L-101Landscape & exterior design
Landscape and exterior design, developed with the home
Native Plans draws outdoor living spaces, hardscape, planting and exterior materials from the same footprint and finished floor heights as the plan set. For builders and developers in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, that means landscape design developed with the home, so the site and the house agree before anything is poured.
L-102Why it matters in the field
The site gets designed one way or another.
- 01
Outdoor living with the rough-ins in place
Outdoor kitchens and fireplaces are drawn with the house, so gas, power and footings are planned before the slab is poured.
- 02
Hardscape that meets the house
Steps, landings and porch edges are set to the finished floor, so nothing ends in an odd riser.
- 03
Quantities you can bid
Pavers, fencing and plantings are measured on the plan, so landscape bids compare like for like.
L-103What's in the set
What's in the landscape design set.
Scope is set for each project and site. An exterior set can include:
| Sheet | Drawing | What your team gets |
|---|---|---|
| L-101 | Landscape site plan | Hardscape, lawn, beds, fencing and outdoor rooms laid out around the house on your survey. |
| L-201 | Hardscape and materials | Hardscape design for driveways, walks, patios, walls and steps, with material direction and quantities. |
| L-301 | Planting plan | Trees, shrubs and bed layouts chosen for the site, the exposure and the budget. |
| L-401 | Outdoor living | Outdoor living design for covered porches, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and pool decks, coordinated with the plan set. |
| L-501 | Exterior transitions | Where house meets site: steps, landings, porch edges and material changes. |
NoteGrading, drainage and pool engineering come from licensed specialists. Native Plans provides the design only; the builder's trades install it.
L-104Plan and visualization
The landscape plan, then the back yard.
The LSCP sheet lays out the pool deck, the paver runs, the planting beds and the fence line in plan. The visualization beside it shows the back of the house with the pool deck, the lawn, the beds and the fence in place, so you can check the plan against the picture.
The Forest Lawn LSCP sheet, and a visualization of the rear landscape.
L-105Coordination
One site plan, one plan set.
The landscape plan starts from the same footprint, porch slabs and finished floor heights as the plan set. Exterior materials such as brick, stone and pavers are chosen with the interiors palette, so the house and the property read as one.
L-106Scope by project type
Front yards, back yards and whole streets.
- 01
Custom
Outdoor rooms designed around how the owner will live on the property: the porch, the pool deck, the view from the kitchen.
- 02
Spec
A front yard that sells the house from the street and a rear yard that shows well, at a cost that fits the sale price.
- 03
Infill and community
Fencing, walks, planting and shared edges designed across lots, so the street reads as a set and the site work can be bid together.
L-101From the Forest Lawn set
The Forest Lawn landscape set.
The landscape plan for Forest Lawn lays out the pool deck, the motor court, 1,540 SF of driveway pavers and 388′ of cedar fence, with oak, olive and crape myrtle over pine straw beds. The covered rear porch, with its outdoor kitchen and fireplace, was drawn with the house.
L-107Questions
Questions about the site.
Do you install landscaping, or design only?
Design only. Native Plans produces the landscape and exterior design and the drawings your landscape contractor bids and builds from. Installation is by the builder's or owner's contractor.
What's the difference between a landscape designer and a landscape architect?
Landscape architecture is a licensed profession in Tennessee, and only licensed professionals can use the title landscape architect. A landscape designer plans outdoor spaces, planting and hardscape without that license.
Native Plans provides landscape and exterior design for residential projects. We are not landscape architects. Some work, such as certain grading and drainage design, can require a licensed landscape architect or civil engineer. Requirements vary by project and jurisdiction, so confirm them with your local building department; how that work is handled is agreed in the scope for each project.
How much does landscape design cost?
Native Plans prices landscape design as part of the project after a first conversation. The quote is built from the size of the site, how much hardscape and outdoor living is involved, how detailed the planting plan needs to be and whether the landscape is designed with the house or after it.
Designing it with the house means the outdoor kitchen, porch slabs and drainage are planned before anything is poured.
When should landscape and exterior design start?
With the house plans. Porch slabs, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, pool decks and driveways all touch the foundation, the utilities and the grading, and they're cheapest to change on paper. We start the landscape plan from the same footprint as the plan set.
Can we hire Native Plans for just one service?
Yes. You can hire Native Plans for residential plans, interior design systems, or landscape and exterior design on their own.
The coordination benefit is biggest when all three are drawn together. If splitting the work between consultants is likely to leave a gap on your project, we'll point it out when we scope it.
Design the site with the house.
Tell us about the lot, the house and the outdoor spaces you have in mind. We'll recommend an exterior scope. The earlier we see the lot, the more of it gets settled before the foundation goes in.