Are you about to roll up your sleeves and dig into a new residential landscape design? You may have just completed a full-scale renovation inside and want to ensure that your backyard is equally as impressive. If so, you need to choose the right landscape design and, to do so, you need to ask yourself a number of questions first.

Big Picture

Your first question will be holistic.

From a big picture perspective, what do you want to get out of this? Try to focus on a theme and everything else can flow from there. You may want your garden to complement the style of architecture of your home. Perhaps you can replicate some of its key features and link everything to a central point in your garden.

Take your time to look at the garden from every available window or door in your home and from any other entry point. This will help you visualise your design and give you an idea of where you should place each feature.

You want to give your outdoor area a bit of a refresh. It might be because you’re looking to sell, you want to get more out of your space or it’s just time for an upgrade. But is professional landscaping worth it?

Like building or renovating a home, the planning and design stage of a landscaped garden are critical to achieving a design which ticks all the boxes and is tailored around a specific budget.

A good landscape designer or contractor will tailor a garden design to suit you and your budget and provide a specialised construction service to bring your design to life.

Here’s why it pays to hire a professional.

1. They have the experience and expertise

Gone are the days of a garden design which includes some paving, a bricked-in barbecue and some plants! Many homes these days are designed with indoor-outdoor living in mind, so the yard needs to be designed as an extension of the home.

It’s the landscape designer’s job to create a layout which will flow and connect with the home. So when you engage with a professional, several technical components will be considered to enhance you design that you might not have even thought of. These include:

Zones such as alfresco areas, pools and lawn or play space should blend seamlessly

Pools need to be positioned optimally while safety barriers must also be considered as they can be a hindrance if incorrectly located

Structural components such as retaining requirements can often form part of a raised pool edge, which can also create an infinity edge as well as a pool barrier when designed at 1200mm height

Trees and plants will be selected to suit specific areas and deciduous trees might be positioned to allow winter light into your home and summer shade

Clients often ask me whether a garden design is required for their project. To accurately answer this question, a few variables must be considered first. We must assess the level of detail required as well as the clients’ budget and the construction scope. When it comes to budget, if the project value is between 10-20k and consists of a simple lawn area with a few ground level gardens and paving, you might not need a design. But if that’s the case, it’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page in terms of layout.

There’s nothing worse than the quoted scope not matching what a client wants; if there is no design provided, these discrepancies generally don’t become evident until the construction phase (the client returns home from work and the lawn area is a lot smaller than they had anticipated)! In situations when a landscape design is not required, good communication is vital to ensure you know what you’re getting. For more detailed projects which might have items such as a pool, roof structure, level changes, planter boxes, walling or an outdoor kitchen, the answer is yes- a design is a vital part of your project and something you should consider carefully as it will maximise your investment and outcome.