For most families, thoughtfully crafted outdoor amenities have the potential to be the key improvement that could define the soul of the home, creating memorable spaces that gather friends and family together. It’s wonderful to have a backyard that feels like a resort! Yet, when it comes time to implement, many homeowners, out of their realm of expertise, inadvertently fumble the opportunity and settle for far less than they could have achieved with proper guidance. Where do they go wrong? Chances are, it’s because rather than really look into their options, they simply fell for some of the common myths about pool and landscape architects and settled for the lure of “free designs” offered by construction companies, anxious for their contract.

The general public has several misconceptions about expert design professionals like architects, including the following:

• They think that architects and designers are for the elite.
• They imagine that they will be wasting money on an exorbitant fee that will take away from their limited funds for the install itself.
• They will have to scrap the design in the end when it comes time to build, when the contractor finds flaws in the design that make it impractical for the real world.
• They think hiring a pro is overkill, saying “How hard can it be anyway, it’s just a pool or its just a landscape, I don’t need anything complicated. Good enough is good enough, right?”
• And last but not least, they fear “being sold” and going broke at the hands of a talented designer, thinking they will give in and overspend, being lead down the primrose path of tempting and beautiful things that can’t be resisted.

Unfortunately, much of what is believed is based on real experience. This has caused the majority of the construction world around us to be dictated by financiers, contractors and non-designers, and the mediocrity we are stuck with has prevailed. Like any field, there are good, bad and average designers.

The best designers know how to reconcile art with sensible economic strategy, bringing exquisite perfection to everyday people. But how will YOU escape the mediocrity? You must make sure you work with a genuine expert pool and Phoenix landscape designer, not a salesperson at a construction company. A good design is the intangible magic that will make the ordinary sticks and mortar sing and come to life. The design is like a great recipe and the contractor is a chef. Without a good recipe, the best chef is left to fumble along. You need to seek a designer first, then a contractor. Here are the most important qualities of a good designer:

• A good custom pool designer gives everyday people access to elite design.
• Although a good pool designer’s fee may feel significant at first, it ensures that every dollar spent on the installation will have a focused contribution to the finished result, with no wasted effort on frivolous expenditures.
• A good custom pool designer has vast field experience and knows how to build. A true designer has the ability to show you how to build cost effectively, and will also show you how to create a master plan, so that you can phase in elements that are not yet within reach.
• A good designer will greatly contribute to the project, allowing for enhancements and keeping the project on track, based on years of experience in the trenches.
• A good designer will always present you with “good, better and best” options, so that you are in control of the projects costs at every step of the way.

It’s important to contract with a custom pool designer and/or Phoenix landscape designer with lots of experience demonstrated by their passion for their craft and their diverse portfolio of finished work, as well as peer and industry recognition, from those that know true talent. That will help ensure that your dollars are not wasted or unnecessarily spent. He/she can also help you create a plan that will allow you to add elements that may not currently be within your reach.