Designing for Success
By Fred Learey
Successful landscape projects require quality designs. This is true whether you are building a simple patio and walkway or an extravagant porch addition, pool, outdoor kitchen, fireplace project. Design is the process of unifying a range of factors including a family’s needs and desires, their budgets, natural elements of the property, and municipal building/zoning regulations. Plans are the designer’s tool for expressing everything from the concepts of the designs to the layout and the construction details. A skilled, professional designer and a quality set of plans will make a project smoother from the permit process though to the finishing details.
The first step is to choose a designer. That choice revolves around a potential candidate’s education, experience, creativity and chemistry. Does the designer have an accredited degree in landscape architecture or a related degree? Does he have hands on experience with construction materials and techniques? Do examples of his work express a unique creativity in each project? Personal chemistry is critical since design is a process of working together as a team from start to finish. Projects can be long and stressful at points, but the right designer will help the whole project go smoothly.
Design starts with a conversation between client and designer. At that time a designer may throw out some ideas, but the best ideas and true quality design requires a more reflective process. The designer needs to survey the property and generate a base map of existing conditions, accurate and to scale. With that, the design team can work out ideas with a series of trace paper overlays exploring a variety of possible design solutions.
Most designers will work through their initial ideas in hand drawings, but there are benefits in moving design to the computer as soon as possible in the process. Once the project is in a computer aided drafting (CAD) program, it can be transferred to a three dimensional modeling program. Three dimensional computer models allow the client to see their project from a variety of angles and provide an understanding far beyond the two dimensional plan. Computer drafted plans can be directly e-mailed to clients, building architects or site engineers, streamlining the design process and saving the client time and money.
Client can ask themselves a series of questions to determine the quality of a design. Is the design organized and cohesive? Does the design respond well to the land and fit comfortably in that context? Do the various lines of sight enhance appealing elements of the property? Does the design integrate well with the existing architecture of the home? Are the spaces functional and logical? Does the overall form have a unifying theme or sense? Does the design accommodate the family’s needs and desires for how they plan to use the space? Once design quality criteria are met, there are two more major elements to a successful design. Can it be build within the budget and does it comply with municipal regulations?
The most gorgeous designs are not successful if the project can’t be built within budget. A quality designer will be skilled at value engineering a project to achieve the desired goals within budget. However, sometimes the client’s desires simply can’t be achieved on their budget. Then it becomes a matter of either scaling back or phasing the project and completing some elements in the future.
A successful design must conform to municipal regulations in order to obtain permits. Local zoning codes will determine setback distances for pools, decks, pool houses, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and much more. Zoning regulations will also determine the amount of a property that can be covered with an impervious surface, such as patios. A quality designer will be skilled at generating designs that conform to municipal regulations and will be versed on the process of creating construction drawings that get the project through the permit process.
Design your project for success. Identify your family’s needs and desires, and then find a professional designer. Choose someone who is experienced, educated and creative. Find a designer who is versed in a range of design tools from hand drawings, to computer drafting and three dimensional modeling. And make sure he is knowledgeable of the municipal regulations and permit process. With those key elements in place, you will experience a successful design process and achieve a quality final design.
