Design & Build FAQs

It starts with a design consultation, and you’re under no obligation to proceed. Call (425) 885-5678 or request a consultation online, and we’ll arrange the first call and your site visit. Ranges come up on that first call, and a proposal follows the visit, good for 30 days.

We price most jobs as a fixed quote, so the risk of a cost overrun sits with us, not you, and you can plan around a number that holds. The only exception is what nobody could reasonably see coming, like obstructions underground or weather that stops work; those we discuss with you first and handle as a change order. Your estimate is organized by area and by phase, so you can see what each part of the yard costs. For complex projects, or whenever you ask, we present the proposal at a second meeting; otherwise we walk you through it by phone or video call.

Yes. If the full plan is more than you want to take on at once, we split it into phases that build in the right order. If you’d rather build it all at once, we offer financing; see our Financing FAQs for how it works.

Your garden is designed, built and cared for by Classic employees; we bring in licensed specialists only when a job needs one. Every designer on our team holds a degree in landscape design or landscape architecture, so the plants in your design are chosen to hold up here. Classic started in 1985 as a nursery on Avondale Road in Redmond, and the landscaping business grew out of it. We no longer run a nursery, but we still choose plants the way nursery people do.

Yes, and the site shapes the design from the first visit. On steep lots, slopes and retaining walls get engineered whenever the site requires it. We don’t take drainage-only jobs; we design where the water goes into the whole landscape. We know which work needs a permit, and we design within permit-free limits when that serves your project.

The plants we install are guaranteed for one year, as long as a working irrigation system waters them. When a variety’s chance of failing is too high, we usually plant it without the guarantee, to keep the cost manageable.

We design and build patios and walkways, retaining walls and steps, paver driveways, fire pits and fire features, water features and fountains, landscape lighting, irrigation, planting beds, rain gardens, and sod and new lawns. We also build pergolas, arbors and other outdoor structures from our preferred partner’s designs. Decks and fences are part of larger landscape projects, not standalone jobs. Drainage is designed into the landscape as part of the project.

We install sod and new lawns as part of Design & Build projects, and sod gives you a green, walkable lawn almost immediately. Our focus is natural planting that holds up to shade, dogs and the wet months. If artificial turf is the main thing you want, we’ll refer you to a company that specializes in it.

When the build is done, you can move straight onto our maintenance program, with the same company that built it. We design every landscape to be easier to maintain, so it costs less to look after. Maintenance is available in the cities and areas on our Service Area page; see our Maintenance FAQs for what’s included.

Any time of year. Every season has its own reason to start a project. Tell us when you’d like to be using the yard, and we’ll walk you through what the design and build calendar allows. Call (425) 885-5678 or request a consultation online to begin.

Your proposal is good for 30 days from the date we send it. That gives you time to review the scope, talk it over with your household and ask us questions. Call (425) 885-5678 with anything you want to go over while you decide.

A rain garden is a shallow planted bed, often near a downspout, that takes roof or driveway water after a storm, fills, then drains and looks like a garden again. It suits a yard where water needs a home. We build rain gardens as part of the wider landscape, not as a standalone job.

There are seven steps: consultation, defining the scope of work, project onboarding, design and planning, specification and sourcing, installation, and a walkthrough with final touches. The walkthrough at the end makes sure every detail is complete before we call the project done.

Yes. If you have your own design, we collaborate directly with your preferred landscape designer and build from it. The consultation is complimentary, and it’s where we talk about your vision. Call (425) 885-5678 or request a consultation online to set it up.

We build boulder fountains, stone wall fountains and streams, sized to the space, from a small bubbling stone beside a chair to a feature that anchors the whole back garden. A fountain beside the patio also covers traffic noise, and from the kitchen window it gives you something to look at.

Yes, we pull the permits. Because the effort varies a lot from one project to the next, we bill permit work by the hour. We know which work needs a permit, and we design within permit-free limits when that serves your project.

We build retaining walls and steps in natural stone, boulder or block. A wall turns a slope into level ground for a terrace, a raised bed or a play area, and steps make the way up easy to use every day.

Yes, we build pergolas and arbors. They start from a design by our preferred partner, either a ready-made style or a custom one, and we build it into your landscape with the planting and paving around it. Add climbing hydrangea, clematis or wisteria and the frame fills in over a few seasons.

Our warranty covers two things: the plants and our craftsmanship, meaning how the work was built. Each carries a one-year guarantee, and the plant guarantee applies when the property has a working irrigation system. If something isn’t right, send a request through the form on our Warranty page and our warranty team will review it.

Yes. We design beds so there is something to look at in every season, with plants chosen for the light and moisture of your yard. Winter-color shrubs, fall foliage and spring bulbs all earn a place, so the beds don’t have a gap between June and the next spring.

Yes. We install sprinkler and drip systems: spray heads for the lawn and drip lines for shrubs and pots, all watering on a schedule. On a property we maintain, we also handle the system’s spring start-up and fall winterization. Seattle summers can go weeks without rain, and a system runs whether you’re at work, on vacation or just not in the mood.

Ask whether you want someone to talk through ideas with and guide you through the whole design journey. If so, that’s Design & Build. If you already know what you want, like a straight hedge, one retaining wall or a patio, you can skip the design discussion and an Enhancement fits. Call (425) 885-5678, describe it, and we’ll tell you which one it is.

Send a request through the form on our Warranty page, describing the issue and adding a few photos; it takes about two minutes. Our warranty team reviews it and gets back to you within 2 business days. A crew member then visits, confirms what’s covered and schedules the fix.

There’s no minimum; the scope decides. If the scope needs a designer to guide you through the choices, it’s Design & Build, and those projects typically start above $20,000. The design effort is a fixed part of the work, so on a smaller project it takes a larger share and leaves less for the build. A small yard with an intricate design can still need a designer, and we’ll say so. If the scope is simple enough to go straight to installation, it’s an Enhancement.

Yes, as part of a larger landscape project, not as standalone jobs. We plan a deck or fence together with the planting, paths and patio around it, so everything meets properly. We work in cedar, and in composite decking where you want less upkeep. If a deck or fence is all you need, we’re probably not the right fit.

We build paver driveways. Pavers come in colors and patterns that can match your house, and we can carry the same stone into a walkway to the front door. We don’t pour concrete as a standalone job, though poured concrete can be part of a larger project, like steps, planting or a patio.

Yes. We design and install landscape lighting as part of a project: the path to the front door, steps you can see, a tree lit from below, a patio you can see from the sofa. We use warm-white lights on a timer, so they come on without you thinking about it.

At your first site visit we go over the details of your project with you, after talking ranges on the first call. For a Design & Build consultation, we need you home for it, because you know your property’s nuances better than we do. The consultation itself is complimentary.

Yes. We build fire pits and fire features in natural stone or block, set into a patio with seating around it or in a quiet corner by itself. A fire gives people a reason to stay outside after the light goes, and it stretches the season into October and November.