Make a rough 'birds-eye view' sketch of the area.
If your area is rectangular/square and flat, measure along each side of the plot and make a note of the measurements on your rough sketch.
Measure any large permanent structures in your space such as the house or outbuildings and make a note of their measurements on the sketch.
Next measure how far they sit from your boundary by measuring from the wall of the structure to the boundary at right angles (90°) – this is also known as ‘off-setting’, See below.
For curved gardens or gardens with irregular features, such as a tree or curved fence, you need to create a ‘baseline’ to take your measurements from.
Select a straight line in your garden, for example, a boundary fence or a house wall, and mark it on your sketch. This baseline will act as the starting point for all your measurements.
Measure the distance between the baseline and the irregular features in your garden at right angles (90°) to the baseline – if the features are large/wide you should take several measurements at intervals.
If you have a feature which is proving tricky to measure from the baseline you can use the ‘triangulation’ method instead.
This is not as scary as it sounds!
Triangulation means measuring the feature from two fixed points - two corners of the house are ideal as shown in the diagram below.
Angled boundaries should be measured using the triangulation method in reverse. That is, measure from either end of the angled boundary to one fixed point on the house.
Last but not least, you will need to send us (via email) the following;
* A clear photo/scan of your completed sketched plan.
* A few clear photos of the project area. (from different angles in daylight)
* Any 'Inspiration Photos' or ideas/plans you want us to see.
Once we have received all of your documents we will send your invoice for payment.
On receipt of your payment, we will start the design process which we estimate will take between 7-10 working days
Please get in touch if you have any questions
Once you have drawn and completed your plan you are ready for...
All main features that are staying within the design should be noted and measured in this way.
Smaller features, such as drains or plant pots, can be ignored if you wish as long as they have been noted on your rough sketch.
For irregularly shaped features, like a pond, measure a rectangle around it and mark this on your sketch. Measure out from the rectangle to your baseline to establish its position in the garden.
