Site documentation
Survey-grade field equipment and LiDAR scanning document site conditions quickly and accurately, creating a reliable foundation for design.
Dustin Smith, RLA · Ballston Lake, New York
Thoughtful plans for better outdoor spaces.
Independent landscape design with a strong residential focus, helping clients make informed decisions and protect their investment before construction, planting, or other site improvements begin.
Discuss your project
Project visualization · Residential landscape design by Dustin Smith
A well-designed landscape begins with an understanding of the site, its surroundings, and how people are meant to inhabit the space.
Dustin Smith is a New York State Registered Landscape Architect with five years of professional experience. His work has included projects ranging from state and national parks to Saratoga-area backyard oases and expansive countryside estates. With a Master of Landscape Architecture and a background in plant science from Cornell University, he brings a broad understanding of site design, grading, planting, and construction to every project. His independent, design-only practice is rooted in residential work while also supporting commercial, municipal, and educational clients with cohesive plans tailored to their goals, budgets, and preferred path to implementation.
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Clear plans for complex sites and memorable outdoor spaces.
Each scope is tailored to the site, the client, and the decisions that need to be made next.
Residential & site master plans
Cohesive layouts for homes and select commercial, municipal, or educational properties, coordinating circulation, gathering areas, planting, screening, and future improvements.
Landscape graphics
Clear plans, illustrations, and visualizations that communicate the design before construction begins.
Grading & drainage
Practical concepts for managing slopes and stormwater while creating usable, attractive outdoor space.
Patios & hardscape
Layouts and material direction for patios, walkways, steps, fire features, and retaining walls.
Planting design
Site-specific plant palettes and layouts shaped by exposure, soils, maintenance goals, seasonality, and character.
“The idea is not to copy nature, but to give a feeling of nature.”
— Piet Oudolf
Professional guidance without committing to a design-build contract.
Design-only services allow you to compare contractors, phase the work, or complete portions yourself while keeping one cohesive plan.
01
Free phone consultation
Discuss your site, priorities, budget, and the decisions the design should help you make.
02
On-site meeting & consultation
Residential on-site consultations are $185 and include a property walk-through and discussion of your priorities, budget, existing conditions, opportunities, constraints, and grading or drainage considerations. After the consultation, I’ll prepare a proposal outlining the recommended design scope, deliverables, and fee. Commercial, municipal, and educational consultations are scoped individually.
03
Collaborative concept development
Once the proposal is accepted, we’ll explore possibilities together and refine the layout through your feedback until the concept reflects both the site and the way you want to use it.
04
Tailored design package
Receive drawings and guidance matched to your project, whether you plan to complete portions yourself, phase the work over time, or hire a contractor for installation.
Service area
Local knowledge, rooted in residential design and responsive to broader community needs.
Ballston LakeBallston SpaClifton ParkMaltaCapital Region
Have a difficult site?
Slopes, drainage, circulation conflicts, fragmented additions, and years of piecemeal improvements often benefit from stepping back and creating one coordinated plan.
Start with a conversation
Plan first. Build with confidence.
Share a few details about your property, site, or organization and what you hope to accomplish. An initial conversation can help determine the right level of design assistance.