The Design & Build Process
Free Consultation and quote
This is a chance to discuss your garden and how I can help you make it the space you want. Do you have a blank canvas that needs structure or an overgrown mess you need taming? A border that doesn't seem quite right or help connecting areas of your garden? How do you want to use your garden? Perhaps you have a specific feature or style you want to introduce but you’re not sure how to fit it in or you just want more colour... we can discuss anything and everything. Images of gardens / features you like are useful at this stage. I will reflect on the notes made during the consultation and set out clearly what I can provide you and quote against this.
Survey
Once we've agreed a final brief I will need to survey your garden, this will usually involve taking detailed measurements of the layout and permanent structures. I will also note the soil type, take account of microclimates, simple level changes and views from the house and beyond the garden. For large or more complex gardens I will arrange a professional Topographical Survey.
Existing plants can be discussed and any particular love or hate feelings towards them dealt with! The period and style of the house or other structures surrounding the garden will influence any introduced materials so detailed photographs will be taken to capture the identity of the space. It’s sometimes helpful to take photographs from within the house to capture important views that you may wish to capitalise on (or hide!) Photographs of the garden at different times of the year can be extremely helpful, although not necessary - you may have just moved in, any existing plans you might have are very useful.
Concept Drawings and Masterplan
The first thing I will present to you is a concept, or sometimes a number of ideas with different options. This will be a drawing or series of sketches that I will fully explain to you where you'll have an opportunity to feedback and tweak things if necessary. You may be happy to progress straight away with the presented concept or it may be necessary to combine a number of ideas into one final Masterplan.
The final design, or Masterplan, will be a fully detailed and scaled drawing of your garden, either hand drawn or a CAD drawing dependent on the size or complexity of the project. It will be a working drawing from which a landscape contractor can work to create your new garden along with the additional drawings below...
Construction drawings, Setting out plans, lighting, irrigation and Planting plans
Usually it will be necessary to provide further drawings to explain the details of the garden fully to achieve the 'designed-look'.
Construction drawings - details about how to build the landscape features particularly with any unusual, bespoke items. Setting out plans are necessary when a garden has a brand new layout - it will help landscapers to ensure the paths are correct width and so on with all measurements shown. Planting plans are important to create a beautifully planted garden, the subtleties of colour, shape and form will be mapped out and labelled as plants on the plan. You may also want irrigation and lighting plans, to keep the plants watered and then lit in the evenings!
Project build visits
I can recommend Landscapers and visit during the build to answer any questions relevant to the design.
Planting and finishing touches
I can help to set the plants out to plan or plant them with a small team, I can also help you source those style features such as the right cushions, chairs, sculptures etc.
Maintenance advice and one and two year review
Once your new garden is in place I can provide you with maintenance advice that is specific to your plot via the Shoot online Garden Notebook.
This will help you get the very best from your new garden in years to come with a full list and photos of all of the new plants in the garden along with optional monthly maintenance emails.
With any garden, plants need time to find their feet, a review of the garden after a year is recommended to make sure that the garden is all you hoped it would be and to make any adjustments where necessary.
This is a chance to discuss your garden and how I can help you make it the space you want. Do you have a blank canvas that needs structure or an overgrown mess you need taming? A border that doesn't seem quite right or help connecting areas of your garden? How do you want to use your garden? Perhaps you have a specific feature or style you want to introduce but you’re not sure how to fit it in or you just want more colour... we can discuss anything and everything. Images of gardens / features you like are useful at this stage. I will reflect on the notes made during the consultation and set out clearly what I can provide you and quote against this.
Survey
Once we've agreed a final brief I will need to survey your garden, this will usually involve taking detailed measurements of the layout and permanent structures. I will also note the soil type, take account of microclimates, simple level changes and views from the house and beyond the garden. For large or more complex gardens I will arrange a professional Topographical Survey.
Existing plants can be discussed and any particular love or hate feelings towards them dealt with! The period and style of the house or other structures surrounding the garden will influence any introduced materials so detailed photographs will be taken to capture the identity of the space. It’s sometimes helpful to take photographs from within the house to capture important views that you may wish to capitalise on (or hide!) Photographs of the garden at different times of the year can be extremely helpful, although not necessary - you may have just moved in, any existing plans you might have are very useful.
Concept Drawings and Masterplan
The first thing I will present to you is a concept, or sometimes a number of ideas with different options. This will be a drawing or series of sketches that I will fully explain to you where you'll have an opportunity to feedback and tweak things if necessary. You may be happy to progress straight away with the presented concept or it may be necessary to combine a number of ideas into one final Masterplan.
The final design, or Masterplan, will be a fully detailed and scaled drawing of your garden, either hand drawn or a CAD drawing dependent on the size or complexity of the project. It will be a working drawing from which a landscape contractor can work to create your new garden along with the additional drawings below...
Construction drawings, Setting out plans, lighting, irrigation and Planting plans
Usually it will be necessary to provide further drawings to explain the details of the garden fully to achieve the 'designed-look'.
Construction drawings - details about how to build the landscape features particularly with any unusual, bespoke items. Setting out plans are necessary when a garden has a brand new layout - it will help landscapers to ensure the paths are correct width and so on with all measurements shown. Planting plans are important to create a beautifully planted garden, the subtleties of colour, shape and form will be mapped out and labelled as plants on the plan. You may also want irrigation and lighting plans, to keep the plants watered and then lit in the evenings!
Project build visits
I can recommend Landscapers and visit during the build to answer any questions relevant to the design.
Planting and finishing touches
I can help to set the plants out to plan or plant them with a small team, I can also help you source those style features such as the right cushions, chairs, sculptures etc.
Maintenance advice and one and two year review
Once your new garden is in place I can provide you with maintenance advice that is specific to your plot via the Shoot online Garden Notebook.
This will help you get the very best from your new garden in years to come with a full list and photos of all of the new plants in the garden along with optional monthly maintenance emails.
With any garden, plants need time to find their feet, a review of the garden after a year is recommended to make sure that the garden is all you hoped it would be and to make any adjustments where necessary.
