What it's like to work with a landscape architect

If you have never engaged a landscape architect before, the process can feel opaque. It need not be. Here is how a typical project unfolds and what is asked of you at each stage.

It starts with a conversation and a site visit. We want to understand how you live, what you want from the space, your budget and your timeframe, and we want to read the site itself — its levels, light, soil and outlook. The more honest you are about budget and how you actually use your outdoors, the better the result.

From there we develop concepts. These are the big moves: where things sit, how you move through the space, the character of the materials and planting. We expect feedback at this stage, and it is the cheapest, easiest point to change direction, so we encourage you to be candid.

Once a direction is agreed, we develop and document the design. This is where the drawings, levels, details and schedules come together so a builder can price and construct the work accurately. Good documentation is what protects your budget and the design intent once construction begins.

Finally, we stay involved through construction and planting. We answer the builder's questions, check that what is built matches the intent, and set out the planting. Then we hand over a maintenance regime for the establishment years. From first site visit to planting day, our aim is simple: a landscape that is resolved, buildable and built to last.