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Categories
Landscape Architects & Designers
Services & Specialties
Roof gardens, terraces and light planting
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RECOMMENDATION
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4.5]
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WORK QUALITY
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COST EVALUATION
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VALUE ANALYSIS
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ADD YOUR REVIEW
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FR Review:
Who better to do up your garden or terrace than someone who teaches at the New York and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens? Amber Freda has been in the landscape architecture and design industry more than two decades. Well-respected in the business, she’s done projects for such famous names as Robert DeNiro, Anna Quindlen and Ralph Lauren. Freda has worked in a variety of different styles but says that most of her clients prefer contemporary due to their urban locations. Dark-colored planters—lots of blacks, grays, browns—are typical in her designs. Similarly, geometric hardscaping often echoes the straight lines of furniture and square planters found in Freda’s projects. (An interesting tidbit from her is that the kinds of plants that do well on roofs and terraces are the same as those that do well on mountains).
Freda started her own firm in 2004, and she is the only full-time employee. Normally, she carries on five to ten projects at once—half of those are full masonry and carpentry and the other half are terraces or front plantings. Clients are almost all urban dwellers, and mostly in the New York City area. However, Freda has done projects in Long Island, Pennsylvania, Texas and even as far away as Lebanon and Jerusalem. With Freda, the initial consultation and proposal are free, but a 50 percent deposit is required at the onset of a project. A small charge is added for detailed design drawings if the client desires them. Prices are average for the landscape architecture business. For one of the most trusted names in urban landscaping, Amber Freda is a special New York City find.
Representative Client Comments:
“We have a large rooftop terrace. There was no masonry involved, but she put in wood planters, an irrigation system and an electrical system.” “The style of the project is very traditional, but that’s because we are very traditional. I don’t think Amber is limited in that way.” “We had one or two back-and-forths about budget in the beginning. Once we found a number we agreed upon, she stuck to it.” “Amber was onsite throughout the whole project, including install.” “I now have 40 planters and many trees. The irrigation system made the whole project so low-maintenance that we hardly have to do anything. Amber comes by a few times a year to take a look at things, but nothing more.”
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