David Johnson Garden Design and Consultancy

The Design Process

I don't wish to make this sound more grandiose than it is, but I think it is essential to have some structure to the way I work to safeguard both my own interests but more importantly those of my customers. I try to work in a structured way, keeping the customer informed at all stages of the design process, which can be short or long depending upon the requirement.

1. Client Brief

Once I've been contacted by a prospective client, I issue (either by post or email) my Client Brief document. This is not onerous to complete, it is simply formed of several pages where the client can make notes, tick boxes etc. to answer my questions, and provide me with a good body of information that can be discussed during my initial visit. Some clients return the brief before I visit, others keep it and we discuss when I arrive. Either approach is fine with me. The brief looks like this (first page only shown as extract):

2. Initial Visit

An initial visit may last for anything from an hour to a couple of hours. It gives me chance to work through the Client Brief, and get an understanding of what the prospective customer requires. At this point, there is still no obligation for the prospective custiomer to engage David Johnson Garden Design & Consultancy. At the conclusion of the visit, I will return to my office and prepare a full quotation depending upon the amount of work required. This may range from an advisory report, through a planting plan to a full scale re-design of the garden. The quotation is then sent out, along with a  copy of my standard terms and conditions of engagement, for (hopefully) signature of an acceptance slip. This slip is then returned to me, along with a deposit (usually 10%), which gives me the green light to begin work.

3. Site Survey

Where the garden is of a "normal" domestic size, David Johnson Garden Design & Consultancy would undertake to measure up the garden in order to prepare a scale drawing of the current layout. This activity will be included in the quoted price.

Alternatively, where the garden is very large, or more importantly has a series of differing levels, it is always advisable to have the garden surveyed by an expert. Cutting corners at this stage makes it very difficult to draught an accurate design, and in particular, an accurate representation of the levels in the garden are absolutely vital if the process is to proceed smoothly. David Johnson can make recommendations for suitably qualified surveyors, and would be happy to arrange for the survey to be carried out.

4. First Draft

Having carried out the survey, and drawn-up the existing garden layout, a first draft of the design is created, all in pencil at this stage for ease of correction. Usually, the draft planting plan is also created at this stage. Having completed the draft, and at the convenience of the client, a second visit is then made to discuss it. This may take between one and three hours on average.

Hopefully (and usually), the draft is close to what the customer expects to see. Minor corrections, changes to planting suggestions etc. may be made at this stage, either during the visit, or usually back at the office. A third brief visit may be made to get final agreement on the draft before inking up begins, but it is essential that all parties do agree at this stage before the final design is committed to ink.

5. Inking Up

The final garden layout and planting plans (together with any technical drawings required for hard works features) are then inked up, using either A1 or A2 sized paper. These are annotated as required with descriptive and technical notes, both on the face of and to the right of the design documents, to give good clarity about the design in general and specific terms. A full planting list is also provided with the designs, as is a Specification document that describes in detail how each key part of the garden will be built, together with planting guidelines.

Typical examples of finished documents would be as follows:

Re-Design of a mature garden, set in a predominantly wooded area,

surrounding a large cottage at the heart of West Sussex

Detailed Planting Plan for a large rear garden in Berkshire. Each plant/group of plants

indicated on the Plan, with full Plant listing at right

Construction detail (Technical Drawing) of raised wooden walkway over water

6. Garden Build

David Johnson Garden Design & Consultancy does not undertake the build of gardens, but I work with several local landscape contractors who have built gardens for me in the past. I recommend putting a garden build out to tender to assess prices, and I am always willing to liaise with any contractors introduced to me by the clients themselves.

I recommend partial supervision when gardens are in build, meaning that I will attend the site as required to resolve any queries the contractor may have, and provide reassurance to clients. Generally, builds go without a hitch, and I strive to provide adequate detail in the documentation to enable a smooth build process, but clients do find it useful to have ready access to their designer during the entire process. Where possible, I like to be there for the setting out of key plants when planting is due towards the end of the build.

Clients often like to undertake the build themselves, and if feasible, this is recommended as it encourages the clients to take ownership of, and work with, their new garden. Gardens are organic, they are not fixtures that cease to evolve further once the build is terminated, and I always encourage clients to get out there and get their hands dirty as soon as they are able.

7. Niceties

Some clients like to have colour-ups of their garden plans for reference. This is a service I happily provide, and simple colour-ups are provided upon request. The following give a couple of examples of how colour-ups may look: