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Designing Your Yard

Writer's picture: Rachelle NelsonRachelle Nelson

Last month, we talked about taking inventory and analyzing your property before you consider designing your landscape. Now, it’s time to talk about the design process. This article was conceived by Brian Bentler with Boise Landscape Design, who is a licensed Landscape Architect, so you can get a window into a professional approach to incredible landscaping. There are so many different paths you can take, and this is just one of them, but we hope it will be helpful to you on your journey.



Program Development

Start the design process by developing a Program. A program is just an architect’s fancy word for a list of elements that will be included in your design. Here are a few steps to get started.


Itemized List: Create a complete list of all your desired features for your yard. Do you want a pool, a patio, and a storage solution? Or perhaps you’re focused on gathering spaces, like lawns, patios, and pergolas.


Feasibility Assessment: Evaluate the requirements for each item on your list to ensure they’re feasibility within your space. You’ll want to take into consideration spacing requirements, slope requirements, sun exposure, and many of the other factors from the inventory of your property.


Spatial Interaction: In school, Brian was taught to start with a basic bubble drawing, which is essentially just some circles sketched onto a piece of paper. You’ll want to prioritize the big circles, like pools and patios, and then fill in the surrounding features like flower beds. The bubble diagram should take into account the size of the different spaces and how they relate with one another. To make sure the sizing works well, you can create your sketch over a printed image of your property from Google Earth.



Theme/Style Selection

Design Direction: A modern style favors clean, straight lines, while traditional or natural styles incorporate more curves and organic shapes. Do you want thick, lush plantings? Or maybe you favor a desert-inspired, rustic aesthetic, with stonework and tall grasses.


Budgeting


Cost Estimation: Research online to estimate the average cost of each desired feature. For reference, Boise Landscape Design's website offers a very helpful cost spreadsheet. You can compare prices between different options to get an accurate estimate.


Phased Approach: Consider breaking the project into phases, ensuring that each phase complements and doesn’t disrupt previous work. For instance, you may want to install a fire pit patio now so you can enjoy it during the cool spring weather, and then have a pergola built over it later in the year. An example of what to avoid would be installing a lawn area that you plan on ripping up in phase two for a sports court. The work to revise the irrigation layout and lawn areas will add additional cost down the road.


Layout Planning


Priority Placement: Always begin with the most crucial elements, ensuring their layout aligns with your design’s requirements and vision. Does the patio leave enough room for the garden? Which is most important, and do you have adequate room for both?


Supportive Features: Position secondary features around the primary elements, such as placing planter beds around the house and the perimeter of the yard. These extras shouldn’t be overlooked, as they soften the landscape and add depth.


Plant Placement: Strategically place trees, shrubs, and perennials based on their sun exposure needs and your desire to enhance or screen specific views.


Pathway Design: Lay out pathways to connect features, using materials that align with your chosen theme and style. 


Proportional Design: It’s important to maintain a harmonious balance between lawn areas and planter beds. Excessive lawn or overly large beds can disrupt the aesthetic.



Maintenance Consideration


Ease of Maintenance: Prioritize designs that facilitate easy upkeep. Tight curves should be avoided, as they are hard to mow around. If you’re opting for a clean, straight design, try for forty-five degree angles instead of ninety degrees. Consider your tree choices, as some require heavier leaf clean-up than others.


Final Steps


Contractor Selection: Once your design is finalized, it's time to find the right contractors for installation. We highly recommend contacting the Boise Landscaping Network for expert assistance in bringing your vision to life.

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