THE DESIGN PROCESS

1. Design Consultation

The exciting garden design process begins with a free 2-hour on-site consultation where we discuss your garden’s intended use, desired features, style, and ambiance. This comprehensive conversation forms the basis of a personalised design brief, ensuring a tailored garden design. The consultation is a chance to explore ideas, address garden issues, and align with your lifestyle, needs, and budget. We’ll also introduce our services and clarify any questions.

Following this, you’ll receive a detailed design brief and a quotation.
Once the Design Fee Proposal is agreed, we can move forward with the project.

2. Site Measure, Survey & Analysis 

The survey and site analysis are an important part of the garden design process. This visit is about collecting information, understanding the science of your existing garden and taking lots of photos. Using modern equipment and measuring techniques, accurate measurements are taken of your existing garden. These are integral for us to develop a garden design that is to scale.

Also part of the survey is analysing the garden site, this includes carrying out an assessment of the property’s characteristics, garden aspect, boundaries, surrounding views, ground conditions and drainage. Also noted are any features that will remain in the garden and should be incorporated into the new design i.e trees, outbuildings, manholes positions etc. The information gathered will allow an accurate scaled plan of the garden to be produced and will be used as the base for the new design work. 

For larger or complex gardens, an independent surveying company may need to be appointed.

3. Visual Inspiration

To gain a deeper understanding of your style preferences, I will guide you through an extensive collection of visual images meant to explore and inspire the design. This thoughtfully curated compilation covers a wide spectrum of elements, including various garden styles, hard landscaping features, colour palettes, planting themes, and structural ideas. As we explore these design possibilities together, our aim is to collaboratively agree on the vision, garden style, and the specific look and ambiance we want to create in your dream garden.

4. Concept Layout Plans

In this exciting part of the process we begin to design and explore the overall garden layout. The concept layout plans are drawn to scale and serve as a visual representation of the essential elements outlined in your design brief, which may encompass features like paved entertainment areas, pathways, outbuildings, planting beds, trees, lawns, water features, and more. For smaller gardens, a single concept plan serves as an excellent starting point to initiate the design process. For larger, more complex gardens, creating two or three concept plans prove valuable in showcasing the diverse design possibilities within the available space. This also allows you to explore and combine ideas from separate concept plans to ultimately shape the final design for your garden. 

This is likewise the right time for you to carefully consider and finalise the budget. Your primary allocation would cover construction, materials, and lighting, while a supplementary budget caters to plants, furniture, and decor. These budget decisions greatly impact our material choices and garden features like structures and outbuildings, ensuring the design aligns with your financial parameters and design vision.

By the end of this stage, we aim to have a well-defined and mutually agreed-upon concept design for your garden, along with the budget allocation to bring it to fruition.

5. Garden Hard Landscaping Selection

With the concept design plan agreed, we are ready to make material choices, specify levels, and add intricate details to various hard landscaping elements. The selection of hard landscaping materials holds paramount importance in the garden design process, encompassing options such as paving stones, gravel, walling, coping, edging, steps, decking, and fencing, each of which significantly influences the garden’s overall appearance, functionality, and maintenance requirements. These materials possess unique attributes in terms of texture, colour, durability, and cost considerations, and this step ensures that the chosen materials align with the desired visual aesthetics, practicality, and the garden’s long-term sustainability.

6. Garden Features Design & Specifications

In this pivotal phase, we engage in close collaboration with you to carefully select or even custom design the various elements, structures, and functional components that compose your garden. This encompasses a wide array of potential features, from the tranquil allure of water elements to the inviting warmth of fire pits, the integration of advanced technology, the timeless elegance of pergolas, gazebos, and finely crafted furniture, to the creation of play areas, outdoor kitchens, hot tubs, and even the possibility of a swimming pool.

Where the design vision requires bespoke elements that are not readily available through standard suppliers we will collaborate with skilled artisans and experts to conceive and handcraft custom made features tailored exclusively to your project. 

7. Master Plan

The Master Plan is a comprehensive and detailed plan drawn to scale containing all the elements and specifications necessary to construct the proposed garden, including hard landscaped areas, outbuildings, structures, plant beds, trees, design features, levels, materials and measurements. The plan will have either an index column or a separate document listing all the specifications for all the elements in the plan.  As an evolving document, it offers the flexibility to accommodate adjustments as needed, making it an essential tool for not only guiding the construction process but also for estimating costs, timelines, and ensuring that your dream garden becomes a tangible and awe-inspiring 

When necessary, I offer an accompanying information pack that equips landscape contractors with essential design details, allowing them to provide accurate quotations for the garden’s construction.

This pack will include:

1. JPG file of the Garden Design Master Plan – this document is a comprehensive scaled drawing of the garden containing all details necessary for constructing the proposed garden.

2. Product Information: This document encompasses details about all selected design products, such as paving, walling, cladding, timber, aggregates, structures, and water features.

3. Scope of Works: Provides landscape contractors with a comprehensive list of the works required to complete the project, including demolition works, site clearance, excavation works and the build.

4. Site Facilities: Accounts for essential requirements, including onsite electricity, water availability, toilet facilities, as well as secure storage for tools, equipment, and machinery throughout the project duration

5. Access and Parking: Information regarding available parking spaces and the practicality of machinery size for effective on-site use, areas for waste removal, skips and product deliveries.