where the equipment will need to come and go. He’ll ask you to walk him through the way you imagine using the space. Where the kids play. Where you entertain. Where you sit with coffee on a Saturday morning. The picture takes shape from there.
By the end of the visit, you’ll know:
● What we’d build and roughly where it would go
● What materials we’d use and why
● What the project will likely cost, in real numbers
● When we could start
● Whether the project would benefit from a real to-scale blueprint before we build
About the blueprint
For projects over $5,000 or for backyards with a lot of moving parts, John will usually recommend getting a real to-scale blueprint done before any contract is signed. The blueprint is an actual professionally-drafted drawing. It shows you, on paper, exactly what your transformed backyard will look like. Where every plant goes, where every stone sits, what the materials are, what the dimensions are.
John works with Aaron, a landscape architect at Mapletree Nursery. Aaron handles the blueprint directly with you. He bills hourly at $150 an hour, so most blueprints land between $350 and $600 depending on how complicated the design is. You pay Aaron directly. The blueprint is yours to keep, regardless of who ends up building the project.
Why we recommend the blueprint
The blueprint is your insurance policy. It tells the contractor who, what, when, where and why is going to happen on your property. When you compare quotes from different builders, you’re comparing apples to apples instead of guessing whether one quote is for bluestone and another is for cheap concrete pavers. It also lets you sequence the project over time, so you can do a retaining wall this year and a fireplace next year without painting yourself into a corner.
Step 3: The build
Once the design is locked in and the contract is signed, we book your dates on the build calendar. For most projects we can start within two to six weeks, depending on the season.
What the actual work looks like
The same three-to-four-person crew shows up every day. John is on site for the critical phases personally: layout, hardscape installation, water feature plumbing, fire feature wiring, finish work. The branded truck and trailer are in the driveway. The equipment matches the job, which usually means a skid steer, a mini excavator, a stone trailer, and whatever specialty tools the build needs.
Most transformations finish in three to four weeks. A simple patio might wrap in a week and a half. A full backyard build with water features, retaining walls and lighting can run six to eight weeks. The timeline goes in the contract on day one and we hit it.
The contract itemizes everything
Every contract we send has the scope spelled out in detail. Not “patio installation.” Instead: 480 square feet of Techo-Bloc Blu 60 in Champlain Grey, set on a 6-inch base of compacted 3/4 inch crushed stone, edged with Pavetech edging restraint and joint-stabilized with polymeric sand. The retaining wall isn’t “stone wall.” It’s “32 linear feet of Belgard Diamond Pro in Pewter Blend, set on a compacted base with embedded geogrid every two courses.” If we’re planting, every plant is listed by species and size.
This isn’t paranoia. It’s the difference between a project that finishes clean and a project that ends in a dispute. When you sign the contract, you know exactly what we’re building. When we hand you the keys, you know exactly what you got.
Communication during the build
You’ll hear from John at least every other day during the build. If you want daily updates, you’ll get daily updates. If you want to be left alone and just see the finished thing, that works too. We send progress photos. We flag anything that comes up. We tell you the moment something might change the timeline.
Step 4: After the build
The work doesn’t end on the last day.
Once everything is built, we walk the property with you. You point out anything that doesn’t look right, we fix it on the spot. We show you how to maintain the water feature for the season. We make sure you know where the lighting transformer is and how the timer works. We leave you the contract, the materials list, and warranty information.
After that, you have John’s cell phone number. If something settles, if a stone moves, if a joint opens up, you call. We come back and fix it. There’s no separate service department to navigate. There’s no extra invoice. It’s part of how we work.
The long-term relationship
A lot of our clients hire us a second time. Sometimes a third. The first project is the patio. Two years later it’s the boulder wall. Three years after that it’s the lighting system. We’re happy to work that way. If your dream backyard is a five-year build done in sections, we’ll plan it that way from the blueprint phase forward. Ten thousand dollars this year, ten thousand next year, that’s fine. The plan stays consistent so we’re not redoing work later.
What happens when you call
If you’ve read this far, the next step is the ten-minute phone call.
Call (860)329-2014 between Monday and Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. If John doesn’t pick up, he’s almost always on a property somewhere. He’ll get back to you that day or the next morning. Saturdays are by appointment if needed.
Start with the ten-minute call.
Tell John what you have in mind. He’ll tell you straight whether we’re the right fit.