Below are two examples of “quick and dirty” photo simulations that we recently completed on fast turnaround schedules.  We also have the capability in our office to do larger and much more detailed and elaborate simulations, as well as 3D graphics through a talented outside consultant.  If you are looking for an effective way to communicate your design concept this may be a great solution- just give us a call!

Related Posts:

• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Outdoor Design Group Designing Landscape for New Assisted Living Project
• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• Save Money and Water by Converting Sod to Xeriscape
• Interview with Urban Design Podcast about Site Renovations

photo of a converted xeriscape that was previously a lawn area

The City of Aurora, Colorado and Aurora Water have been pioneers in water conservation through supporting regionally appropriate landscape design.  Outdoor Design Group has been actively involved with the program for the last couple of years.  For 2010, the Xeriscape Rebate program has been allocated $250,000 dollars for rebates to convert high water use landscapes (sod, turf, or lawn) to Xeriscape. 

In past posts on this blog, I have documented the money and water savings and given examples of the beauty of these landscapes.  Each site is different, but in general you can expect a reduction in irrigation water use of 30-70%, and a 20-40% reduction of landscape maintenance costs.  This is a great opportunity for HOA’s, commercial properties, and homeowners to achieve long-term savings, in addition to acquiring the rebates.

Here are some key aspects of the 2010 program, from Aurora Water’s website:

• Xeriscape is a great landscape option for our climate because of its reduced watering needs and ability to tolerate periods of drought.
• In addition to decreased water consumption and resilience to drought, Xeriscape has the potential to significantly decrease time and resources expended on maintenance.
• Aurora Water customers interested in Xeriscape as a landscape alternative may be eligible for a rebate of up to $1 per square foot for turf grass that is replaced with low water use plant material.
• $250,000 has been allocated for the 2010 season. The maximum square footage (rebate) is $10,000 for residential and $25,000 for commercial and large properties such as Homeowner’s Associations and multi-family dwellings.

For commercial and large properties such as home owners associations- the program requires that you haver a plan prepared by a licensed landscape architect.  This is a good idea anyway, as a landscape architect can help you prepare a budget and phasing for the project before you commit to a contractor to do the installation.  Landscape architects are also good at communicating what the new landscape will look like- through the use of plans, photos, drawings, and presentations.

Aurora is an ideal community for a rebate program like this, because there are many older landscapes were built in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, and are ready for a renovation simply to update the look of outdated properties.  Although most new landscape codes mandate low water use landscaping, that was not the case in the past-  many older landscapes were designed in a way that requires large amounts of water and maintenance.

But Aurora is far from alone in offering this type of program.  Water supplies are stretched extremely thin throughout most of the Western United States.  A simple Google search for “Xeriscape rebate” brings up 26,400 results.  Similar programs exist throughout Colorado, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and elsewhere.

Related Posts:

• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• Save Money and Water by Converting Sod to Xeriscape
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• How Much of my Water Goes Toward Irrigating my Landscaping?
• Collecting Rainwater Still Illegal in Much of Colorado

This $400,000 project entailed correcting some serious drainage problems and replacing outdated high water-use landscaping with new low water-use landscaping as part of Aurora’s Xeriscape Rebate Program.  Outdoor Design Group worked with the HOA to design the improvements, submit plans to the City for approval, and apply for the Xeriscape rebate.  We then worked with the general contractor in the field on the re-grading of large areas, piping of downspouts, and the creation of drainage swales.  Finally, we provided bid procurement services for installation of the approved landscape and irrigation design, and worked closely in the field with the selected landscape contractor to complete the project.

Through careful planning, design, and coordination, we were able to obtain the maximum possible Xeriscape rebate for the HOA while reducing the water-use and associated costs by over 60%.  The maintenance costs for the landscaping are expected to be reduced by 20-40% with the new low-maintenance approach.

Related Posts:

• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Save Money and Water by Converting Sod to Xeriscape
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• How Much of my Water Goes Toward Irrigating my Landscaping?
• Going from “builder bushes” to an Attractive and Unique Landscape

The plain old high-maintenance traditional landscape is on the left, and the same property is shown on the right after one of our renovations using a Xeriscape approach.  The finished product has numerous beautiful flowering shrubs and perennials, ornamental grasses, and trees that will continue to grow over the next couple of seasons into an attractive and lush landscape.

What are the other advantages, you ask, and how does this save money?

* As an example, we have estimated the first phase of the project above will save over 380,000 gallons of water per year, at a savings of   over $6,000 per year.  Thats a lot of water.
* For the entire property, we estimate a potential savings of  4,500,000 gallons of water a year, at a savings of over $31,000 per year!  ~Now, that is a LOT of water!
* We have found that Xeriscape vs. sod has a 20-40% reduction in maintenance costs (aside from the water savings).  It turns out that all of that weekly mowing, trimming, aerating, thatching, fertilizing, etc. and all the gas required for the equipment to maintain large areas of sod can really add up.  The Xeriscape, by comparison requires little maintenance (more on that in a future blog post).
* Ask any engineer and they will tell you putting water around the foundations of buildings, onto parking lots, retaining walls (almost anything) will lead to structural failures in freeze/thaw climates.  Eliminating the need for all that watering is a good idea.
* Drought-  Colorado had a big one from 2000-2003.  California is experiencing one now.  There will be more, and when they hit do you really want to pay twice as much for extra irrigation water, or watch sod go brown due to watering restrictions?  Xeriscape can handle drought much better, and is more adapted overall to our arid climate.
* Many water districts, cities, and municipalities are offering sizable rebates to convert to lower water-use landscapes.

Don’t get me wrong-  some areas of bluegrass sod are fine.  Everyone loves to step barefoot onto some freshly mowed grass!  And you can’t beat the green color-  That’s why in our designs we locate appropriate areas for sod where they will have the most impact, where people can enjoy them, and where they can be easily maintained.  But sod on a south-facing slope in full sun that bakes to a crisp is no good-  and have you ever stepped barefoot onto a sodded parking lot island?  Me neither.

With the right planning and design guidance, these same principles can be applied to properties of any size- from small residences to large office parks.  For some great examples of how this can be applied to different types of properties, see our case studies for commercial, multi-family HOA, single-family HOA, metro districts, and office properties.

Related Posts:

• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• How Much of my Water Goes Toward Irrigating my Landscaping?
• What Not to Do – Turfgrass in Parking Lot Islands

Related Posts:

• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Outdoor Design Group Designing Landscape for New Assisted Living Project
• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• Save Money and Water by Converting Sod to Xeriscape
• Going from “builder bushes” to an Attractive and Unique Landscape

Notice the overgrown and poorly placed shrubs that the builder had originally put in (in the “before” slides).  Not much thought went into the original plant selection.  I can’t blame the builder entirely, as they typically hire a landscape company to knock out a bunch of inexpensive landscapes in one fell swoop.  But this goes to show that a poor landscape design can have a negative lasting impact on a builder/developer’s image.  It may have looked OK the day it was installed, but they chose plants that were too large for the space- not to mention downright boring.  A couple of rows of 4 shrubs of the same species doesn’t cut it if you want to be competitive today with buyers and homeowners.

With our help, the owners now have a well thought-out landscape that will also require less maintenance and water.  No more mowing and trimming all that sod right up against the back fence-  instead they can enjoy plantings and a water feature to look at out their back window and from their deck!

Related Posts:

• Arvada Residential Landscape Makeover
• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• Scenes from a Colorado Garden – June 2010
• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Collecting Rainwater Still Illegal in Much of Colorado