Local business · Somerville, MALocal business · 561 Windsor St, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Verified record
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from HighMark Land Design. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$50 – $70
Typical landscaping service around $60
HighMark Land Design is a landscape architecture and planning studio at 561 Windsor Street, Studio A402 in Somerville, led by Heather Heimarck. The clearest account of the work comes from a December 2018 review: a homeowner described her designing and managing a driveway installation under strict zoning limits and a hard weather deadline, shaping it to preserve an exotic tree while improving the approach to the house. She presented several designs, all using permeable pavement for the tree's sake, worked with the city to satisfy its conditions, and managed the builders who installed it. A May 2018 client described the same arc on a different job — reimagining a yard after several trees came out, from design consultation through installation. Her standing among other design professionals shows up as plainly as her client work. Writing in 2018, an architect who had collaborated with her on projects of every scale praised work "creatively conceived, yet guided by a firm understanding of costs and logistics," and a colleague from COGdesign, a non-profit that pairs landscape architects with community groups, credited her with a park design for the New Bedford Historical Society and pro bono stormwater and native-planting work at a Roxbury elementary school. That written record is dated: Houzz shows a 5.0 average from five reviews, and the newest of them was posted in December 2018. Three of the five came from professional collaborators rather than paying homeowners, so the homeowner-side sample behind that average is small. The practice lists eighteen services on Houzz, weighted toward landscape design, garden design, landscape plans, site planning and patio design, with pool, pond, green-roof and edible-garden work alongside, and shows seven projects ranging from Brookline and Wellesley to coastal Maine. It states its own registration as a Landscape Architect in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and its Houzz licence field reads "LA 1234". For a homeowner planning a designed landscape rather than routine yard maintenance, this is a design-first practice worth a conversation. Ask for the current Massachusetts landscape architect registration number and for references from jobs finished in the last two or three years.
I am happy to give Heather Heimarck the highest recommendation for a difficult job well done. Working under restrictions of strict zoning and time constraints, Heather designed and managed the project of installing a driveway in such a way as to preserve an exotic tree and make the driveway both attractive and functional. She worked with the city to insure that we followed all its conditions carefully and managed a team of excellent builders so that we would have our driveway before really cold weather comes. The driveway has improved the curb appeal of the house immeasurably. Heather is very professional, pleasant, and easy to work with. She presented several design choices that all included permeable pavement for the well being of the tree. I could not be more pleased with the result. I would recommend her for any landscape design work and look forward to working with her again in the spring when we will put finishing touches on the space. Thanks, Heather for all you did!
HighMark did an excellent job reimagining our yard late last Spring after we removed a number of trees. The process was excellent from design consultation to the Garden Company installation of the design. Heather is a pleasure to work with, creative, flexible and down to earth. The work was done in late Spring/early Summer, so it's been awesome seeing everything bloom this Spring.
I have worked with Heather at HighMark Land Design for 15 years and have experienced her as a client, collaborator and consultant on numerous projects. She is professional, pleasant, fun, talented and creative. Everything you could want in a landscape architect. She has the highest professional qualifications, standards and ethics. She also has a great sense of humor and is a fabulous cook!
Heather Heimarck is a pleasure to work with. A highly-accomplished landscape architect, Heather designed a park for the New Bedford Historical Society through our non-profit, COGdesign last year. And she is currently working on a second COGdesign project (with her Northeastern landscape architecture students) mitigating stormwater damage and designing native plant gardens for Paige Academy, an elementary school in Roxbury. COGdesign matches landscape architects/designers who work pro bono with community groups which apply to us for design assistance. Heather is a generous collaborator, at home in the field and working closely with clients. Her design for Abolition Row Park is stunning; a beautiful abstraction of ideas in commemoration of Fredric Douglass and the Underground Railroad. She is responsive to the needs of our community clients and easy to work with. I highly recommend Heather!
I am an architect, and have collaborated with Heather on many projects. Heather is a great asset to any project. She is interested in the larger issues (environment, community) and deeply knowledgeable about the smallest details (plant characteristics, paving options). Her work is always creatively conceived, yet guided by a firm understanding of costs and logistics. We have worked on projects of all scales, and Heather's attention and care is equal across the spectrum.
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