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Prepare for your Consultation

A Simple Checklist for a Productive First Visit

Before We Arrive

Think About What Isn’t Working

Walk through the space and notice where daily life gets awkward. Maybe water collects near the patio, a path is hard to navigate, the front beds have outgrown the house, or you never use a corner of the yard.

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Tell us what bothers you, even if you don’t know how to fix it. Those observations are often more useful than a proposed solution.

Picture How You Want to Use the Space​

Who uses the yard, and what would you like to do there? Think about pets, children, guests, gardening, quiet time, and the amount of upkeep you’re comfortable taking on.

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It also helps to name what you want to keep: a favorite tree, an established shrub, a view, or enough lawn for the dog.

Set a Comfortable Investment Range

A budget gives us a useful starting point for discussing materials, scale, and priorities. You don’t need an exact number. If you have a range in mind, share it with us.

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If the full project needs to happen in stages, tell us that too. We can discuss what should come first and how early work can support later phases.

Gather Inspiration, If You Have It

Get on Pinterest.

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Do an AI design.

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Go on a walk in the neighborhood.

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Text or email us images.

 

Inspiration is optional. We can start with the yard in front of us.

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A Quick Checklist

 

Before your appointment, consider:

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  • What are the three things you most want to change?

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  • What should stay?

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  • How do you want to use the space?

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  • How much maintenance feels realistic?

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  • Do you have a comfortable budget range or a preferred way to phase the work?

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  • Are there drainage issues, buried systems, access limits, or neighborhood requirements we should know about?

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You don’t need every answer. Bring what you know, show us the yard, and we’ll work through the rest together.

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Ready to get started? Book a consultation with La Madrina Landscape.

The Day of Your Consultation

We’ll walk the property with you, ask about your goals, and look at the site conditions that shape the project.

 

Depending on the scope, we may take photos and measurements and talk through possible approaches, priorities, and next steps.

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The consultation is the beginning of the design conversation. Detailed layouts, plant selections, construction specifications, and firm pricing depend on the work needed to develop the plan and scope.

Make the Areas Accessible​

Unlock gates we’ll need and make sure we can walk the areas you want to discuss. You don’t need to clean up the whole yard. We want to see how it actually functions.

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If you know about buried irrigation, invisible fencing, private utility lines, drainage pipes, or past repairs, let us know. These  affect the planning.

Have the Decision-Makers Join Us

​If someone else shares decisions about the property or budget, it helps to have them at the consultation.

 

We can hear everyone’s priorities at once and address differences early.

Show us the Problems

Point out where water stands after rain, where plants struggle, which routes you naturally take across the yard, and what changes with the seasons.

 

Photos or videos taken during a storm can be especially helpful when a drainage problem isn’t visible on the day we visit.

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