OUR GARDEN DESIGN PROCESS

Led by international garden designer Ann-Marie Powell, our garden design studio can transform any garden, space or landscape.

  • We meet with you to discover what you love, what you need and what you like to ‘do’ in the garden.
  • We listen to your brief, down to the last detail, and take serious note of your garden design budget and timescales.
  • We don our wellies and explore your outdoor space, country garden, business estate or hotel grounds, spotting the potential to revitalise it, improve it, or radically overhaul it.

If you’d like to book a consultation visit,
call us on +44 (0) 1730 825650

For more details see our Complete Design to Delivery page.

HOW WE DO IT

 

Though each of our gardens are unique, the way in which we work tends to follow the same process.

Garden Design Consultation

We visit you to see your garden first-hand and discuss in detail your requirements, aspirations and key objectives, so essential in understanding your space. This meeting is followed up with our written brief and design fee proposal.

Garden Design Brief

Our comprehensive brief is emailed and posted as a bound document to you. It includes a full breakdown and explanation of how the design process will work, along with our fee structure for included design works. This document ensures that we have fully understood your requirements and is the basis for our engagement by you.

Garden and Landscape Survey

Alongside our brief and site photos, a topographical survey is required for all our garden designs. This provides an accurate map of your site, including your buildings walls, doors and windows (including heights), level changes, existing trees, utilities and services. This drawing forms the basis for accurate design works, and when costing and building your new garden design. We do not have an in-house surveyor, but are happy to arrange this service on your behalf.

Masonry image layout as part of new garden design completed by Ann-Marie Powell

Design Concept leading to Master Plan

Our various design concepts, 3D visuals, precedent images, mood boards, plans and sketches are delivered and discussed with you at length to ensure you have a clear overview of how your finished garden will look. This is a discussion document that will lead to your final agreed master plan. At this stage materials choices, intricate design details and planting plans are not finalised, though guide selections are offered.

Detailed Design (Garden Production Design)

This includes detailed construction drawings, specifications and schedules, required by contractors to cost and build the garden. Every element of the project is considered from paving finishes, through lighting to irrigation elevating the garden design from good to exceptional. These drawings also enable all parties tendering for the works to cost accurately on a level playing field against the detailed documentation we provide. A fixed fee is supplied for these works before design works commence.

Award winning designer Ann-Marie Powell working on planting plans in the design studio

Garden Planting Plans

Detailed planting plans and schedules are produced for your garden right down to the pot size to be supplied. Mood boards give a feel of the scheme and a maintenance schedule can be produced to ensure you, or your gardener, is confident in looking after your garden for years to come.

Garden Contractor Tendering

You are of course free to appoint your own contractors to do the work, or we can recommend the very best hard landscape subcontractors to guarantee a quality finish to your garden build. On your instruction, we will forward your package of drawings and specifications for tender, then produce a tender report so you are fully equipped to make your choice of contractor.

Award-winning designer Ann-Marie Powell on site at construction of major new garden at RHS Wisley

Garden Build Site Inspections

A site inspection service is available during build, to take the stress away from you as the client.  We visit site to ensure the project is built to the correct standards in accordance with the specification and drawings to control the quality of the work and allows us as the designers to be responsive to any changes caused by the site or originating from you as the client. This service can be as limited as three site visits throughout the course of the entire project or be as extensive as weekly-minuted meetings with client and contractor.

Please call us if you’d like further clarification, or if you’d like to book a consultation visit on 01730 825650.

TURNKEY DESIGN TO DELIVERY SERVICES

For more details see our complete design to design page