"Being Prepared"
What do You Need to do to Prepare
For that all Important First Meeting
With the Landscape Designer
Below is A List of Questions to Ask Yourself
before You Interview a Landscape Designer:
(For your records a place is provided to
keep track of your brief responses)
Please CLICK HERE to Print
Your Copy Of This
"Being Prepared Questionnaire"
Don't worry if you can't answer all of the questions... This is merely a short guide (Eight Questions Total) to get you thinking about What You Want for Your Garden. And it will save you many hours of time, when working with your designer during Your Garden Designs Phase.
Have Fun With This! Get your whole family involved in the process and You will all end up with the Garden of Your Dreams.
Ready... Let's get satrted with the First Question:
1) How do You Want to Use Your Garden...
What are Your Lifestyle Needs ?
(BRAIN TEASERS: To entertain large groups of people
or just for your immediate family; For quiet
relaxation; For family play and sports). This is YOUR
NEEDS LIST... Spend some time on this question,
Your Responses will really help your Designer Create
A Garden that Best Suits Your Lifestyle.
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
2) What Amenities do You Need/Want
to enable You to Use Your Garden in the
ways You listed in question one ?
(BRAIN TEASERS: A vegetable, rose, or cut-flower
garden; An outdoor living area with shade structure,
TV/sound system, fireplace and cook center-bar,
for dining and entertaining; A water feature [fountain,
stream or pond] for a cooling element; A secluded
garden for relaxation, maybe with a hammock?; A
pool/spa for exercise and entertainment - do you
want a chlorine, saltwater, or ozone system pool?; A
sports court or play yard for your children).
This is YOUR WISH LIST... Let Your Imagination Run
Free here, don't be concerned with things like cost at
this point.
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
3) How do Visualize Your Garden Layout... What
amenities/features should go where to best
suit your lifestyle needs ?
(NOTE: Don't get hung up on this question
as your Landscape Designer will have their own ideas
about the layout and how to best make Your Garden
work for Your Lifestyle).
(BRAIN TEASERS: The outdoor living area with a
fireplace and cook center-bar are best located near
the kitchen; A water feature works great as a focal
point to draw people into and direct them through
the garden; A secluded garden should be placed in
a remote section away from entertainment and play
areas; A pool-spa for exercise and entertainment
should not be located directly next to the main house,
it divides up the garden and makes it look smaller...
off to one side or across the rear is best; A sports
court or play yard should be screened from view of
the rest of the garden, a hedge works great for this).
Again this relates to HOW YOU WANT TO USE YOUR
GARDEN... The garden should flow in an organized
manner as you move through it.
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
4) What Materials do You Want To See Used in Your
Garden... Likes and Dislikes ?
(NOTE: Your garden designer will have his own ideas
about what materials will work best with your house...
But You Can Save a lot of time during the design
phase if you give this question some serious thought
before you interview a Landscape Designer).
(BRAIN TEASERS: What paving materials do you see
working with the style of your house, brick, stone,
concrete, etc. - What paving materials do you
dislike?; What types of wood do you want to see -
finished or rough?; What style/color of pool tile do you
like - ceramic, mosaic, glass?; What finish do you
want the interior of the pool to have - plaster, pebble,
fiberglass?; What plants do you like, their textures,
colors, fragrances - What plants do you dislike?; What
type(s) of Irrigation do you want - regular,
low-gallonage, or drip?; What type(s) of garden
lighting do you like - energy efficient soft low voltage,
or brighter 110 lights - Or some of each?)
This is YOUR MATERIALS LIST... Again spend some
time on this question, Your Responses will really help
your designer Create A Garden that Best Suites Your
Tastes.
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
5) What Mechanical Convenience Features do You
Want/Need ?
(BRAIN TEASERS: How do you want to operate the
water features - remote, timer, or switch?; How do
you want to operate the fireplace/fire pit - remote
electric igniter or manual gas valve?; How do you
want to operate the garden lighting system - remote,
timer, or manually?; How do you want to operate the
pool/spa - remote from house/hand held device or
manually at equipment? NOTE - The irrigation system
should always be operated automatically for energy
conservation purposes - A hand held remote is
available for larger gardens).
This is YOUR CONVENIENCE LIST... Think about how
much time you spend in Your Garden and how
convenient you want it to be to operate. These are
important decisions... some of these items can be costly.
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
6) What are Your Budget Constraints - How Much
Can You Afford to Spend ?
(NOTE: This question stumps most people because
they don't have a clue What It Really Costs to Create
A Garden... But don't worry Your Landscape Designer will
help you figure this all important question out. If You
Know Up Front What Your Budget Is, your designer can
use this information as a guide when designing the
garden layout and selecting amenities and materials -
Or assisting you in completing the Project In Phases if
necessary).
(BRAIN TEASERS: How Much Money do you have on
hand to spend?; How Much Additional Money can You
Come Up With - Savings, CD, stocks/bonds, home
equity, sale of a second home, loan from friends or
family?).
This is YOUR BUDGET INFORMATION LIST... TAKE
YOUR TIME and give this REALITY CHECK question
some serious thought. Everything has it's price, so you
need to Ask Yourself What Can You Really Afford to
spend on the Garden Of Your Dreams?
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
7) Now For The Hard Question - What are You Willing
To Give Up, if you have Champagne Taste And
A Beer Budget ?
(NOTE: Don't get hung up on this question as your
landscape designer can work with you to phase in
your garden if you can't afford to implement the whole
project at this time... But still be prepared with a List
Of Concessions in case it becomes necessary to do
without some amenities).
(BRAIN TEASERS: Based on your current budget - If
You Can't Raise Enough Money to get everything you
want What Are You Willing To Give Up?; What
Amenities can You Live Without?; What Amenities can
You Live Without For Now - What items can You Phase
In Later?)
This is YOUR CONCESSION LIST... TAKE YOUR TIME
and give this question some serious thought. Everything
has it's price, so you need to Ask Yourself What Can
You Live Without if it does not fit within Your Budget?
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
8) What do You Need to do To Help Make that First
Landscape Designer Meeting Run Smoothly...
So You Don't Waste Your Time or Theirs ?
(Please Note: Here is where Your Use of The
"Interview Questions" Form I prepared for You will
come in handy).
(BRAIN TEASERS: Establish a time limit for the meeting
in your mind - 1 1/2 to 2 hours maximum; Have copies of
the "Interview Questions" form to hand out - and then
go down the list as the Designer Responds; Have pads and
pens for both of you to take notes on; Meet at a table
and have coffee or beverages to create a more
relaxed atmosphere - or set up a table/stools in advance
if meeting on a construction site.
You should arrive early out of respect - But only wait
for the Designer for twenty minutes if they are late -
unless they call you... If they are late to the first
meeting and do not call that's a good indication they
are either disorganized, too busy, or don't respect
your time.
Keep the meeting LITE and FRIENDLY - This Landscape
Designer will be the person who is Creating Your Personal
Dream Garden not designing a landscape for your office
building... You want to Feel Comfortable With Them - And
it's Important that they are Comfortable With You).
This is YOUR ORGANIZATION LIST... This will Insure
That You and Not The Landscape Designer(s) will be In
Charge of the first meeting.
It will also allow You To Gage how the Designer will react
to Your Being In Charge during your Garden Designs
Phase... And if You Feel you can establish a relationship of
Mutual Respect for each other. The Landscape Designer
will appreciate the fact that you are organized... It shows
that You respect their time and will be accessible,
responsive, and easy to work with.
CLICK HERE (If You need more space to Respond...)
PLEASE CLICK HERE to Print Your Copy of this Questionnaire
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