For the property that's too big, too complex, or too far along to fix one room at a time.
Your property has been asking for more than a weekend project for a while now.
Maybe it's an older home on a lot that drops away behind it - the kind where "just redo the patio" turns into retaining walls and drainage and where does the water even go.
Maybe it's a remodel that touches nearly every room, so "start with the kitchen" doesn't actually work, because the kitchen only makes sense once you know what the whole house is doing.
Maybe it's been sitting half-planned for a while now, because every contractor you've called wants to solve their own piece of it, and none of them will look at the whole thing. Or even know how to do that.
Your property has been asking for more than a weekend project for a while now.
Maybe it's an older home on a lot that drops away behind it - the kind where "just redo the patio" turns into retaining walls and drainage and where does the water even go.
Maybe it's a remodel that touches nearly every room, so "start with the kitchen" doesn't actually work, because the kitchen only makes sense once you know what the whole house is doing.
Maybe it's been sitting half-planned for a while now, because every contractor you've called wants to solve their own piece of it, and none of them will look at the whole thing. Or even know how to do that.
Hi - I'm Miriam.
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You don't want to run a committee of contractors. You don't want to explain the same vision to six different tradespeople and hope it comes out coherent. You want to work with someone who already knows how to think about a house and a lot together - who will listen first and ask questions to truly understand - and trust that she'll come back with things you hadn't thought of yourself. That's what my bespoke design is for. |
Most Designers Do the House or the Landscape. I Do Both.
And the part in between - where the kitchen door meets the patio, where the slope decides what the garden can even be, where the light comes from and how it should move through the rooms you actually live in.
On a property that you're invested in, that connective tissue isn't a nice-to-have.
It's usually the gap between a house and a home.
That doesn't mean every project has to take on the whole house and the whole property at once. Plenty of my bespoke projects are just the landscape, or just a portion of the home - a kitchen, a primary suite, one stretch of an otherwise-fine yard.
What doesn't change is that I look at how that piece connects to everything around it, even when the project itself stays smaller. A kitchen redesign still has to know what it looks out on. A garden plan still has to account for how the house actually gets used.
What doesn't change is that I look at how that piece connects to everything around it, even when the project itself stays smaller. A kitchen redesign still has to know what it looks out on. A garden plan still has to account for how the house actually gets used.
I design for places where it's gotten harder.
Arid, intense climates like the high-country in Prescott, Arizona.
Thin rocky soil, slopes that turn "put a patio here" into an engineering question.
Summers that keep getting longer and drier.
I've designed for homes, gardens, and landscapes for decades, and right here in Prescott since 2010.
The Investment
Most whole-property designs run $4,500–$12,000; a smaller, partial-scope project runs less.
The exact number comes from your on-site consult, not a pre-planned generic package offer.
At a glance:
Most designers at this scale don't publish numbers at all. I do - because a fair price for real expertise shouldn't be a surprise.
The exact number comes from your on-site consult, not a pre-planned generic package offer.
At a glance:
- Whole-property design: $4,500–$12,000+
- Partial-scope projects (a room, a portion of the yard): priced accordingly
- Permit-ready construction plans, if needed: $3,000–$5,000+
- Owner-consultant during construction as an option: $150/hour
- Your consult fee → credited to your contract deposit
Most designers at this scale don't publish numbers at all. I do - because a fair price for real expertise shouldn't be a surprise.
I'm a designer - Not an Architect or a Contractor. Here's Why that's a good thing.
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So, why hire The Whiskey Porch?? Why hire me, instead of just going direct to a contractor, or builder, or landscaping company or nursery? Or even just using the "free" design services at various large retailers? Or instead of hiring an architect? |
1. Big picture, integrated experience & perspective. 2. Exceptional customer service and integrity. 3. I serve you, my client, ONLY. 4. I will save you money and protect your ROI. 5. Experience and true passion. 6. Small, locally owned business. |
I'm not a licensed architect, and I'm not a contractor.
If you already need stamped structural drawings, or you're looking for someone to swing a hammer, I'm not your person.
What I am: someone who's spent decades thinking about how a house and a landscape work as one whole thing, and who turns that into drawings, detailed plans, and renderings a contractor can build from.
Here's why that's usually the better starting point anyway:
If you already need stamped structural drawings, or you're looking for someone to swing a hammer, I'm not your person.
What I am: someone who's spent decades thinking about how a house and a landscape work as one whole thing, and who turns that into drawings, detailed plans, and renderings a contractor can build from.
Here's why that's usually the better starting point anyway:
Moving walls, opening a floor plan, rethinking how spaces connect and flow.
That's exactly the kind of decision I work through with clients all the time. With all the building and structural considerations in mind.
It's design thinking, not structural engineering, until the county needs a stamped drawing to permit it — and I'll bring in the right person then, after the bigger decisions are made, not before.
Bring in the engineer or the contractor too early, and you get a technically correct answer to the wrong question.
That's exactly the kind of decision I work through with clients all the time. With all the building and structural considerations in mind.
It's design thinking, not structural engineering, until the county needs a stamped drawing to permit it — and I'll bring in the right person then, after the bigger decisions are made, not before.
Bring in the engineer or the contractor too early, and you get a technically correct answer to the wrong question.
A contractor solves for building, not for whether the plan is right.
A good one can build almost anything you hand them — but they won't catch that the kitchen window should move eighteen inches, or that the patio needs to sit two feet lower to actually get used. That thinking has to happen before the building starts.
A good one can build almost anything you hand them — but they won't catch that the kitchen window should move eighteen inches, or that the patio needs to sit two feet lower to actually get used. That thinking has to happen before the building starts.
I see the whole property, not just my piece of it.
The landscaper sees the yard, the contractor sees the structure. I design the house and the land together, so a decision in one doesn't undercut the other.
The landscaper sees the yard, the contractor sees the structure. I design the house and the land together, so a decision in one doesn't undercut the other.
I have nothing to sell you afterward.
No plants, no fixtures, no markup, no commission. You're paying for my judgment, which means I can tell you the truth, not push what happens to be in my inventory.
No plants, no fixtures, no markup, no commission. You're paying for my judgment, which means I can tell you the truth, not push what happens to be in my inventory.
It's still just me.
I do the design work myself - every drawing, every micro detail - not a team of associates working from a brief. That's slower than a bigger firm, and it's also why the plan actually reflects your property instead of a template.
I do the design work myself - every drawing, every micro detail - not a team of associates working from a brief. That's slower than a bigger firm, and it's also why the plan actually reflects your property instead of a template.
how this works
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1. On-site consultation - 2 or 4 hours, credited to your project deposit once we sign 2. Custom design proposal - built around your property, goals, with a project timeline 3. Milestone-based billing 4. Iterative design meetings - 3 to 8 weeks typically, working together exclusively during that time, from big moves to final details |
proof, not promises
Decades of historic bungalows, awkward lots, and gardens that started as gravel. Some of it mine, most of it other people's. Every one of these started the same way - with a conversation about what to do first.
All that time and experience means I've already made most of the mistakes, so you don't have to.
Google Reviews Page
Having recently purchased an 80 year old home in Prescott with a very steep and challenging lot, we knew we needed a professional to design a beautiful garden that could be enjoyed year round... It was an investment to have a professional design the space, but in the long run, we believe it was worth it.
— Debbie B. | Prescott | via Google Reviews
We couldn't be more pleased with this extraordinary experience.
— Victoria M. | Prescott | via Google Reviews
how to get your project started
Step #1:
Submit a Design Inquiry. Tell me very briefly about your property, your timeline, and what's not working.
We'll talk briefly by phone - not a sales pitch, just confirming the right length of time for our first consult, and to answer any of your larger questions.
Submit a Design Inquiry. Tell me very briefly about your property, your timeline, and what's not working.
We'll talk briefly by phone - not a sales pitch, just confirming the right length of time for our first consult, and to answer any of your larger questions.
I will reach out to you within one business day to talk briefly.
Step #2
We will book an on-site consult - a 2 hour Design Session, or a 4 hour Design Day, depending on your property. Every bespoke design project starts here.
Step #3:
We look at your whole property together, and I'll tell you plainly what I think it needs.
Step #4:
If it's a fit, we sign a custom design contract a few days later - your consult fee becomes deposit credit - and your dedicated bespoke design phase starts.
only A Handful of these each year
When I take on a bespoke project, it gets my full attention - not divided across a dozen clients at once. Or handed off to a junior drafter or employee.
That's why I only take on a handful of these each year: focused time is what makes the work good, and I'd rather protect that than spread it thin.
If your timeline is firm or urgent, tell me early - I'll let you know whether I can take it on.
That's why I only take on a handful of these each year: focused time is what makes the work good, and I'd rather protect that than spread it thin.
If your timeline is firm or urgent, tell me early - I'll let you know whether I can take it on.
faq's
- Why is there a phone call before I can book? — This call isn't design advice or a sales pitch - it's me confirming the right length of consult for a project this size, then getting you a booking link. No pitch, no free work.
- Do I really need a consult first, even though I already know I want the whole thing? — Yes. For a project this size, we both need to know it's a fit before signing a contract - and the fee becomes your deposit credit either way.
- Does my project have to include both the house and the garden? — No. Plenty of bespoke projects are just the landscape or a smaller garden, or just a portion of the home. What stays the same is that I look at how that piece connects to everything around it.
- Do you work outside Prescott? — Most bespoke projects are Prescott-area, since I'm involved through design and available during construction. For the right project further out, we can talk about what that looks like.
- How is this different from a Design Consultation? — A consult is judgment you act on yourself. Bespoke is me owning the design — drawings, plant plans, materials - and staying available once you're building if you choose that option. If your project turns out to be smaller than you think, I'll say so at the consult and offer options.
- How does travel work for the initial consultation? — The Prescott area is included. There's a modest fee further out. All confirmed at booking.
- Can I reschedule the consultation? — Yes - things come up. You can reschedule up to seven days before the appointment. Inside seven days, the fee is retained.
Ready to talk about your property?
Every bespoke project starts with a conversation.
Not local, or want to start smaller? No problem. My Design Consultation options might be the better fit for you.
not quite ready to make decisions?
I write Letters from The Whiskey Porch every Friday — home, garden, simple living and the thinking behind both.
