Creative By Design Landscaping has been leading the way among local landscaping companies. With our creative and modern landscape designs, exceptional craftsmanship & affordable prices, our landscapers have design & built beautiful yards with paving stone patios, and more for over 15 years. We provide everything you will need, from the initial drawings to the finishing touches. We pride ourselves on creating unique and amazing results for the residents of Vancouver Island, including Crofton, Chemainus, Ladysmith, Duncan, Maple Bay, Nanoose Bay and Shawnigan Lake.
Our Services include: Consultations, Design, Paving stone patio’s & Driveways, Flagstone, Irrigation, Evergreens, Garden shrubs, trees & plants, Turf Installation, Water-features, Drainage, Retaining walls, Fences, low-voltage lighting, Maintenance services, Lawn care etc…
Design
Our professional and certified team will help you create the perfect landscape drawing from the ground up. Our landscapers work directly with you from start to finish.
Paving Stone
We are your one-stop shop for all aspects of landscaping construction, from patios, driveways, water features and planting beds.
Gardens
Make your garden beautiful with roses, perennials and annuals. We also offer irrigation for healthy plants.
*Please click on our Design Page to see costs.
Testimonials
Fixed price Quotes
…with detailed breakdowns
Let us work with you to get Better Quality
while saving you money!!
Fed up with bills that are more than you agreed on?!
We are NOT a ‘Time plus materials’ Company.
What we Quote, is what you pay.
NO HIDDEN FEES!!
Let Us help you
We are a professional, responsible,
knowledgeable company with friendly staff.
Our aim is to give you a result that makes you proud
and the neighbor’s jealous!
And we have the creative edge to make that happen
The One-Stop Solution for your yard :
- Professional Dynascape landscape drawings ($425+) and Consultations ($75)
- Quality paving stone patio’s, driveways and walkways – ($21.50 sq.ft)
- Allan block walls and stairs
- Flagstone patio’s
- Rock retaining walls and stone benches($950 per zone)
- Fully automated Irrigation Systems
- Lawn and turf
- Landscape Rock
- Water Features and Ponds
- Shrubs, plants and trees from your local nursery
- Planting beds and garden beds
- Custom blend top soil and mulch
- Artificial Turf
- Rock gardens
- Roses, Perennials & Annuals
- Brick and lawn landscape edging ($12.50 linear foot)
- Decomposed Gravel or Decorative Rock Walkways
- Drainage for driveways, walkways, lawns and walls
- Low-Voltage Landscape Lighting
- Fencing & Decks
- Landscape Structures
- Yard Maintenance Services($65 per hour)
- Lawn care….and more!
Professional and Affordable
landscaping on Vancouver Island.
Before it is possible to turn your outdoor space into a natural landscape, a concept is required. To make this possible, we meet with you and get a feel for what style of concept you are looking for by asking a series of questions, through this process we are able to create a visual representation for you to look at before we start building your new project. This process also gives you an idea of the cost and time frame the installation will take.
Building great landscapes is our passion
Yardwork is our passion and working with clients to create that fantastic garden is all part of that exciting adventure. Whether your looking for a renovation or have just moved into a new home, we are happy to work with you to create your ideal outdoor living space and make your dream come true.
If you have some landscaping ideas and are looking to start on your yard, but not sure how and where to start, then visit our design page for an informative breakdown and what our staff can do for you.
How to find a landscaper
Firstly it is important to know what you’re looking for in a contractor, so you can use those criteria to find someone.
One way is to take a look around your local neighborhood to see what your options are, and what your local businesses are offering. By doing this, you can see what level of quality, different people are offering.
What should I look for in a landscaping company?
Getting down to the basics…
Look at someone’s handiwork and previous clients. If they claim to be a professional, they should be happy to give previous examples of their work.
With the focus these days, being about getting the job done quicker, asking ‘how’ they install their landscape products, maybe getting a demonstration, should be another way to weed out poor quality as well.
Many people will tell you that a cheaper quote should not be considered. Always look at what they offer, and the finished product before making a decision. A pretty landscape, doesn’t always mean a long lasting one.
Here are some pointers for areas to check into:
Hardscapes
Does it slope away from the house?
> Any hard surface should always be sloped away from the house as you don’t want surface water sitting up against your foundation.
Are there any low points?
> Low points in brick work can mean puddles in wet weather and ice patches in winter.
> If its an old patio/walkway, it could mean poor prep or installation techniques.
> Driveways can give a telltale sign, which is sunken tracks where the tires of the vehicle enter the garage everyday. Another sign of poor installation techniques
Lawn
Is it all green?
> Lawns with yellow or brown spots in them usually mean two things, either there’s not enough soil for the grass roots or there’s poor or no irrigation.
Is it graded nicely?
> Hollows and low points aren’t easy to mow and visually don’t look too nice. You don’t want a yard that you dread to cut each week.
Mulch
Mulch is decorative as well as functional
> It can help to reduce weeds (as long as you stay on top of it)
> Fabric under mulch doesn’t work! Mulch should be topped up every few years and turned over every few months. Fabric makes this hard. Also when you are looking to do a top up, turning the old mulch into the soil can help boost the soil for the plants. With Fabric under the mulch, it makes it impossible to do.
> Mulch won’t stay in place with fabric, and it doesn’t take long after the initial installation, for the fabric to show through and make the bed look untidy.
Planting Beds
> Beds that are mounded high usually mean the contractor was too lazy to dig them out to add good product, as its quicker to mound on top of the existing sub-grade.
> Higher mounded beds make watering plant roots tough as the water just wants to run away.
> Dead plants are a good give away. This can be number of reasons; poor planting techniques, poor irrigation, poor soil or disease.
> Mulch doesn’t like to stay on steep sloped surfaces.
Irrigation
Are the heads equal distance apart?
From a distance, it can be hard to tell if an irrigation system is installed well or not
> Dead or dying plants and shrubs are a sign of lack of water to the plants
> Brown spot on the lawn are also signs of poor heads spacing
‘Over’ or ‘under’ watering?
> If the beds smell ‘marshy’ and your foot sinks into the turf, then check for over watering
> Plants wilting and a brown lawn are signs of a drought
> A river of water in the gutter is another great sign of over watering. No one wants to pay to waste water, even less for a landscaper to do it for you.
Retaining Walls
Are they sinking or pushing out?
> If the base isn’t prepped properly, then walls have a tendency to sink
> Walls without drainage can sometimes push out and crack due to hydrostatic pressure
> Depending on the type, some walls should also lean back by a certain percentage to help deal with pressure
Top Soil
Is there any good quality soil?
> Turf installed on poor quality soil will show signs of stress very quickly.
> Is the lawn ‘spongy’ or very thin/thatchy. A good sign of poor growing medium
> Plants will remain small or have a hard time growing if the soil doesn’t provide them with enough nutrients.
> High clay content doesn’t take water very easily. This makes watering plants a problem.
> Good high quality can be the difference between a sick or a healthy landscape.
“The Nanaimo Landscaping company that makes dreams come true!”
As a homeowner already paying a premium for work around your home, don’t you at least deserve to have it done right, and for that matter ONCE!
Just because more and more products around us are becoming a throw-away commodity, does that mean that landscapes should join it.
