2-Week Intensive

We at CSGD understand how difficult it can be to travel to Northern California to attend our courses. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that we have created a two-week, 10-day intensive version of our 4-week Beginning Design Course, and now we can bring the School to you!

Here’s how it works….

Our two week intensive course is just the same as our 4-Week Program except for the following: The Site Plan for the project will be supplied to the students at scale, no actual mapping of the site will take place, although visiting the property for performing a Site Analysis and additional photographs will be included. Selected lectures will not be included, although all class notes will be provided on a CD. We will also include on the CD a narrated presentation on doing Site Surveys as part of the student packets. The CSGD will provide its own presentation materials and projector, although a projector screen will be required on site.

The CSGD would need a contact person or persons on location who would be responsible for securing a venue (it could be a classroom, a church hall, a Civic Center – use your imagination!) and getting the word out to potential students. The contact person(s) would also take the signups and track the number of students. Students would register and pay directly to the CSGD just as if they were taking any of our regular courses. Contact persons would not be responsible for handling any money, however they would receive payment for their time in helping to organize the course.

Cost Information….

We require a minimum of eight students, and a maximum of twelve. We prefer to keep our class size small and manageable so that Mr. Littlepage can give each student the classroom attention they need. Cost per student would be $1,800 plus Mr. Littlepage’s travel and lodging expenses as well as any rental costs for the class venue. Final student costs will be calculated on a sliding scale – Although the base tuition of $1800.00 will remain the same, travel, lodging and rental costs will go down per student based on the number of attendees. All fees must be paid in full to the CSGD before the start of the course.

What we need…

A small, relatively flat property with a site plan already prepared to scale (1/8” or ¼” scale) including photographs would need to be secured for the class project. The scaled, prepared plan should be mailed or e-mailed to us at the School for review and printing. An important element of our 4-Week Beginning Garden Design Course is the fact that we work on a real project, and present our design solutions to an actual client. This location would need to be approved by Mr. Littlepage in advance.

Availability…

The Two-Week Intensive Design Course can be held anytime our regular classes in California are not running. Please see our class schedule link for dates.

What students will need to provide…

This course is not CAD based - students will need to provide all of their own drafting tools and materials including a roll of 24” x 36” trace paper (this can be shared) vellum and portable drafting board for the course. Please see our “Required Materials” page elsewhere in this website for complete information. The text “Landscape Graphics” will not be required. We prefer to have students working on 24” x 36” vellum so a drafting board of suitable dimensions will be necessary.

2-Day Google SketchUp Training Add-On….

If there is enough interest, Mr. Littlepage will also run his 2-day Introduction to Sketch-Up class. Students may either sign up for both the landscape design course and the Sketch-Up class, or just the Sketch-Up class if they wish. Cost of the 2-day class is $200.00. Students will need to provide their own laptop computer pre-loaded with Google SketchUp for this course.

There are two versions of SketchUp available, please call or email the School with any questions regarding which version you should be using for this class.

For more information about Sketch-Up, a powerful 3-D Presentation Software program, click here.

Are you ready to have the California School of Garden Design come to your area?

If you would like to arrange for us to visit your area please email or call us for further information, costs and our current schedule of availability. We are able to bring our Two Week Intensive Course or our Two Day SketchUp training class - together or separately to your group or association anywhere you are located.

Here’s what our students have to say:

The California School of Garden Design, and Director Robert Littlepage, exceeded my expectations!

Our class of 7 students ranged from the completely inexperienced to the semiexperienced, and each and every one of us got more out of the program than we could have imagined. I am amazed at how much we learned in just four weeks.

The program strikes just the right balance of classroom instruction, hands-on exercises and field experience. Class structure fosters peer support and critique, which is indispensable to the process. Upon completing the program, students will have gained an understanding of design principles, and, more importantly, the tools and skills to apply them to real-life situations.

As an instructor, Robert is ideal: knowledgeable, accessible, encouraging and truly passionate about his trade. He is a true mentor.

To date, I have completed the beginner’s course, with plans to enroll in the advanced courses next session. Thanks to my learning at CSGD, I have already created a successful design solution for my first paying client! And, I have additional jobs pending!

For anyone who is designing gardens by trial and error, an “inner sense,” or simply by the seat of their pants (like I was)– this program will give them the necessary knowledge, insight and tools to create beautiful, proportional, balanced spaces in a thoughtful and systematic way.

I commend Robert Littlepage for his expertise and teaching style. And I highly recommend CSGD to any and all aspiring garden designers.

                                                                                                 Marcia D.