Question 1

What services do you provide, and for who?"

Accepted Answer

We prepare landscape plans, hardscape plans, elevation drawings and 3D renderings on any type of landscape or hardscape project, big or small, exclusively for landscape & exterior professionals throughout the United States.   Our clients are landscape contractors, hardscape contractors, landscape architects, landscape designers and landscape design-build firms.    We do not do work directly for the general public, property owners or developers.

Question 2

How does this work?

Accepted Answer

1. You’d do a site visit and see your client as usual, then when back in the office send us a rough design sketch or instructions, site survey and your site photos. 2. We then prepare all the drawings, plans & 3D’s you need to impress your client, land the job and complete the installation. 3. You save a huge amount of time and can concentrate on the fun stuff instead of spending hours on drawings or design. 4. You only pay afterwards when you're happy, no payment needed before we start.

Question 3

What do you need from me to start a project?

Accepted Answer

We need the site data, photos and your instructions.   This typically includes:   > A site survey or a measured sketch of the site. > The address, street number, zip code etc. > Site photos. As many as possible, if available. > Your notes and instructions.    We get a lot of info from GIS systems, aerial photos and / or satellite images, but still prefer to use a survey as base to improve accuracy and efficiency.    To minimize the possibility of miscommunication and eliminate ambiguity, best practice is to provide your notes and instructions directly on the survey or on satellite images.

Question 4

Do you need to visit my site?

Accepted Answer

No. All we need is the site plan, survey or site measurements, some site photos and a sketch or instructions for what you have in mind, then we're good to go.

Question 5

What should my notes and instructions look like?

Accepted Answer

Best practice is to provide your notes and instructions directly on the survey or a satellite image.   Here's a great example:

Question 6

What lead times can I expect?

Accepted Answer

We work on a queuing system and all deadlines are booked in advance.     Lead time on most new projects are 4-6 working days from when you've provided all required info and given the go-ahead.   Revisions are usually done in a day or two, depending on what it involves.   We do many projects in parallel, so even with more than one of your projects simultaneously, you could still expect the same lead times.

Question 7

How will I receive my drawings & take-offs?

Accepted Answer

We deliver the end products digitally.   AutoCAD drawings are provided in JPG & PDF formats. Land F/X drawings could be supplied in LandF/X original editable format, in addition to PDF and/or JPG format.  VIP3D models could be supplied in VIP3D original editable format, in addition to PDF and/or JPG format model views.  Take-offs can be provided as either drawing schedules or in Excel format.    In addition to email, we share a Dropbox folder with each of our clients where you'd be able to access and print your material from anywhere.

Question 8

Will I get to provide input during the design process?

Accepted Answer

You certainly do. We work closely with our clients to ensure the end product is exactly what you need.

Question 9

Where and how do you provide services?

Accepted Answer

We provide our services digitally and remotely.   Our clients are mostly in the United States while our team is based in different locations around the globe.   Our clients mostly engage with us over email, but there are many alternatives like Skype, Teams, Zoom, etc.   You can share large files with us using popular cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive etc.    In addition to email, a Dropbox folder is shared with each of our clients for easy access to their drawings, from anywhere.

Question 10

Where are you based and will our working time overlap?

Accepted Answer

Our company was founded in South Africa and even though our team is now spread across the globe, we still mostly use (UTC+02:00), South Africa Standard Time - SAST.    Our team's working times overlap a good deal with clients based in the States.

Question 11

Would my clients know you are involved?

Accepted Answer

No. We work with you as a subcontractor.    We use your logo and contact details on all your material. This means your client would be under the impression that you have your own team of designers or landscape architects in your office.

Question 12

What software do you use?

Accepted Answer

We use a combination of software applications.   We've found the following allows us compatibility, speed & accuracy while leaving plenty of room for visual appeal:      These include: > Adobe Photoshop > Autodesk AutoCAD > Structure Studios VIP3D (Pool Studio & VizTerra) > Trimble SketchUp > Idea Spectrum Realtime Landscaping Pro & Photo   We don't believe in pirating software. All our seats are licenced and we use the latest versions of all software.

Question 13

Will you treat my info and projects as confidential?

Accepted Answer

Drawings we produce for you will remain your property. We use your logo and details on all the drawings. Your clients won’t know we exist.   Any information that you or your company submit to Seas of Green Global is deemed confidential.  
We utilise this information purely for the purpose of preparing all designs, drawings, graphics, take-offs and documentation as required by you.   If your position necessitates an additional level of confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information, we can guarantee absolute confidentiality.

Question 14

What do you charge?

Accepted Answer

We charge per hour, in 6 minute intervals.   This allows billing flexibility & accuracy in a creative industry where every project and deliverable is unique in terms of scope, size, complexity and number of revisions your client needs.   Two hourly rates are used depending on the nature of the work. A lower rate for basic services like drafting, take-offs etc and a higher rate for advanced services like design, 3D’s and quality control. 
We use one of the best project & time management systems available to ensure you only pay for what you need. This also allows us to keep detailed tabs on every project and your bills will show in detail where time went on each of your projects.  You only pay afterwards when you're happy, no payment needed before we start.    Please contact us for our latest price list or to discuss your options.

Question 15

What forms of payment do you accept?

Accepted Answer

Payments can be made online with any major Debit or Credit card (securely processed by Stripe).  Clients who bank in the US or bank with Wise Business can opt for ACH (electronic money transfer) or wire transfer to Seas of Green's US bank account.

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