Your consultation includes discussions on the following:

Assessment of your overall property. We will walk your property together, discuss your long-term goals and vision, and address any concerns you may have. So, have your list of questions ready!

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Typical conversations include:

• Overall property layout. This can be the difference between success and failure.

• What is your personal time commitment to maintaining your property?

• How and where to construct your garden or orchard – be in control of what you are putting in your body, not to mention the significant savings that come from growing your own food.

• Planting trees and shrubs that have the highest percentage of survival with the least amount of stress. Choosing the right plants for our area is key. This includes water-wise native landscapes.

• Fencing – keeping livestock in and/or people and deer out.

• Privacy borders – are messy or difficult neighbors an issue?

• Irrigation – water is getting more and more expensive. Save money by designing your systems efficiently. Even small inefficiencies can cost you a lot of money.

• Fire protection – insurance companies in the foothills can rob you of your retirement. Be ready when they visit.

• Deer-proofing. There is no reason to spend $400 at the nursery just to have your local deer population treat your plants like a buffet. I have purchased and planted many plants from nurseries that had the deer-resistant icon on them, only to find out that the deer loved them!

• Clay/rock solutions – soil is definitely an issue here. There are ways to make it work for you.

• Options for gopher, vole, and mole eradication – these guys can ruin your landscape and cause a lot of stress.

• How and where to construct a livestock area. Raising livestock is a lot of work if done improperly, but there is a huge upside if done correctly.

• Safe ways to eradicate star thistle and other nasty weeds. Don’t poison yourself or all of the wonderful little creatures that make foothill life wonderful. There are safe and easy options.

• Insight into owner-building in EDC. Before I was a licensed Landscape Contractor, I built two homes and a barn for myself and my family as an owner-builder with the County. This saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is not for everyone, but it is definitely worth exploring.

• Identifying projects that will result in endless time and money commitments over the years to come. An example is a huge lawn that requires constant mowing and watering to look good – especially as water prices and weekly yard maintenance costs will surely increase in the future, while your energy level may not.

• ANYTHING that concerns you.

When we are all finished – usually within 1–2 hours – I will email you a review of our meeting, along with any recommendations I believe will benefit you moving forward.

Also included with your review will be:

A list of reputable contractors in our area who can accomplish your project(s). I have worked with many excellent and competent contractors over the past 50 years in our area, and I have also worked with some horrible ones. This is an area that is critical. Picking the wrong contractor can drain your budget and create all kinds of problems.

The ultimate choice, however, will always be yours. As a retired contractor, I can give you ballpark figures for what you might expect to pay when hiring contractors to complete your project(s). I wish I had this wisdom when I was making decisions. I would have saved a lot of time, money, and grief.

And more as needed for your specific project.