HOW TO PREPARE YOUR GARDEN BRIEF
We understand that an online design requires a little more effort on your part — but in return, you get a full vision for your garden at a fraction of the cost of a traditional design service. The whole process — filling in the questionnaire, taking photos and measuring your garden — shouldn't take more than an hour.
how to take photos
Good photos help us understand your space, light conditions and existing features. Aim for at least 6 shots
Taking Photos
- Take a photo from each corner of the garden towards the opposite corner
- Take a shot from the house looking down the full length of the garden
- Take a shot from the bottom of the garden looking back towards the house
- If possible, take an overhead photo from an upstairs window
How to measure
Accurate measurements help us create a design that fits your garden perfectly. Gardens are rarely perfectly square, so please measure all four sides separately.
MEASURING
- Measure the width at the top of the garden — along the house wall
- Measure the width at the bottom — at the far end of the garden
- Measure the length along the left side
- Measure the length along the right side
- If there is a garage, gate or any structure attached to the house — please measure its width separately
- If there are any existing features staying in the garden such as a tree, shed or outbuilding — note their approximate size and how far they are from the nearest fence or wall
Difficult to measure?
- We know this can look daunting — but you don't need to be this precise
MEASURING unusual shapes
- If your garden has an unusual shape — such as a curved boundary, diagonal fence line or L-shape — don't worry about measuring every angle. Simply do your best with the main dimensions and send us more photos.
- If you provide your property address in the questionnaire, we will measure your garden boundaries using satellite imagery and prepare a layout for your approval before any payment is taken. Please note that satellite-based measurements and boundary outlines are very close to the actual dimensions, but may not be as precise as measurements taken on the ground.
HOW TO CHECK LEVELS
- No tools needed — your photos will show us most of what we need
- If your garden slopes gently up or down, we'll pick this up from your photos
- If there are any steps, count them, measure the height of one step and multiply — this gives us the total level difference
- If there are any sudden drops or raised sections, a rough estimate of the height is all we need
YOUR OWN DESCRIPTION
While our questionnaire covers the key information we need, a short description in your own words is incredibly helpful — and often the most valuable part of the brief.
Tell us what your ideal garden looks like to you. If you have an idea of how much space you'd like for a patio, lawn or planting areas, mention it here — for example: "I'd like a patio of around 4m × 3m, a small lawn for the kids, and planting along both fences."
If you know which materials you'd like — such as porcelain paving, composite decking, sandstone, artificial grass or a specific paving colour — please include them. If you're not sure, that's completely fine — we'll make suggestions based on your style preferences.
There's no right or wrong way to write this. Even a few sentences help us understand the feel you're going for.
BUDGET
- Letting us know your budget helps us choose the right materials and keep the design realistic for you
- Pricing a garden without a site visit is never straightforward — groundworks especially can vary a lot and make a big difference to the final cost
- As a rough guide, materials usually make up around 40–50% of the total budget. On a £10,000 budget, for example, expect around £4,000–£5,000 to go on materials and the rest on labour — though the final cost will depend on what we find on the day
- Not sure on a figure? A rough idea is absolutely fine — it helps us point the design in the right direction