Land Consultations

I offer in-person land consultations within a 1-hour radius of Asheville, NC in Western North Carolina.

*If you are outside this 1 hour radius, please feel free to contact me regarding my services. I have Zoom and phone consultation options, as well as the possibility of visiting your site based on the distance I must travel, my availability, and the financial resources needed to cover extra costs. 

With over 2 decades of experience in food and medicinal herb production, I am happy to assist you in creating the abundant, functional gardens of your dreams. My expertise comes from the combination of many years of experience working on production-based vegetable farms, at Permaculture-based learning centers, as well as on biodynamic farms with livestock and orchards. I also previously operated a 1 acre, No-Till based farm where I produced high-quality Food and Medicinal Herbs. I have worked and learned on farms in 8 different countries, as well as several different growing regions in the USA. I also specialize in incorporating No-Till and regenerative agricultural methods in my site planning.

During our in-person site visit and consultation, we will walk your property with you to assess the unique productivity potential of your site, as well as examine your property to help you plan well to avoid potential future challenges. I can help you identify what plants are already present and analyze your property’s different zones based on factors such as sunlight, water flow, topography, and resource access. I can also identify existing beneficial plants to protect and invasive plants that could create challenges if left unchecked.

My greatest goal is to meet the needs of every client, whether you want to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle or are exploring the option to develop a commercial business at your site. Wherever your vision may be leading you, I take pride in offering you the tools to help take your land to the next level of production.

Cost of initial land consultation:     $200

 I strive to customize my land consultations to suit your specific needs. My consultations include 1.5 hours of actively walking your site with you to explore your land and hear about your vision. I encourage clients to direct this time as they see fit, addressing their most pressing needs first.   

*If you want me to spend more time at your site, with my initial consultation, I charge $50 for each additional hour beyond the 1.5 hours included with your consultation. 

The following list includes some of the topics that may be addressed during the initial consultation: 

• Overall discussion of the strengths and potential challenges present at your site

• Beneficial plant identification

• Invasive and other challenging plant identification and potential remediation steps

• Initial plans for garden/orchard creation and/or steps to improve current garden spaces

• Amendment and soil recommendations based on what you want to grow and current conditions

• Plant and tree recommendations based on your vision and our discussion together

• Other recommendations, such as garden placement, water systems, and on-site resource potential

• Guidance on when and where to utilize larger machinery best to suit the production potential and functionality of your site

The initial consultation also includes:

• A Google Docs write-up including a summary of what we discussed during our visit for your records, including a recommended plant list.

• The ability to email me with any follow-up questions that may have come up for you after the conclusion of our visit.

• Time to discuss other ways that I can assist you with the design and implementation of the recommendations that we have made.

I keep the costs of my initial consultations low in order to make them accessible to nearly anyone. I know that creating abundance on any given property takes lots of time, commitment, and financial investment. For those who have limited financial resources, I am also open to other forms of exchange for my services. If this is your situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

For those with a do-it-yourself demeanor, a consultation can be just what you need to get your project moving on your own. 

For those who own property and have more resources to bring in help from the outside, I also offer the following:    

The Option of a Two or 3-Step Process for Your Site:

For clients who wish to work with me in a more in-depth way, I am available to meet your needs through either a two or three-step process:

Our Two-Step Design Process:

1. Consultation with Design Commitment: My two-step process includes the initial site visit, as discussed above, as well as a more extended consult that will be included in the cost of my landscape design fee. This extended consultation will give us the time needed to better map out what you would like to accomplish at your site and prepare me to provide you with concrete written and visual design plan. If you wish to have a written design created for your property, please let me know ahead of time so that I can be prepared to spend the necessary time at your place.   

2. Design: After our initial extended consultation, I will work with you further to develop written designs including in-depth visual site maps covering the planting and infrastructural recommendations we discussed during the initial consultation. With this design, I will be able to take your consultation one step further, providing you with a vital, in-depth reference to help you actualize what we covered during our consultation.  

Cost of Our Two-Step Consultation and Design Process: 

There are many factors involved in determining the cost of this design process. Mainly, each property is so unique that it is impossible to accurately gauge the amount of work necessary to complete a given design. Because properties can be as varied as a small half-acre in the city, to a large 200-acre farm, we will need to further discuss how much time it may take to complete the design process. Our fee for design work is $50/hr.  Currently I am offering design services at this rate so the cost will be dependent on the scope of the work.

Option for the Third and Final Step: 

Installations  

3. Installation: In certain circumstances, and depending on several factors such as my current availability, the location of your site, and the scope of the work involved, I can discuss the possibility of physically working with you to execute the design plans we have made together.  Once we complete the design process, and you are satisfied with the plans, we will physically move forward with the proposed designs on the ground. This can involve any number of factors such as large machine work, plant sourcing, material sourcing, invasive species removal, and tree planting, as well as a great number of other potential processes. There are too many factors to name here, but the installation process can include just about any physical way that we can assist you in transforming your site.

Cost of the Installation Process: 

As with the design process, there are many factors involved in determining the cost associated with landscape installations. Mainly, each property is so unique that it is impossible to accurately gauge the amount of work necessary to install a given landscape design. Because properties can be as varied as a small half-acre in the city, to a large 200-acre farm, we will need to further discuss how much time it may take to complete the installation process. Likewise, the potential need for large machinery and materials will create another factor to consider. Our base fee for installation work is $40/hr.

*If you feel committed to the three-step process outlined above, the initial consultation cost will be determined on a case-by-case basis. If you would like to work with us to develop detailed designs and move forward on installations for your property, we will discuss pricing at that time. Depending on the nature of your project and our level of involvement, our initial consultation may be included as a part of our installation process. 

*I also currently work with other companies and often sub-contract larger machine work that is beyond my current capacity. If we need to bring in large machinery and organize the project in this capacity, my rate for helping to guide this process is $40/hr. Once the larger infrastructural work is complete, I can then help to finalize the work by preparing garden beds and finalizing the planting etc.

Assisting With Current Projects and Landscaping Installations

If you wish to have me visit your location to support you with your landscaping and gardening needs, I provide services, including:

• New garden bed creation

• Planting of trees, shrubs, Vegetables, and/or Medicinal Herbs

• Mulching

• Pruning

• Any other general assistance around the garden or farm

$30-$40 hourly rate depending on the scope within a 30mi radius of Asheville, NC (If you are outside of these limits, please don’t hesitate to reach out.)

Please contact Christopher Ripley for more information at Chrisjripley@gmail.com