15 March 2021
When managing directors Liam and Neal first discussed their vision for FirstLight Landscaping, they agreed that it was integral to both of them to do more than simply create another landscaping business. They wanted the gardens they created to actually improve the lives and well-being of their clients; they wanted to create unique landscapes that would capture the imagination of the clients, while tackling the tiniest practical details that many contractors skip.
Hundreds of gardens and projects later, it became clear how FirstLight would be able to ensure a perfect experience for every single client, every single time – instead of completing all kinds of projects large or small, we would exclusively offer a full garden build service, including initial design concepts. What does this mean for our new customers? And why have we chosen to make this adjustment? We thought we’d best write a post explaining why we’ve streamlined our services.
Garden design – why is it important?
Garden design isn’t a new service – we’ve been passionate about designing gardens for some time now. A garden design allows us to fully understand what you need from your space, and how you’ll be happiest in it. We can then create a few design concepts that consider your budget, your personal taste, and the aesthetic of the property. Once we’ve presented them to you, and you’ve settled on a design you really like and made any desired amendments, we then present the quotation for making your garden a reality. On occasion, we also collaborate with other garden designers.
Over our years of operation this has proven to be a very popular, successful service, and has led to the creation of some of our favourite outdoor spaces! We’ve found that overall, customers who have a professional design produced feel more involved in the entire process, and they appreciate the professional guidance of our garden designers. Many homeowners know how they’d like to use their garden, but they want a professional to suggest materials and features that would best achieve it, while sticking to their initial budget.
So, what’s changed?
Full Garden Design and Build
In the past, we’ve taken on smaller jobs (like small, paved areas, a single driveway, repair work, etc) as well as our more involved projects that include a design. While we’ve enjoyed this work, and the customers it’s enabled us to interact with, going forward we will exclusively specialise in Full Garden Design & Build projects, meaning we can be involved in the project from the very first point of contact, and see it through until its completion. We’ve decided to make this move for several reasons.
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We want to be able to create gardens that are absolutely perfect for their owners - designing them in-house enables us to do this!
We often have customers who come to us asking for certain garden features that are popular or have been recommended to them. Unfortunately, not all garden features are suitable for every garden, and in some cases, certain elements of a garden mean that a different feature or material is preferable. Additionally, some materials are simply more high maintenance than others, which suits some lifestyles and not others – some customers want to spend hours every day maintaining their garden, and some would rather it take as little upkeep as possible.
The nature of small projects mean that time is limited, and we might not be able to get to know enough about you and whether a specific feature or material would actually best meet your needs. Sometimes, we are asked about adding something specific to a person’s garden because a friend has recommended it to them, but on many occasions another feature would be better. We’re not interested in “one size fits all” solutions - we want to be able to take the time to recommend a perfect fit for you personally.
Put simply, a garden design allows us to get to know our customers first, understand their needs and personal style, and design and build a garden that’s absolutely perfect for them and their families.
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A design allows us to maximise space and minimise cost.
After a telephone consultation, one of our designers will visit you for an in-depth discussion of your garden, their aim being to create a design brief tailored to you, your needs, and your budget. While there, they measure your space, and use laser levels to create a detailed survey of your garden, which is then plotted into our digital design software to create a detailed digital map of your space.
This ‘map’ allows us to utilise your space in the most efficient and practical way, while also helping us to understand any obstacles we might come across in terms of land or level quality. Because we’re managing the project from beginning to end, we can be incredibly efficient when it comes to cost, time and project planning. We minimise any unnecessary fees that come from having your garden landscaped one section at a time, and quote you a price that is accurate, fair, and within your budget, with each part of the price being broken down into parts for transparency.
That’s not to say that smaller jobs without designs can’t be completed in this way, but as you can imagine, it’s much easier to control every aspect of the project when you’ve designed it yourself!
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Streamlining our services helps us give better customer service.
If you’re one of our customers who’s had a full design and build in the past (hats off to you for still keeping up to date with your landscaper), you might be wondering what’s changed?
In addition to the gardens we’ve designed, we’ve also been able to work on lots of smaller projects over the years – customers that want small parts of their gardens landscaping, or additional features without changing the entire space. We’ve loved every single project we’ve been able to be a part of, but we want to be able to offer amazing customer service to every person we speak to, even if they decide not to hire us.
Over the last couple of years, demand has grown exponentially, and each month we get hundreds of enquiries for consultations. We’re so very grateful to everyone that considers us to work on their home, but we’re not able to help or even respond to everyone that gets in touch and still give our clients the time and attention they deserve. By streamlining our services to full Garden Design & Build projects, and nothing else, we’re able to devote all of our time and attention to customers who are looking to design and landscape their entire garden, and give them our full attention right from the initial point of contact.
We understand this may be disappointing to those that were thinking of hiring us to landscape part of their garden, but we’re confident that our new approach will be much better for our customers in every way, and a fantastic customer experience has been our priority from FirstLight Landscaping’s conception.
How do I request a full Garden Design & Build?
Our contact page allows you to arrange a telephone consultation, and tell us a little more about what you’re looking for. To meet demand and ensure we’re able to contact everyone who gets in touch, we open up slots for consultations periodically, so please make a note of the date that pops up when you visit the page. These slots are given on a first come, first served basis, so act fast if you’d like to transform your space!
We look forward to hearing from you!