About Us
Silver Spring Landscape Architects
We are commercial landscape architects who feed our love for the garden through our residential designs—beautiful and long-lasting landscapes.
Craig Richmond Landscape Architects specializes in the best sustainable landscape design in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. We take pride in working with our clients to understand their project needs. We are landscape renovation specialists with extensive new construction experience.
The principal landscape architect has designed many public and private projects, including streetscapes, university campuses, high schools, commercial buildings, parks, apartments, and single-family residences. We provide our clients with detailed residential landscape designs and professional commercial landscape design services.
Meet the Principal Landscape Architect
As a Principal, Craig is responsible for all project phases through its life cycle, from the earliest planning and programming through the final construction. With over thirty years of experience in commercial and residential landscape design, he has always been committed to providing the best landscape design service.
Education: the University of Texas at Arlington, BSLA
Registration: Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
IQ Landscape Architects, Project Manager/Office Manager, New York, NY
Retnauer Design Associates, Project Manager, St. James, NY
Diversified Technology Consultants, Project Manager, North Haven, CT
Landplan Engineering, Project Manager, Lawrence, KS
The Outside In, Commercial Landscape Architects, Cleveland, OH
AFFILIATIONS
American Society of Landscape Architects – Member
The Cultural Landscape Foundation – Member
ACE Mentors NYC – Mentor
Choose Your Design Package
Let us help you to create your dream landscape!
Luxury Landscape Architecture
This service level is primarily for commercial or large, complex residential projects and clients who want the landscape architect to spend more time on the site.
Includes the following phases:
Site Reconnaissance
Site Analysis and Concept Development
Design Development
Construction Documents and Permit Drawings
Bid Services
Construction Administration (twelve 1-hour site visits)
Landscape Maintenance Plan
Complete Landscape Architecture
Our complete package is our most popular service level. It covers the most essential phases of the project. It’s the minimum required to get competitive bids, project approval, and build.
Includes the following phases:
Site Reconnaissance
Site Analysis and Concept Development
Development
Construction Documents and Permit Drawings
Construction Administration (four 1-hour site visits)
Sustainable Planting Plan
Includes the following phases: Site Reconnaissance Site Analysis and Concept Development Design Development Final Planting Plan Construction Administration (two 1-hour site visits)
Concept / Master Plan
Includes the following phases: Site Reconnaissance Site Analysis and Concept Development Color Rendered Final Master Plan
We believe in using fewer chemicals and treading as lightly as possible on the land. Doing less damage in construction means less ground to repair and revegetate.
Reckless use of chemicals throws off nature’s balance, leading to more chemicals to fix the damage, and the cycle continues.
The bottom line is that doing less destruction will save you more money regarding the landscape. Let us guide you through the process from concept to completion to maintenance.
For commercial or residential landscape design, our office produces the best designs. Ask about our green roof designs.
We are residential and commercial landscape architects who care about the environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answer: That’s a complicated answer because it depends on what is involved and how large the property is. It will cost more if clients want waterfalls, custom pergolas, reflection pools, and outdoor entertainment areas. But, to give you an idea, a design for a front walk, stoop, and plantings for a small residence would start at $1,500.
That would include an initial meeting, concept drawings, a presentation, a revision, construction drawings, and a site meeting with the contractor. Generally speaking, the design fee is a small percentage of a project like the one described above. That’s a small price to pay for three decades of experience.
Answer: A complete landscape design for a residential project’s front and rear yards typically takes two to three weeks per phase. Those phases consist of concept drawings, design development, and construction drawings.
Generally, it is a good idea to plan to complete the process in two to three months. This gives plenty of time for meetings and revisions.
Whether it’s a small residential plan or a professional commercial landscape design, you want the designer to give it adequate thought.
Landscape architects do landscape design. There are some extremely skilled landscape designers out there. Most landscape architecture firms have them on staff.
The difference is committing to get the degree, completing the internship, taking the national exam, and passing.
When hiring a professional to design your landscape project on the property you worked hard to get, you want one at the top of their game. You want someone licensed in the District or your state.
Don’t just take our word for it. This is what the American Society of Landscape Architects has to say.
Answer: Yes. Many clients we work with do exterior home improvements with their bonus pay or when their budget allows. We can design a phased landscape plan that the client can do in a sequence that doesn’t waste materials.
Answer: We are licensed to practice in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
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Social Media/Facebook Feed
Chaos is what every landscape architect wants to see when he drives up to a site for construction administration. One contractor is pouring concrete steps while another is installing plantings and sod. This image does not show the construction sequence of a commercial project, as my college professors taught it. This practice of forcing the completion of a project regardless of the weather is almost always a loser. They had a lot of rain before finishing the site work, so the contractor rushed the landscape installation, and many plants suffered as a result. I will never understand why so many owner/developers spend tens of thousands of dollars on trees and shrubs, only to let them die before one full growing season. I've had two projects in the last five years or so that installed over half a million dollars in plants, and the property owners didn't even hire a landscape maintenance company until months into their first growing season, after weeds had taken over the planting beds. I guess crappy installations and no maintenance are the new normal. It's weird because landscape architects are supposed to look out for their clients' best interests.
Chaos is what every landscape architect wants to see when he drives up to a site for construction administration. One contractor is pouring concrete steps while another is installing plantings and sod. This image does not show the construction sequence of a commercial project, as my college professors taught it. This practice of forcing the completion of a project regardless of the weather is almost always a loser. They had a lot of rain before finishing the site work, so the contractor rushed the landscape installation, and many plants suffered as a result. I will never understand why so many owner/developers spend tens of thousands of dollars on trees and shrubs, only to let them die before one full growing season. I've had two projects in the last five years or so that installed over half a million dollars in plants, and the property owners didn't even hire a landscape maintenance company until months into their first growing season, after weeds had taken over the planting beds. I guess crappy installations and no maintenance are the new normal. It's weird because landscape architects are supposed to look out for their clients' best interests.
I know the easy thing to do is to plant three 'Emerald Green' Arborvitae for screening and call it a day. But I try to give my clients more than the first thing that pops into my head. I always try to screen unsightly utilities in a way that doesn't look like I'm screening them. One way or another, I'm going to have to come up with something for these solar system beauties. At least they're not painted neon orange. Proudly serving DC, MD, and VA Call: 301-920-0424 landarch1.com
