Gully erosion mitigation with contour
infiltration channels / diversion earthworks.

Pre-purchase site assessment

An on-site appraisal in advance of purchasing a property can identify or confirm values and opportunities or warn about costly problems.

We can normally save you the cost of consultation by helping you find ways to reduce your overall investment while still accomplishing your goals.

Help us get a clearer picture of your needs. Click here to download a Resource Evaluation Checklist (.pdf format) to print, fill out, and mail to:
Patterns for Abundance
PO Box 182, Montague, MI 49437 USA   812-335-0383

Optionally: Resource Evaluation Checklist  in MSWord.

A group design charrette for a client in Canada.

On site planning advice

A half or full day on your property can give you a better understanding of the nature, limitations and strengths of your land as well as a plan for basic land use (where to site the house, dams, roads, gardens, animals, and orchards).

Follow us around with pens and paper, audio recorder (or camcorder / smart phone) to enhance the value of your consultancy investment.

A section of our 400 plant, 40 species hedgerow,
windbreak, fodder, food, coppice planting.

Our built-in greenhouse extends our growing season, adds heat to the living areas spring and fall, gains heat from our sauna / winter clothes dryer, receives heat from the fan above our cookstove.

A cordwood house to illustrate one of several
lower-cost natural building styles.

Consultation and Design

We consult and design for projects of all scales including the following:

  • Residential Landscapes
  • Edible Landscapes
  • Commercial Developments
  • Farm Design
  • Edible Landscapes
  • Nursery Design
  • Co-Housing or Ecovillage Projects
  • Schools and Other Public Projects
  • Decorative or Storage Ponds of all sizes
  • Waterfalls, Fountains and Water Elements
  • Stone Masonry and Hardscapes
  • Drainage Management
  • Erosion Control, Restoration & Drainage Mgmt.
  • Rainwater Harvesting and Storage
  • Replicated Wetlands and Grey Water Systems
  • Bio-remediation
  • Aquaculture
  • Creek or Watershed Restoration
  • Alternative Construction:
    Strawbale; Clay-Straw; Cob (Earth), including Cob Ovens and Garden Walls
  • Gardens / Food and Resource Production
  • Orchard Design, Management, and Rehabilitation
  • Soil Regeneration
  • Integrated Animal Management
  • Animal Tractoring and Rotational Pasturing
  • Integrated Pest Management
  • Agroforestry
  • Silvipasture
  • Windbreaks
  • Forest Management
  • Forest Gardening
  • Fire Prevention
  • Design for Drought, Flood, and Fire Resilience
  • Road / Path Design

We also provide the following specialist services:

Presentations for conferences, workshops and public events;
Technical writing and editing on green design, planning, environment, urban ecology and sustainable development;
Media commentary;
Critical review of urban design projects for compliance with ecological and sustainability goals;
Design support for sustainability outcomes, including roof garden design;
Consultancy support for ecological community development projects or programs;
and More……

Farm development map for a 75 Acre farm in Indiana
with design for contour infiltration, pond development,
water and erosion management, orchard, market gardens,
brewery / distillery,and paddock cycling for livestock.

Documented whole farm / site planning

A fully documented whole farm or site plan provides you with a well thought out road map for long-term development of larger rural properties and farms where the investment of significant capital in revegetation, erosion control, soil improvement, dams, buildings, horticulture, etc. make thorough planning an essential function.

Ecovillage development

Similar services are available for those planning ecovillage developments. Our experience in designing and developing Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina, (and other properties around the country) enables us to provide general strategy plus planning and design for those committed to sustainable rural and uban resettlement. (BTW, most of us live in potential ecovillages but haven’t realized it… yet.)

Climate / Energy Decline Adaptation

Time, soils, minerals, and fossil energy are steadily diminishing in supply as we enter the age of Peak Everything. This massive cultural transition requires a rapid education in basic self-reliance for all people, rural and urban. Climate change and rising prices for everything WILL have a direct effect on the quality of everyone’s life. We can help design a plan of action to secure your family, neighborhood and community future.

Peter addressing students.

Workshops, Seminars, Public Speaking

Peter and Keith have decades of teaching experience and have been leading Permaculture design courses since 1992 and 1996, respectively. Both have addressed large and small groups, given interviews and spoken on various topics related to ecological issues and the application of Permaculture Design. Between them, they have taught in venues throughout the USA, as well as in Canada, the Caribbean, and South America. Contact us for more info.

Keith giving a tour of his gardens and homestead.

Consultation and Design Fees

Our field consultation rate is $125 / hour plus travel expenses. The minimum charge for a field consultation would be one full day plus expenses (negotiable if you are nearby). Depending on the extent of the detail in a design we could limit our work to the single-day, walk-and-talk encounter, or develop written and graphic materials to document a plan for development of the property. $1000 / day + travel, $500 + travel / ½ day.

Our studio rates are $75/ hr. for maps, drawings, reports, phone consultation (812-335-0383) , and related office work. Phone consultation can be a very cost-effective means to meet your needs for immediate guidance and planning. We’re happy to provide an estimate for the cost of a prepared report, based on your needs.

For simpler and smaller properties, we can also do remote design that does not require us to travel to your site, provided you can supply us with good maps, photos, and data.

Some of Our Design Projects…

155 acre farm near Pittsburgh Pa. with 6 large ponds, Food Bank and CSA production, livestock, wetlands and forest management, ecotourism.

Ecovillage development plan, forest, pond, and runoff management for 450 acre site near Shipman, Va.

65 acre plan for development of complex multi-family farming enterprise with extensive runoff management, contour infiltration, aquaculture ponds, food crops for Washington D.C. restaurants, food processing center, rotational grazing, bamboo production, and wind power in White Post, Va.

14 acre family farm in rural housing development with ponds, nut and fruit crops, silvipasture grazing, in Purcellville, Va.

2300 acre organic soybean and cotton farm, flood management plan, wetland restoration, wildlife refuge, and village development in Tiptonville, Tenn.

130 Acre holistic horse boarding, teaching, and rehabilitation facility in Lexington, KY. Pasture improvement, water runoff management, natural building design.

300+acre Ecovillage development at Grailville, Loveland, OH.

1/2 acre site development plan with terraced gardens, greywater treatment, water management system, for passive solar home, Asheville, NC

1.5 acre site designing for flood abatement and sediment deposition plus edible landscape in Minnesota.

120 acre “green” subdivision of 65 homes, apartments, community center, shops, fish and swimming ponds, community gardens, community supported agriculture, and edible landscapes, in west Tennessee.

1/3 acre forest garden on amall suburban lot in eastern Iowa.

25 acre rolling polyculture and livestock farm in Ontario.

38 acre vineyard, pastures, and market garden in W. Va.

1+ acre SE Indiana suburban lot with gardens and food forest.

A 9 acre minifarm near Bloomington Ind.

5 acre farm-to-table restaurant with edible landscape in Sylvan Lake, Mich.

Click here to get a Resource Evaluation Checklist (.pdf format)
to print, fill out, and mail to:
Patterns for Abundance
PO Box 182, Montague, MI 49437 USA
812-335-0383
Resource Evaluation Checklist  in MSWord.