Custom Landscape Design
“Terrapin Landscapes turned our vision into more than a reality.”
Design is where the dream begins. Before any stone is set or plant is rooted, we start with ideas—yours and ours. This is the time to explore how you want to live on your land, what views you want to frame, and how nature can play a larger role in your daily life. Our landscape design services help bring those dreams into focus, pairing inspiration with deep knowledge of horticulture and stonework, and over 20 years of experience building in Southern Maine.
Build Your Landscape Wish List
Whether you’re starting with a blank canvas on a new build or staring down an unruly, overgrown yard, we’ll collaborate on a design that checks off your wish list items, fits in your budget, and integrates careful ecological practices to preserve the long-term health of your land. Every design is different, and nothing is off the table with Terrapin, but here are a few elements that might be included:
- Stonework and hardscape features
- Native perennial beds
- Container gardens
- Outdoor kitchens and fire features
- Shoreline restoration and grading
- Soake pools and pool deck
- Permeable driveways
- Trees and shrubs
Why Terrapin?
Our approach is grounded in listening to our clients, to the site, and to the natural patterns of the land. Every design is customized, developed by our in-house designer through a collaborative process that combines big-picture creativity with decades of practical know-how. We prioritize native plants and local or reclaimed granite not just for aesthetics, but because they thrive here. The result is a space that feels timeless—deeply connected to the place and perfectly suited to your lifestyle.
Our clients trust us with big decisions—and significant financial investments—because they know we bring care, clarity, and experience to every step of the process. We help you think through cost and feasibility with value engineering—finding smart, thoughtful ways to achieve your goals within budget. That might mean swapping out a natural stone for premium concrete pavers or adjusting a patio layout to reduce grading and site work. From the first conversation to the final handoff to our construction team, you’ll have a partner who sees the potential in your land and knows how to bring it to life.
Our Design Process
Good designs always start with good communication. We want to make certain we understand your needs from the start, the factors that will impact design, and give you a clear look at how your project will proceed.
If you’re interested in landscape design, start by reaching out with a few details about your project—we’ll send you our official design intake form and then schedule a phone call to discuss your goals, inspiration, and budget. From there we can plan a visit to your property to understand the land firsthand.
Following your site visit, you have the option to continue working with our designer through a feasibility study. For a feasibility fee, our designer will create a rough concept sketch that includes layout and key design elements. This early planning process helps determine whether your ideas are practical, compliant with local requirements, and financially realistic. We can then adjust the direction of your design early to stay within budget and shape realistic expectations through a process we call value engineering.
Once you are ready to move forward with a full design, our designer will create a proposal for your review. Upon acceptance, 50% of the agreed design fee is due. The remaining balance is due following completion of the preliminary design plan.
Our designer handles due diligence like permitting, zoning, and identifying setbacks or easements. They create a preliminary plan with initial decisions for hardscape and softscape elements. Revisions can easily be made during this stage. When you’re ready, they’ll collaborate with you to finalize details for a tailored design that reflects your priorities and budget. Expect detailed layouts, phasing guidance, and material suggestions along the way.
Your project transitions seamlessly to our in-house build team—already familiar with the plan and the property—so we can carry your vision through to completion.
Visit Our Design Office
Our design office in Arundel gives clients a chance to experience Terrapin’s work firsthand. Landscaped by our own crew, the space showcases native plantings, reclaimed granite, and the kind of thoughtful stonework we’re known for. It’s where many of our design meetings and consultations take place—a setting where clients can see, touch, and walk through the materials that might one day live in their own landscape.
“Their landscape architect, Amy Tobin, listened to us and spent so much time designing and planning our project – and managing the timeline which was challenging and changing through no fault of theirs.” – Sally
Featured Project: Spurwink Retreat
A lush, private oasis in Scarborough where the textures and colors of the coast are at the center. Feather light grasses, native shrubs and ground covers encircle two custom Soake Pools and create the sense of having stumbled upon a natural spring. Silvery decking seamlessly meets the natural edges of stone pathways like driftwood and pebbles on a beach. Room for lounge chairs, a dining set, and custom pergola mean this peaceful retreat is ready for activity morning through evening.
Start the Conversation
Let’s talk about your land, your priorities, and what’s possible. We’re here to help you shape something lasting—beautiful on day one and even better years from now.