We being a Landscape Architectural Design company fully understand the very real importance behind having a quality scaled set of design drawings generated for your outdoor room.

However, having said that there is a misnomer out there that interrupts this logic and can make us think ‘It will be OK, we don’t need that’.

Let me take 5 minutes of your time to share with you using our process why this element is so important so you can evaluate your own opinion and be fully informed of the pros and cons.

Can you work off a Landscape sketch drawing?

* The meaning of Sketch is ‘a rough or unfinished drawing’. It is known that some companies persuade you to work off a sketch drawing to allegedly save you costs.

The irony is it actually carries hidden unknown costs!!!

Quite scary to think you are comfortable to go down this road as in the meaning ‘Sketch’ you are actually applying this to the final outcome and physical cost of your outdoor room.

Therefore, you get what you get despite you maybe assuming otherwise!!!

Should your design be created to scale?

* If you do not use scale then the project is loaded with unknowns, inaccuracies and project blow out for both program and cost. All our designs start to scale and so they should. With this approach you are able to know exactly the proportions of the designs, the required materials needed along with exactly how many plants, soil etc etc through to the necessary support of the plants via an irrigation system.

* The other equally important reason for our designs being to scale is to be able to gain fixed project costings and informed programming for the works so enabling you to make informed decisions at the very start.

* The Conceptual design yes designed to scale is not the only element undertaken at the design planning stage. To support the scaled conceptual design ‘pretty picture’, we also put in place

- Construction detailing. To clarify what the construction detailing includes I bullet point them for ease of read.

- Fully dimensioned plans, section and elevationsof structure and their drainage impact

- Detailed material specification including the often left out items like glue type, fixings type and sealants type. Such small elements are critical when it comes to sustainability of your project

- Horticultural specified Planting plan including soils type, quantity and mulch etc

- System of support for the garden under the Irrigation plan to current water restriction standards

- Lighting planfor both functionality and ambiance along with their controls / zoning

- Project costing and programming– simply put if you do not have the above then you cannot have an assured project cost total and construction program.

IF THE PLANS ARE NOT TO SCALE THEN YOU CANNOT ENSURE ACCURACY

IF YOU DO WORK WITH A COMPANY WHO IS ENCOURAGING YOU TO WORK OFF ‘SKETCHES’ THEN YOU GET WHAT YOU GET!!!

Our actual experiences:

We have on more occasions than we care to recall been invited to people’s homes with the request for us to design their garden giving them what they are after to improve their lifestyle as they have heard of the level of detail we work to.

When we are introduced to the garden we can quickly see that there has been a landscape creation of sorts and have to enquire about this. It quickly becomes evident they chose to go down the rough sketch avenue and with that came stories of disappointment.

Now having spent their monies on a sketch garden they now have to spend to remove, re-design and re-build.

It breaks our hearts as this scenario is all too common and has come about from being ill-informed, bullied into ‘she’ll be right’ etc etc etc

How can you start to become informed and in control.

- Research is key and know if you want the services of a professionally experienced and qualified landscape design company there will be a cost for the generation of conceptual designs, construction detailing as covered of above.

Know that such costs could be anything between $4,500.00 - $9,500.00. Also think about the comment of scale if your garden is of difficult shape etc or large in size then a survey will most likely be required.

- What else can I do to be sure – qualifications do they have them? - are they of the right standard?

- Get evidence of this, don’t be shy. The world of landscape design can be acquired from simple evening courses through to TAFE and then University. The level of education is greater the more serious the qualification.

- Registered – get evidence of the person/company being suitably registered/licensed depending on their discipline. Cross check this through the ASIC and ABN Websites

- Remember Landscape design is not all about plants and dirt, not saying knowledge of plants isn’t important, oh my goodness it is so important. But a good Landscape Architectural Designer should have skills in build type, structural detailing, materials, water proofing, drainage, land conditions, soils, plants, irrigation and lighting etc. You are wanting to have your outdoor room created to give you an improved lifestyle and asset value and if it were your home you wouldn’t expect any less so why would you think ‘It’s only the yard’.

Chris Slaughter - Lead Designer of Scenic Blue Design

www.scenicbluedesign.com.au