Backyard Design on Long Island
See Your Dream Backyard Before It's Built
Imagine exploring your future outdoor living space before construction begins. Our personalized design process combines stunning 3D renderings, immersive video walkthroughs, and detailed construction plans, giving you complete confidence before the first shovel enters the ground.
Your Backyard Design Package Includes:
- 3D Renderings – See your dream backyard from every angle.
- Video Walkthroughs – Take a virtual tour before construction begins.
- Detailed Construction Plans – Built for accurate pricing, permits, and installation.
- Design Revisions – Refine your ideas before construction starts.
- Complete Outdoor Living Planning – Patios, pools, outdoor kitchens, fire features, pergolas, gardens, and more.
Every Extraordinary Backyard Begins with a Thoughtful Plan
Building an outdoor living space is one of the largest investments many Long Island homeowners make. Unfortunately, too many projects begin with rough sketches, verbal descriptions, or assumptions that can lead to expensive changes once construction is underway.
At Designscapes of Long Island, we believe every successful outdoor living project begins with a professionally developed landscape design.
Our design process allows you to explore every feature of your future backyard before construction begins, giving you the freedom to refine layouts, materials, plant selections, and outdoor living spaces digitally—long before the first patio stone is installed.
This thoughtful, design-first approach saves time, reduces unexpected costs, and gives you complete confidence that the outdoor living space you imagine is the one we’ll build.
Experience Your Backyard Before Construction Begins
One of the greatest advantages of our backyard design process is that you won’t have to imagine what the finished project will look like—you’ll actually see it before construction begins.
Your personalized design package combines stunning 3D renderings, immersive video walkthroughs, and detailed construction plans, allowing you to explore your future outdoor living space, refine every detail, and move forward with complete confidence.
You’ll receive stunning 3D renderings that showcase your future backyard from multiple perspectives, allowing you to visualize how every patio, pool, outdoor kitchen, garden, and landscape feature comes together as one cohesive design.
To make the experience even more realistic, we’ll create an immersive 3D video walkthrough that lets you take a virtual tour of your future outdoor living space. Instead of imagining the finished project, you’ll be able to experience it before the first shovel enters the ground.
As we review the design together, you’ll have the opportunity to make revisions and explore new ideas. Whether it’s adjusting the layout, selecting different materials, refining planting areas, or adding new outdoor living features, changes are easy to make during the design phase—long before construction begins.
By seeing your backyard before it’s built, you can make confident decisions, avoid costly changes during construction, and move forward knowing your finished outdoor living space will reflect the vision you imagined from the very beginning.
See Your Dream Backyard on Long Island Before It's Built
See Your Dream Backyard on Long Island Before It's Built
Our 3D renderings allow you to explore your project from multiple perspectives before construction starts. Many homeowners begin their project with one feature in mind—perhaps a new swimming pool or outdoor kitchen—but discover during the design process how beautifully those elements can be integrated with patios, landscape lighting, water features, and professionally designed planting beds to create one cohesive outdoor living environment.
Rather than wondering how everything will look together, you’ll experience the completed design before construction begins.
Looking for a complete outdoor transformation? Explore our comprehensive Landscape Design Services on Long Island and discover how our award-winning team combines creative planning with expert installation. You can also browse our Luxury Patio Design & Outdoor Living Spaces page to see how premium hardscapes, pools, outdoor kitchens, and custom landscape features come together in one cohesive design.
Walk Through Your New Backyard Before We Build It
One of the most exciting parts of our design process is the immersive 3D video walkthrough.
Instead of looking at static drawings, you’ll take a virtual walk through your future backyard.
You’ll see how your patio connects to the pool, how your outdoor kitchen integrates with the entertaining space, where landscape lighting creates ambiance, and how every planting bed complements your home’s architecture.
Many homeowners tell us this is the moment they truly become excited about their project.
Precision 2D Construction Plans
Beautiful renderings are only part of the process.
Every project also includes professional 2D construction drawings that serve as the roadmap for installation.
These plans include:
Site Development Plan
Shows the complete layout of your project.
Planting Plan
Specifies every tree, shrub, perennial, and planting location.
Hardscape Plan
Identifies materials, dimensions, elevations, square footage, and construction details required for installation.
These plans are also invaluable for permit applications and homeowner association approvals when required.
Where Your Ideas Become an Award-Winning Backyard Design
One of the biggest advantages of professional landscape design is avoiding expensive change orders.
Making changes during the design phase takes minutes.
Making changes after excavation, concrete placement, or hardscape installation can cost thousands of dollars.
Our design process allows you to experiment with layouts, materials, lighting, planting combinations, and outdoor living features before construction begins, helping you make informed decisions while protecting your investment.
Our Design Process Begins with Your Dream
Every exceptional outdoor living space starts with a conversation—not about patios, pools, or plants, but about how you want to live.
When you choose Designscapes of Long Island, your first meeting isn’t with a salesperson. You’ll meet personally with Daniel Steigerwald, owner, award-winning landscape designer, and the creative mind behind Designscapes since 1985.
Together, you’ll walk your property at a relaxed pace, discussing your ideas, your lifestyle, and the vision you’ve always had for your backyard.
Whether you dream of hosting family gatherings around an outdoor kitchen, relaxing beside a resort-style pool, enjoying quiet evenings around a fire feature, or creating a peaceful garden retreat, Daniel wants to understand what makes your vision unique.
He’ll also consider the details you may not have thought about yet—sunlight throughout the day, existing views, privacy, drainage, traffic flow, architectural style, and how each outdoor space will naturally connect with your home.
This isn’t about choosing products from a catalog. It’s about creating an outdoor living environment designed specifically for your family, your property, and the way you want to enjoy it for years to come.
From Ideas to Reality
After your consultation, Daniel begins transforming your ideas into a custom design. Every pathway, planting bed, patio, pool, outdoor kitchen, and landscape feature is thoughtfully planned to create one cohesive outdoor living experience.
As your design takes shape, you’ll begin seeing your future backyard through stunning 3D renderings and immersive video walkthroughs. Instead of trying to imagine how everything will come together, you’ll actually experience your new outdoor living space before construction begins.
When it’s time to review the design, you’ll meet with Daniel again to walk through every detail together. This is your opportunity to ask questions, explore different ideas, and make changes until the design feels exactly right.
Only when you’re completely comfortable with every aspect of the plan do we prepare the final construction drawings that will guide your project from concept to completion.
Designed Around You
No two families live the same way, and no two properties are alike. That’s why every Designscapes project begins with listening.
Our goal isn’t simply to design a beautiful backyard. It’s to create an outdoor living space that feels like it was always meant to be part of your home—a place where memories will be made for years to come.
Why Homeowners Choose Designscapes of Long Island
Since 1985, Designscapes has helped Long Island homeowners create award-winning outdoor living environments that blend beauty, functionality, and lasting value.
Our clients appreciate that we invest time in careful planning before construction begins, helping eliminate uncertainty while creating landscapes that reflect each family’s unique lifestyle.
When Designscapes installs your project, your design investment is credited toward your final construction contract, making professional design an even greater value.
Frequently Asked Questions About Backyard Design on Long Island
What is included in the Designscapes backyard design package?
The design package includes custom 3D renderings, a 3D video walkthrough, and three sets of detailed 2D plans. These typically include a site development plan, planting plan, and hardscape plan. Clients also receive ownership of the completed design files.
What is a 3D backyard design?
A 3D backyard design is a realistic digital representation of your proposed outdoor living space. It allows you to see patios, pools, outdoor kitchens, plantings, walkways, lighting, fire features, pergolas, and other elements from multiple perspectives before construction begins.
Can I walk through my future backyard before it is built?
Yes. Your design package includes an immersive 3D video walkthrough that lets you virtually move through the proposed outdoor space. This helps you understand how the different areas connect and how the completed backyard may feel once it is built.
Will I meet personally with the landscape designer?
Yes. Homeowners meet directly with Daniel Steigerwald, the owner and award-winning landscape designer behind Designscapes of Long Island. Daniel walks the property with you, listens to your ideas, and learns how you want your backyard to look, function, and feel before beginning the design.
Can I revise the backyard design?
Yes. You will have an opportunity to review the preliminary design with Daniel and request revisions before the final plans are completed. This allows you to adjust layouts, materials, plant selections, and outdoor living features while changes can still be made digitally.
Additional charges may apply for revisions requested after the final color CAD plans have been completed.
How can 3D backyard design help prevent costly changes?
Three-dimensional renderings allow you to evaluate the proposed layout before excavation, masonry, planting, or installation begins. It is generally easier and less expensive to revise a digital design than to move a patio, replace installed materials, or change a completed feature during construction.
What are the three sets of 2D landscape plans?
The 2D design package generally includes:
- Site development plan: Shows the overall placement and layout of the project.
- Planting plan: Identifies proposed trees, shrubs, flowers, and planting locations.
- Hardscape plan: Documents patios, walkways, materials, square footage, linear footage, and other construction details.
These plans help guide estimating, approvals, material selection, and installation.
Can the plans be used for permits or HOA approval?
The 2D plans can provide the detailed information commonly needed for permit applications and homeowner association reviews. However, approval requirements vary by municipality and HOA. Engineering drawings, calculations, application fees, and other permit-related services are not included unless specifically stated in your agreement.
How long does the backyard design process take?
After the design agreement, deposit, property survey, and initial site meeting are completed, preliminary plans typically take approximately one to two weeks. Following the design review and approval, the final color plans are generally prepared within another one to two weeks. Timing may vary depending on the size and complexity of the project.
What should I prepare before meeting with Daniel?
You should provide the most recent survey of your property whenever possible. It is also helpful to create a wish list and gather photographs, screenshots, or magazine clippings that show the styles, materials, colors, plants, and outdoor features you like. These references help Daniel understand your preferences and begin shaping a design around your vision.
Do I own the finished backyard design files?
Yes. Ownership of the completed design files is included in the design package. This gives you a permanent record of the proposed layout, renderings, walkthrough, and supporting plans.
Is the landscape design fee credited toward construction?
When Designscapes of Long Island is selected to install the project, the initial design fee is credited toward the final construction bill in accordance with the terms of the design agreement.
Can Designscapes design an entire outdoor living space?
Yes. The design can coordinate multiple backyard elements into one cohesive plan, including patios, swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire pits, pergolas, pavilions, planting areas, lighting, walkways, retaining walls, water features, and other custom landscape improvements.
Why should I design the entire backyard before beginning construction?
A complete backyard design helps ensure that individual features work together visually and functionally. It allows the designer to consider movement, entertaining areas, privacy, sunlight, drainage, views, materials, planting, and future improvements before construction decisions become difficult or expensive to change.