Frequently Asked
The questions we’re asked most often.
Plain answers to the questions that come up before, during, and after a project. If yours isn't here, write to us at hello@yardiedesign.com.
Frequently Asked
The questions we’re asked most often.
Plain answers to the questions that come up before, during, and after a project. If yours isn't here, write to us at hello@yardiedesign.com.
Getting Started
- Yes. The first conversation is at no cost — we walk the property, listen, and let you know whether we're the right fit before any design fee.
- Use the Schedule a Consultation button at the top of any page, or email hello@yardiedesign.com. We'll set up a property visit and an initial conversation within the week.
- Design fees vary with project scope. We share an itemized design proposal after the first property visit so you know exactly what you're committing to before signing.
- We work primarily in Greenville, Winterville, Ayden, Farmville, Washington, Kinston, New Bern, Goldsboro, Wilson, and Rocky Mount. Contact us for projects further afield.
Landscape Design
- Many of our gardens lean on a regionally proven palette — azaleas, camellias, crepe myrtles, hydrangeas, dogwoods, hollies, and a layer of drought-tolerant perennials such as catmint and salvia. We also incorporate ornamental grasses and native trees where they suit the property.
- Yes. We design with native and adaptive plants, group beds by water need, integrate efficient irrigation, and use permeable hardscapes where possible. We avoid invasive species and aim for landscapes that need less, not more, over time.
- It depends on scope. A planting refresh can take a week; a full property redesign, eight to twelve weeks once design is approved. We give an honest schedule before we start.
- Most clients begin with our first-year care visits, which establish plantings and catch any settling-in issues. After that, we recommend an ongoing seasonal schedule we can manage for you or hand off to a partner.
- Yes. The first conversation is at no cost — we walk the property, listen, and let you know whether we're the right fit before any design fee.
Patios & Pavers
- Hardscape covers the built, structural elements of an outdoor space — patios, walks, walls, drives, fire features. Landscape covers the plant palette and soft surfaces. Most projects we design are some mix of the two.
- A simple paver patio can be installed in five to ten days. A full hardscape package with walls, kitchens, and fire features is typically six to twelve weeks of build time after design.
- We work primarily in natural stone, clay brick, and high-grade concrete pavers. We choose materials that match the home's architecture and the soil and weather of the site.
- Yes — when the base is built correctly. Our base prep, edge restraint, and drainage detailing are designed to handle Eastern NC's freeze-thaw cycles and storm events.
- Done well, hardscape is one of the highest-return outdoor investments because it expands the usable footprint of the house. Buyers respond to outdoor rooms, just as they respond to interior ones.
Walkways & Driveways
- Pavers are factory-made, dimensioned, and cost less; natural stone is quarried, irregular, and ages to a finish you can't fake. We specify both — the right answer depends on the home and budget.
- Properly installed paver drives carry a 25-year-plus service life. Concrete drives without proper subgrade fail in five to seven years in our climate; pavers do not, because individual units flex independently.
- Yes — we remove the old slab, rebuild the base to spec, and lay the new walk in your chosen material. Most front-walk replacements take three to five days.
- Polymeric jointing sand sets like mortar and resists weed growth for years. We apply it as part of every install and recommend a top-up every five to seven years.
Stone & Brick Masonry
- Many do, depending on scope and structure. We're familiar with local regulations and handle the permitting process for you.
- Natural stone (limestone, fieldstone, flagstone, granite, river rock), traditional clay brick, cultured stone, and concrete blocks where appropriate.
- Yes. We typically begin with the home — its brick, its stone, its color and pattern — and choose a masonry palette that reads as continuous architecture.
- Smaller features (a low garden wall, a set of steps) are usually one to two weeks. Larger projects — a fireplace, a full stone patio with seating walls — can run six to ten weeks.
- If you want something that lasts a generation, masonry is almost always the right call. We're happy to walk the property and recommend honestly when it isn't.
Retaining Walls
- Walls four feet and taller (measured from the bottom of the footing) typically require a building permit and engineered drawings in Pitt County. We handle the permitting on every wall we build above that threshold.
- The single most common failure mode is drainage — water builds up behind the wall, freezes, and pushes the wall outward. Every wall we install includes drain tile, washed gravel backfill, and a weep system.
- Properly engineered natural-stone and segmental walls carry a 50-year-plus service life. Walls without drainage or proper reinforcement can fail in under ten.
- Yes — eighteen-inch seat walls are one of the most popular features we draw. Capped with bluestone, they read as architecture and serve as bench seating around fire pits and patios.
Outdoor Kitchens
- Every kitchen is scoped individually based on what you actually want to cook, the appliances you'd like to specify, the surrounding hardscape, and the utilities the site needs (gas, water, power, drainage, ventilation). We walk the property at no cost, then provide a written design fee and itemized build estimate so you can see exactly what you're approving before we begin.
- Lynx, Hestan, and Kalamazoo for grills and cooktops. Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg for ceramic. Outdoor-rated refrigeration from True or U-Line. We'll spec to your cooking and your budget.
- For a full kitchen, yes — a dedicated gas line, a hot/cold water feed, and a 20-amp circuit. We coordinate licensed plumbers and electricians as part of the build.
- Yes. We use marine-grade or 304 stainless cabinet boxes, weather-rated appliances, and detailing that handles humidity and the occasional freeze. Covers are recommended for grills and cooktops in the off-season.
- Design takes two to four weeks. Construction typically runs four to eight weeks once permits, masonry, utilities, counters, and appliance installation are coordinated.
Fire Features
- Wood smells better and reads more romantic; gas is convenient and clean. Many of our clients install both — a gas burner for weeknight use, a wood chamber for weekends. We're happy to walk both options before you commit.
- Wood-burning fireplaces require an annual chimney sweep and inspection. We can refer the local sweep we trust.
- Yes — but with attention to clearance, smoke draft, and surface protection. We design every fire pit to local code and well clear of the home's eaves and overhangs.
- Four to six weeks of dedicated mason time, plus design and permitting upfront. Larger architectural fireplaces with chimneys can run eight to ten weeks.
Pergolas & Pavilions
- Pergolas under 200 square feet typically don't require a permit in Pitt County, but anything roofed (a pavilion, a screened porch) does. We carry the permitting on every roofed structure we build.
- Wood is more beautiful and ages handsomely; aluminum is more durable and lower-maintenance. Most clients choose wood when they're willing to recoat every five to seven years; aluminum when they want to install once and forget.
- Yes — but the patio must be evaluated for footing depth and load. Sometimes we set new footings through the patio; sometimes the existing slab carries the load. We assess on the first walk.
- Standard cedar or aluminum pergolas: two to three weeks. Full pavilions: six to eight weeks. Screened porches with electrical and finish carpentry: eight to twelve.
Pool Decks & Surrounds
- We don't dig and shoot the gunite. We do design the surround composition, coordinate with your pool builder, and execute every square foot of deck, coping, planting, and lighting around the water.
- Travertine for the high end (cool to the foot, beautiful patina); concrete pavers for value (tougher than poured concrete, infinitely repairable); bluestone for traditional architecture. We're happy to walk all three.
- Choose salt- and chlorine-tolerant species — agave, miscanthus, dwarf palm, oleander where the climate allows. We design every poolside palette around what will actually thrive there.
- Yes. Most of our pool projects are retrofits — replacing dated concrete with paver or travertine, rebuilding coping, and refreshing the surround landscape. Existing pool shells stay; everything around them is rebuilt.
Water Features
- Pondless waterfalls and architectural fountains are essentially self-maintaining; ponds with fish and live planting need a real maintenance schedule. We design with the maintenance you're willing to do.
- We design every recirculating water feature with a winterization shut-off so the pump and lines can be drained for hard freezes. Most of our clients run their fountains April through November.
- No — moving water is the opposite of standing water and discourages mosquito breeding. Stagnant features attract mosquitoes; we never design those.
- Two to four weeks for pondless waterfalls and architectural fountains; six to ten for full naturalistic pond systems with planting and biology.
Outdoor Lighting
- Today's LED outdoor systems consume a fraction of the power older halogen systems used. A typical residential install will run on the equivalent of a single household appliance.
- Quality LED fixtures we specify carry 50,000+ hour ratings — practically a decade or more of nightly operation. Wiring and transformers should last well beyond that with care.
- For low-voltage path lighting, a homeowner can manage. For integrated, scene-controlled architectural lighting with proper wire runs and fixture aiming, professional design and install is the difference between great and forgettable.
- Almost imperceptibly. A modern residential lighting design might add the equivalent of a few extra cents a night to a typical bill.
- Annual visit. We clean fixtures, re-aim where plant growth has shifted the picture, replace any failed lamps, and check transformer and wiring health.
Irrigation Systems
- If you're investing in plant material that's worth keeping alive, yes. Hand-watering is fine for the first season; an installed system is what protects mature landscapes through summer.
- It pulls local weather data and adjusts each zone's watering schedule based on rainfall, evapotranspiration, and the plant type assigned to that zone.
- We recommend three visits a year — spring activation, summer audit, and fall winterization.
- Initially, yes — though usually less than a homeowner expects. Most clients save on plant replacement costs that more than offset the additional water.
- Well-installed systems last fifteen to twenty years. Heads and valves are wear items that we replace as they fail; main lines and wiring should be untouched for the life of the system.
