Here's how you can successfully navigate a landscape architecture project from start to finish.

I find the most important thing in designing for residential clients is getting to the root of what they actually want. Clients usually have an idea in their head of what they need for their space, but by asking thoughtful questions, a lot of times you will come to the conclusion that the idea in their head is not ideal for their use case. I like to ask how many people live in the household, how many people they would typically invite for an impromptu weekend hangout, and if they have any regularly scheduled larger gatherings that need to be designed for. Instead of asking what the client wants, ask them thoughtful questions to understand the true pain points in their existing outdoor living spaces.

I find the best way to design a cohesive space that functions well and looks great is to start with a 2D sketch. I like to draw out the existing conditions to scale on graph paper and start working with the basic shapes of each living space. A lot of times the difference between a great design and a bad design is in the transition between spaces and the proportions of them. Sketching it allows you to quickly erase and change things until the shapes start coming together in a cohesive flow. Once it is drawn out completely on graph paper I can easily translate that into a realistic 3d rendering for the client.

Something that I’ve realised over the years is that, even though you’ve done your best to plan everything out in your sketch/design, a lot of times your spatial awareness changes when you actually have the live plants in front of you. You can handpick all of them yourself… But nature doesn’t usually conform to your ideas of what a space looks like; and often you have to adjust on-site to make sure it’s a cohesive fit for the space that was chosen. Sometimes you can incorporate everything you’ve committed to paper. However, sometimes you have to leave out small fillers because they’re no longer necessary, and eat the cost of those plants.

One of the most important parts of the design process is determining the appropriate budget for your clients wishlist. I hear a lot of contractors say it is a red flag when a client will not give them their budget. As the design professional I think it is our job to guide them through what an appropriate budget looks like. Most clients have never done a project of this scale before and have no idea what to expect or plan for. When a client tells me they don’t know what their budget is, I see that as a great opportunity to educate them and separate myself as a professional as I guide them through the process.