Education
AE Academy
Learn how to plan an Arizona outdoor project before you hire anyone — including AE.
Core lessons are free and open. You don't need to give us your email to read them. Email capture is offered only for saving progress, getting the workbook, workshop reminders, or personalized recommendations — and marketing consent is always a separate checkbox.
Guided paths
Each path stitches together existing AE guides, standards, and tools — we don't duplicate the library, we sequence it.
Planning a complete backyard
Goals, zones, sun and shade, and how the pieces fit together before you talk to anyone.
Planning a pool and surrounding yard
Pool decisions are 60% yard decisions. Plan them together.
Planning a landscape or hardscape project
Pavers, turf, plants, drainage, and lighting — what to decide first.
Comparing contractor proposals
How to read three bids that look different and figure out what's actually being offered.
Permits and HOA responsibilities
What requires a permit, what the HOA controls, and who is responsible for what.
Preparing for construction
Access, utilities, neighbors, schedule reality, and how to stay sane during the build.
Caring for the finished outdoor space
Seasonal care, warranty hygiene, and when to call for service.
How modules work
A typical lesson is 5–10 minutes and may include: a short video, full transcript, a direct-answer summary, a checklist, a relevant published project, an optional quiz, the next lesson, the related AE service, and a planning CTA. The educational value lives in the lesson — never behind a form.
The Project-Ready Workbook
A downloadable and web-based workbook that walks you through every planning question we ask on a real intake — usable with any contractor, not just AE.
- Goals and household use
- Feature priorities and trade-offs
- Investment preparation
- Timing and decision-maker readiness
- Site access and staging
- Utilities (gas, electrical, water, sewer)
- HOA submittal requirements
- Existing plans, surveys, and as-builts
- Materials and finishes shortlist
- Maintenance preferences
- Contractor-comparison question bank
Workbook download coming soon — owner sign-off pending. The web version will be readable without a form.
AE Open-Book Scope Standard
The same eleven-section framework AE uses internally to define a complete project scope. Use it as a yardstick on any outdoor-living proposal you receive.
- 01Goals and use
- 02Site conditions
- 03Layout and circulation
- 04Drainage
- 05Utilities
- 06Materials and specifications
- 07Engineering, permits, and HOA responsibilities
- 08Scope inclusions and exclusions
- 09Payment and change process
- 10Quality control
- 11Handoff, warranty, and care
Completion badge
Finish the core paths and the Academy will issue a completion badge that reads:
Completed the AE Outdoor Living Project-Planning Academy.
The badge is for homeowner planning use only. It is not a professional certification, not licensed training, not a contractor certification, and not a code certification.