Thoughtful Stewardship for Home & Landscape
“The most important part of my work is the planning phase. It sets the stage for an organized process and a lasting result—without surprises, and always guided by the homeowner’s priorities.”
— Chris Kolb
Greetings
Hi, I’m Chris Kolb. I have over 15 years of experience in solutions-based, client-facing service experience and over 20 years experience working the land. Kolb Custom Land Services, Inc. is a niche, boutique business that provides land-use education, botanical valuations, cost-phase-planning service, home and landscape 3-D design, project management, and “boots-on-the-ground” custom natural dry stone craftsmanship, lush ornamental plantings, and artistry. I hand-build sustainable and authentic outdoor spaces with natural stone, quality materials, and beautiful native, xeriscape, ornamental plantings. I have helped folks maximize water view and land-home integration through shed dormer additions and raised decking and built water features to mitigate noise pollution. I have a passion for helping my customers sustainably achieve their goals and optimize value by: enhancing the quality of their outdoor living experience within a budget and time deadline; increasing their vacation rental property marketability and passive income potential; increasing real estate value for greater equity or sale; or for legacy planning as part of an estate. I partner-up with trusted boutiques to get the job done on time with no dilution of quality. My recommendations have the customers’ best interest at heart. I partnership with Synchrony Bank Home Improvement Lending, Eastern Mortgage Lending (NMLS ID# 451827), and Belpointe Asset Management LLC (CRD #143440) as a registered Investment Advisor (CRD #7140995). I hold a Bachelors Degree from Brown University in art and design theory.
WHAT DOES CHRIS VALUE MOST? OASIS!
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Chris firmly believes that artistry thrives on order, not chaos. He has over twenty years of custom craftsman and design experience and over ten years as a successful business owner.
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Chris’ calling is to sculpt and paint with earth, plant, stone, and life. He began drawing at a very young age and continued building upon his artistic curiosity at Choate Rosemary Hall and Brown University where he obtained a B.A. in Art-semiotics.
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Chris coined the phrase "If we are not one, we are none”. He believes that privately owned suburban residential and small business land is critical to sustaining life among us. There are not enough natural preserves and wildlife corridors alone for a healthy ecosystem to depend on. (Tallamy, et al.). He believes "If you build it, (they) will come" (Field Of Dreams, 1989). Chris also applies the adage, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, US Congress, 1976) and applies this to materials and methods of construction.
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Chris’ starts by listening carefully to your most pressing landscape concern and your overarching priorities. With over twenty years of combined experience applying the elements and principles to 3-D design, sound materials and methods of stone construction, fundamentals of soil science, sustainable horticulture and fine garden planting, and scrupulous cost estimating and planning, Chris has the empathy, intel, and experience to "make real" your outdoor living dreams.
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Chris seamlessly splices together astute design, sound financial planning or budgeting, accurate scheduling, custom installation, and art. Utmost quality is an end-to-end, single point of contact customer experience in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts (Aristotle).
How does Chris’ work differ from the bigger landscape companies?
This difference is quality over quantity; integrity over volume of sale. Chris takes a fiduciary approach much like a financial advisor with the customer's best interest in mind. He does not rush the process just to make the next customer sale, the next install, or sales commission.
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If you want a true artist, designer, craftsman, and businessman all in one, then you needn't look further. Chris has worked in many art media, but his calling is the land. He loves to build using his own hands with stone, light, and living plants. Chris sees design as pragmatic and he does not sell landscapes. He advises folks on creative and practical solutions. Chris is loyal to dedicated to a project end-to-end and builds side-by-side with other independent boutique craftsmanship to ensure design integrity and continuity of purpose. His business model allows him to expand and contract production to accommodate scope and schedule.
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Chris got his start during the dotcom era in Manhattan in a garden park in Washington Heights overlooking the Palisades. Unhappy building an online financial forum with a fellow Brown University alum, Chris followed his heart. He embarked on a mission to build with his hands, to watch living things flourish, and to create beauty and art in land-form. This is what Chris loves to do for his clients.
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The word sustainability has been cynically exploited and generally diluted, so Chris uses empathy for better definition and to help guide folks to uncover what sustainability means most to them.
(1) A financially appropriate design-and-build tailored to a customer’s unique financial situation and priorities in life is sustainable. For example, those who entertain for business at their private estate have a different take on sustained priorities than folks looking to increase cash flow and passive income by enhancing the experience of their vacation tenants.
(2) Form follows function, (a term coined by renowned architect, Louis Sullivan) means a landscape can be artsy, but the design has to be ergonomic or it's not going to be used as a sustainable facet of the customers' outdoor living experience.
(3) Conserving our watersheds, our aquifers, our pollinator populations, the bases of our ecosystem's food chains, the living soil and fragile beauty of our coastlines sustains the very resources that attract us to live on Cape Cod in the first place.
(4) Enhancing the nautical heritage and culture of our quaint seaside villages by developing and stewarding our land sensitively sustains Cape Cod's charm.
What is your sustainability punch list?
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Chris has a finance background and understands a sustainable income statement and pricing model. He's not a "fly-by-night" enterprise. Chris knows how to estimate time and labor with pinpoint accuracy to avoid unwanted surprise bills. Chris is impeccably honest and this discipline and value sets him apart in a no-barriers-to-entry industry wrought with deceptive practices. Measure twice, cut once. Chris never rushes a project. He knows how to manage project budgets. He's not afraid to be transparent because there's nothing to hide. Chris extends the financial benefit of his business-to-business pricing to his customers and offers an unparalleled two-year parts and labor warranty upon most of his work. His pricing model is fundamentally different than most companies, but it is competitive and, bottom-line, it works out better for customers.
Testimonials
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*****
Chris Kolb of Kolb Custom Land Services is a wonderfully creative and inspired landscape designer, bringing extensive knowledge of both native and non-native plants and trees. When faced with a large, untamed backyard of rocks and eroding hills of sand, we interviewed several designers. Chris took hours of time to listen to our needs, ideas, concerns, and work within our budget. He prioritized stages of the backyard, guiding us with insights and advice. We have appreciated Chris’ focus on sustainability, for both the environment and our budget! He has guided us in our plant choices, transplanting shrubs to better parts of our property, and in propagating cuttings. He continues to be an awesome partner in the development of our gardens and backyard sanctuary. Thank you, Chris!
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*****
Kolb Custom Land Services did a great job with the landscaping on our home here on Cape Cod. The house was built 35 years ago and the rhododendrons were taking over the front of our home and side. He moved these rhododendrons and put beautiful, mostly native, plants and shrubs in the front of our house which have held up very well. The native plants require very little maintenance. We also have more butterflies and bees than ever before.
Thank you, Chris, for the wonderful work! We are really enjoying our yard and it looks so much better!
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Chris Kolb is an exceptional landscape designer who is trustworthy and diligent. He has a strong background in horticulture and applies that knowledge in the design. Chris can install his designs or work with installation crews guiding their efforts. He can engage in detailed design discussions with clients who enjoy being involved in the details. As Chris is primarily a solo performer it works best if the client understands how and when other resources will be obtained on large projects.
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*****
Chris has helped me with 2 projects.....pruning woody perennials, and most importantly to me.......Spring leaf mulching in garden beds. Aim to utilize leaves each year in garden beds by mowing and distributing where required. Chris is not only extremely knowledgeable about identifying native plantings which need to be protected and preserved.....but has the artistic ability to advise and execute work needed.