Design Process
Preliminary meeting
I'll come along to meet you and see your garden, and we can have a chat about the kind of thing you want. This gives me a chance to see if there is any obstacle to my fulfilling your expectations, and gives you a chance to see if you think you can work with me.
I won't charge for this meeting but I also won't make many suggestions. This can be frustrating for people who just want to get going on their project, but protects my professional services.
Client brief
I will come to your house to discuss with you how you feel your garden falls short and ask you questions designed to clarify what you like and don't like, and what you want to achieve
including:
use of space (what you want to do in the garden)
style (e.g. sleek and modern, cottage garden, Italianate, curves, straight lines etc)
colours
features (e.g. gazebo, swimming pool, compost bins)
materials (e.g. concrete, natural stone, brick, reclaimed railway sleepers)
budget
restrictions (e.g. microclimate, scale)
season of interest and planting style (e.g. formal, romantic, jungly, scented, low-maintenance, )
By the end of the meeting you will have a good idea of what can be achieved and what is impractical and together you will have come up with the basis of your design. You will get a letter summarising the discussion so that everyone can be sure that they are in agreement which you will sign and return to me.
Survey
Either on the same visit, or at another time, I will conduct a site survey.
including
Photographic record
Take measurements and levels
Make notes on soil type, aspect, neighbouring plants/buildings etc.
then draw up an accurate plan of your garden to work from.
For complex or very large sites, a professional surveyor will be needed for the measurements and levels, but I will still need to take a detailed assessment of the garden and surroundings.
Design: Phase 1
We will set up a second meeting to present you with the design, answer any questions you have, and make notes about any changes you wish to make to it.
Concept plan:
Plan of proposed garden
Description of concept and individual elements
Perspective drawing or other illustration
Design: Phase 2
A third meeting will be arranged to address the changes to the design arising from the second meeting. By now the design should be reaching completion with only minor questions to be resolved so that the process is ready to move onto Phase 3.
Please note that any changes made to the design which fall WITHIN the original signed brief will be made free of charge within reason. Any new elements to be added to the design will be charged at an hourly rate. For this reason it is a good idea to give as much thought as possible to what you would like to achieve before the first meeting when the client brief is taken.
Design: Phase 3
By now, you will be happy with the design and materials to be used in its construction and the process can move on to the technical stage.
The Master Plan is the scale drawing the contractor works from. All measurements, all instructions, all detailing must be available to the contractor so that they can get the building work right, down to fall of any drains or the mix and colour of any mortar. Designers will usually also specify a particular supplier of each material so that it will not be of substandard quality, which means researching suppliers, lead times and prices.
Construction drawings contain detailing of any design feature that cannot be clearly represented on the master plan, or any place where construction methods might vary between builders.
Building Specifications cover all aspects of the build, such as site clearance, tidiness, protection of existing features and plants and trees, instructions on how all parts of the build must be undertaken, including the materials to be used, the methods to be used for each different type of construction, conformity to Buildings Regulations and British Standards. It will detail working times, consideration for neighbours, tool storage, weather conditions in which they may not work, requirement for a risk assessment, sign off process, use of mobile phones and music and so on. It will also contain any site specific instruction requested by the client.
Once all documents have been prepared, the design will be ready to build, and can be sent to contractors to obtain comparative quotes for the construction work.
Build supervision
I will be there when you meet contractors, manage the quotations and help you choose one. Then we'll meet to finalise details such as tool storage, protection of the house if access is required, program of works and so on. Once construction is underway I will keep an eye on the process to make sure it's running smoothly. I'll answer any questions you have and make alterations to the plan if we encounter an unforeseen obstacle or you want to change something. All being well, you shouldn't need me much during construction.
Plants and Planting
The very last part is the soft landscaping. Plants will be selected which match the feel and requirements you decided on at the beginning of the process, and you will be presented with a composite image showing the plants in combination. Once these have been agreed on and substitutes found for any that you don't like, a planting plan will be produced, quantities worked out, and plants sourced.
I will usually do the planting myself so that I can ensure that plans are followed correctly, but for large jobs, mature trees and soils in need of substantial remediation a contractor will be employed.
Contact Me
London SE21