Before we recommend a patio, select plants or decide where an outdoor kitchen should go, we want to understand you.
How do you want to use your property? Who will use the space? What do you like about your outdoor areas now—and what isn’t working? Do you envision quiet evenings outside, large family gatherings, outdoor cooking and entertaining, or a complete backyard environment? What would you like to accomplish now, and what might you want to add in the future?
At Outdoor Innovations, those conversations are an important part of the design process.
For more than 30 years, we’ve helped homeowners throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding areas turn ideas into thoughtfully designed landscapes and outdoor living spaces. Our process combines personal collaboration, professional landscape design, 3-D visualization and experienced project management to help take your project from the initial idea to the finished outdoor space.
You don’t need to have your entire project figured out before you contact a landscape designer.
In fact, part of our job is helping you determine what makes sense for your property and how different ideas could work together.
We start by learning about your goals, preferences and lifestyle. We want to understand how you envision using the space, what features matter most to you and what you hope the project will accomplish.
That conversation might include questions such as:
You don’t have to come to us with all the answers. Bring us your ideas, inspiration and wish list, and we’ll help you begin turning them into a plan.
A successful outdoor design has to work with the property—not just look attractive on paper.
The design process considers the home, available space, existing landscaping and hardscaping, changes in elevation, access, circulation through the property and other conditions that may influence the project.
We also look at how proposed improvements will relate to your home’s architecture and to one another.
For example, a patio shouldn’t simply fit into an available area. Its location should make sense for how you enter and leave the home, where people naturally gather and what other features may eventually surround it.
Looking at the property as a whole helps us make more informed design decisions from the beginning.
Once we understand your goals and property, we can begin bringing the pieces together.
Depending on the scope of your project, your design might incorporate:
The goal isn’t simply to fit as many features as possible into your backyard.
It’s to determine which elements make sense for your property and how they can work together to create a space that looks intentional, functions comfortably and reflects the way you want to live outdoors.
One of the most exciting parts of the Outdoor Innovations design process is seeing your ideas begin to take shape.
We use computerized landscape design technology to create visual representations of proposed projects before construction begins.
A 3-D landscape design can help you better understand details that may be difficult to picture from a conversation or traditional plan alone, including:
Instead of simply trying to imagine the finished project, you can see how the design is coming together.
That visualization can make it easier to evaluate the plan, ask questions and make informed decisions before construction begins.
Design should be collaborative.
Seeing the proposed space gives you an opportunity to consider the layout and determine whether the design reflects what you had in mind.
Maybe you’d like to reconsider the location of a feature. Perhaps seeing the overall plan helps you realize that one area should be larger—or that another feature isn’t as important as you originally thought.
This is one of the reasons we value the design process so highly.
Making thoughtful decisions during planning can give everyone a clearer understanding of the project before construction begins.
Our goal is for you to feel confident about the direction of your outdoor space—not wonder what it’s going to look like when it’s finished.
Once the design is established, Outdoor Innovations can help take the project from the plan to the finished landscape or outdoor living space.
Our capabilities extend across multiple areas of outdoor design and construction, allowing us to coordinate the elements of a larger project rather than requiring the homeowner to independently piece together each part of the outdoor environment.
That can be particularly valuable for a comprehensive project combining landscaping, hardscaping, patios, structures, outdoor living features and other improvements.
The same overall vision established during the design process can help guide the project as it moves into construction.
Some homeowners contact Outdoor Innovations for one specific improvement. Others come to us because they’re ready to rethink most—or all—of their outdoor property.
Our broad range of services allows us to consider how multiple features can work together, including:
By thinking about these elements together, we can create a more cohesive outdoor environment—even when every feature isn’t built at the same time.
Your long-term vision doesn’t necessarily have to become one large construction project.
For some homeowners, developing a comprehensive plan first and completing the work in phases can make sense.
You might begin with landscaping and a patio, for example, while knowing that you’d eventually like to add an outdoor kitchen, pavilion or fire feature.
Planning for those possibilities early can help today’s improvements work with tomorrow’s additions.
The result is a property that can evolve over time without losing sight of the overall design.
Outdoor projects often represent a significant investment in your home.
Thoughtful design helps ensure that investment isn’t based solely on how an individual product or feature looks.
A professional design considers how the entire space will function.
Where will people walk? Where will they gather? How will the space look from inside the home? Does the patio provide enough room for its intended use? Will landscaping complement the hardscaping? Does a structure provide shade where it’s actually needed? Can future improvements be incorporated without undoing work you’ve already completed?
Considering those questions before construction begins can help create an outdoor environment that works as beautifully as it looks.
Technology is an important part of our design process, but the computer isn’t the designer.
The process begins with conversation, ideas and an understanding of what you want your property to become.
Outdoor Innovations has been serving the Quad Cities and surrounding communities for more than 30 years, providing landscape design, landscape construction, project management and consulting services for residential and commercial projects.
Our clients also have the opportunity to work directly with the owners throughout their projects, helping maintain the personal communication and accountability that have long been part of the Outdoor Innovations approach.
Ultimately, our objective is straightforward: create distinctive outdoor environments for clients who value thoughtful design, quality materials, creativity and craftsmanship.
No. Many homeowners know they want to improve their property but aren’t sure exactly what the finished space should look like. Part of the design process is helping identify your priorities and determine which ideas and features make sense for your property.
The process begins by discussing your property, goals, preferences and how you want to use the space. From there, Outdoor Innovations can evaluate the project, develop a design, use computerized visualization to help communicate the proposed space and refine the plan before moving into construction.
Yes. Outdoor Innovations uses computerized landscape design technology to create visual representations of proposed projects. This allows you to better understand the layout and relationship between different features before construction begins.
Yes. Because Outdoor Innovations provides landscaping, hardscaping and numerous outdoor living services, we can develop plans that incorporate multiple elements of a property into one cohesive outdoor environment.
Existing features may be incorporated into a new design depending on their condition, location and how well they fit your goals for the property. Evaluating the entire space helps determine how existing and proposed elements can work together.
Yes. Developing an overall plan can help homeowners complete portions of a larger project over time while keeping each phase consistent with the long-term vision for the property.
Outdoor Innovations provides project management along with landscape design and construction services and can manage projects from the design stage through construction.
Outdoor Innovations serves the Quad Cities and surrounding areas, including Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, as well as surrounding Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois communities.
You don’t need a finished plan to start a conversation with Outdoor Innovations.
Maybe you have a collection of inspiration photos. Maybe you’ve been thinking about a patio, outdoor kitchen or complete backyard transformation for years. Or maybe you simply know that your current outdoor space isn’t working for your family anymore.
Bring us the idea.
We’ll help you explore what’s possible, develop a thoughtful design and visualize how the pieces can come together before construction begins.
Your outdoor space should reflect the way you want to live. Let’s start designing it.
Contact Outdoor Innovations today to begin planning your landscape or outdoor living project in the Quad Cities and surrounding area.
