01 · I
Residential
ESTATE TO TOWN LOT · 0.25 — 12 AC
I.THE PRACTICE · THREE SCOPES
VOL. III · MAY 2026
Three
scopes.
Twelve commissions a year, no more. Every project sits on one of three scopes — Master Plan, Design + Build, or Year-round Stewardship. The boundaries keep the practice readable; the readability is the practice.
I.
SAMPLE WORK · PLATE 07
Linden Court
OAKLAND HILLS · 0.62 AC · MASTER PLAN 2024
II.SCOPE I · MASTER PLAN ONLY
$28,000 — $48,000 · 10 — 14 WEEKS
Master plan only
A drawing set, a plant schedule, a contractor of your choosing.
When you have your own builder. When the build will happen in three years. When you want a binding plan that anyone can build to. Topographic survey through schematic plan and sections, all the way to a 30 percent construction-document set. The drawings are precise enough that a competent contractor can take them and build to specification. Most Scope I clients return for Scope II within four years; some never do, and the plans hold up.
Range
$28,000 — $48,000
Timeline
10 — 14 weeks
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Topographic survey · arborist consult
- Schematic site plan + sections
- Plant schedule · Latin names · sourcing notes
- Material specification · provenance noted
- Construction documents at 30%
- Two principal walks · one design review
THE METHOD · SCOPE I
How the project moves.
- 01
Two principal walks
We walk the site twice, two weeks apart, in different weather. Survey already underway.
- 02
Schematic at four weeks
Pencil over the survey. Sections and plant masses, no species yet. We talk before we draw harder.
- 03
Design review
One sit-down at week eight. Adjust scope; specify plants. Material samples on the table.
- 04
Plan set delivered
PDF + roll-set + plant schedule. A name on every drawing, a section through every grade change.
II.
SAMPLE WORK · PLATE 08
Cane House
MILL VALLEY · 1.4 AC · DESIGN + BUILD 2023
III.SCOPE II · DESIGN + BUILD
$180,000 — $1.4M · 9 — 18 MONTHS
Design + build
We design it, we build it. One studio, one foreperson, one warranty.
Most Verdant projects. When you want one phone number for the duration. When you want the people who drew it to be the people who plant it. Single point of accountability through schematic, design development, construction documents, permitting, and build with our own foreperson teams. The crew that pours your terrace is the crew that plants the bay laurel two seasons later. Year-one warranty on every plant and every material.
Range
$180,000 — $1.4M
Timeline
9 — 18 months
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Everything in Master Plan
- Construction documents · 100%
- Permit handling · all jurisdictions
- Build · own foreperson teams
- Year-one plant + material warranty
- Spring + autumn return walk · year one
THE METHOD · SCOPE II
How the project moves.
- 01
Discover · weeks 0 — 8
Survey, soil, water, sun. Two principal walks. The brief becomes a drawing.
- 02
Design · weeks 8 — 24
Schematic to design development. Material samples; mock-ups on site for any custom hardscape.
- 03
Document · weeks 24 — 36
Construction documents at 100%. Permits filed. Bid packages to specialty trades; we pour our own concrete.
- 04
Build · months 9 — 14
Foreperson on site daily. Photos every Friday. Plant schedule revised in field as the trees arrive.
- 05
Hand-off · year one
Spring walk to confirm establishment. Autumn walk before first dormancy. Stewardship optional from there.
III.
SAMPLE WORK · PLATE 09
The Coppice
BERKELEY · 0.41 AC · STEWARDED SINCE 2019
IV.SCOPE III · YEAR-ROUND STEWARDSHIP
$680 — $4,200 / MO · ONGOING · 12-MONTH COMMITMENT
Year-round stewardship
The garden after the build. The gardener who knew it from the first drawing.
After we build. Or for a garden someone else built that needs adopting. Most stewardship clients are with us four years and counting. Monthly visits in the growing season, quarterly in winter. Annual photographic review, plant census, replacement and pruning plans. We don't sell mow-and-blow service; we tend the gardens we drew. Adopt-a-garden engagements are accepted on a case-by-case basis.
Range
$680 — $4,200 / mo
Timeline
Ongoing · 12-month commitment
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Monthly visit · April — October
- Quarterly visit · November — March
- Plant replacement · year-one no charge
- Annual review · photographs + plant census
- Direct line to the foreperson
- Coordination with arborists, irrigation specialists
THE METHOD · SCOPE III
How the project moves.
- 01
Spring · April
Walk the garden after dormancy. Replace winter losses. Soil amendments. Plant census update.
- 02
Summer · June — September
Establishment irrigation if year one or two. Editing — moving plants that aren't thriving where they sit.
- 03
Autumn · October
Pruning chapter for hardwoods. Bulb planting if specified. Mulch refresh on bed margins.
- 04
Winter · December
Annual review delivered: photographs, plant census, recommendations, next-year scope.
V.TYPOLOGIES · SCOPE II
FOUR DESIGN VOCABULARIES
Four
vocabularies.
Within Scope II, projects fall into four design vocabularies. The vocabulary is a starting point for the brief; the brief is a starting point for the drawing. The drawing is unique to the site.
02 · II
Naturalistic
DROUGHT-RESILIENT · BAY-AREA NATIVE
03 · III
Mediterranean
OLIVE · STONE · TERRACE
04 · IV
Restoration
EXISTING GARDENS · ADOPTING + EDITING
VI.PRACTICE NOTES · BOUNDARIES
Three
boundaries.
- i.
Three scopes, no others.
We don't offer maintenance-only without a design relationship, and we don't offer build-only. Every project sits on one of the three above; the boundary keeps the practice readable.
- ii.
We turn down work.
Roughly half of inquiries don't lead to a project. Sites under a quarter acre, sites with extreme HOA constraints, sites where the budget is below the threshold — we'll point you to peers. The honesty is part of the work.
- iii.
Eight people. Twelve commissions a year.
Two principals, three foreperson leads, two designers, one project manager. The cap on commissions is the cap on quality; we won't double the studio to triple the throughput.
VII.PLATES FROM THE FIELD · 06 — 12
SIX PROJECTS · CLICK FOR THE FULL PLATE
