Pittsburgh Landscape Architect Chris Roma Suggests Planning Ahead for Spring, Summer Landscape Design Projects
Pittsburgh Landscape Architect Chris Roma offers practical tips on how to use the winter planning months wisely to be ready for launching landscape improvements come Spring.


PITTSBURGH, PA, January 04, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Too cold to go outside?

Maybe. But never too cold to think about living and entertaining outside, according to Pittsburgh landscape architect Chris Roma.

"Winter offers the best time for a homeowner to sit with a landscape architect and imagine the future," says Roma, a thought leader among Pittsburgh landscape architects. "Many clients underestimate the lead time involved with design and drawings."

Outdoor Living Rises
Multi-season outdoor living has become one of the more popular ways to improve a home. Old notions of "cooking out" have evolved into something more complex — with full-service outdoor kitchens and flexible space for quiet retreat, intimate family dining or entertaining on a larger scale.

As a Pittsburgh landscape architect, Roma knows the urgency that people feel to make the best use of good weather. "In some markets, morning sunshine and warm nights might be taken for granted," he says. "In a colder climate such as Pittsburgh, the landscape architect can introduce subtle hardscape elements that can extend the outdoor living seasons by a few weeks on either end." See examples at: http://www.romadesign-buildinc.com/home.htm

In colder climates, bringing hearth-like warmth outside makes all of the difference.

Small Spaces the Next Big Thing
Like many older cities, Pittsburgh gives landscape architects another challenge — achieving big change with small outdoor spaces.

In other words, it doesn't require an acre of land to realize your dream of extending your living space. Amenities and comfort can be made to fit the space at hand. This Pittsburgh landscape architect likes the challenge that small spaces present. "Anyone can imagine the wide-open space," Roma says. "But when the canvas is small and tight, and when the considerations of neighbors and neighborhoods get factored in, then you really need all of your problem solving skills."

Plan Ahead
More comprehensive projects involve a master planning process. A master plan resolves existing site problems, functional requirements and ties everything into a visually unified whole.

By looking at the big picture, we can save time and money over the long run by:

• prioritizing your current/future wants and needs
• assessing the functional requirements of your space
• addressing such factors as zoning, steep slopes, flood plains, wet soils, easements, building set-back requirements, utility locations, etc.
• integrating the design and function of your outdoor space with the existing and proposed house/building architecture
• creating curb appeal, enhancing views, creating privacy/enclosure, defining spaces and improving circulation
• providing solutions to difficult site problems, planning and design of house location/integration with site and grading design/tree protection and removal.

Further Related Resources:


Press Release Contact Information:

Chris Roma
Roma Design-Build, Inc.
Owner
1070 Long Run Road
McKeesport, PA
USA 15132
Voice: 412-751-7951
Website: Visit Our Website