Which info needs to be gathered from a client - for a client brief
What does the client want from their garden?
- Likes and dislikes
- aspirations
- user profile (age, gender, disabilities, family status, family size, animals)
- intended use (seatin* areas needed, BBQ, sport, recreation, sunbathing, entertaining, veggie growing,animals like chicken)
- utility areas (Waste bins, compost, shed, clothes drying, parking)
- Maintenance arrangements
- timescale
- budget
Garden design
To produce the design you use basic visual principles used by artists and architects through the centuries to bring together forms and shapes, colours and textures into a coherent pla
What is a client brief
What does the client want from the garden?
you consult the client or user/owner of the garden to collect information that will be essential to your design: you ask questions.
The ‘client brief’ is the list of the client’s requirements. Taking the client brief is the process of going through a client’s likes/dislikes, and sorting out what the garden is going to be for (and how much can be spent on it).
Site appraisal
What is the site like?
The site appraisal involves assessing and recording physical attributes of the site and its surroundings, and checking public records for legislation that may affect garden planning. It should provide a clear view of the possibilities and problems of the site.
Doing a site survey
This covers the practical elements of conducting a survey, and recording information in a standard format that other people can interpret;
then how to interpret what a plan shows, and translate it back into visual gardening terms.
Garden history - why?
The ideas and concepts you use in the design are based on centuries of garden history, a fascinating study as well as a huge resource for modern designers.
i would describe it as a source of inspiration
Questions to discover likes and dislikes
- What are your peronal preferences?
- What colour schemes do you like, dislike
- what kind of plants?
- do you like colour all year around
- do you want flowers all year around
- do you like gardening, hard work it comes with it
- what garden designs do you like? Tidy, formerly, order or wild, cottage garden style or wildflowers.
- what do you love, hate in current garden?
How to conduct a client brief
- interview with questions or online quex sent to client upfront, multiple choice questions even, take notes or record
- walk around garden and ask questions
- Take along photographs, books and magazines, brochures from manufacturers - or a portfolio of pictures on your laptop or tablet - to give ideas and help to clarify likes and dislikes.
- mood board can be a key part in putting together the ‘look’ and ‘feel’ that the client wants
- could alsogoto a garden like wisley to see whatis liked and whatis not, what appeals
- use laptop /ipad with pics, ideas, moodboard
Questions to understand client Aspiration
- What does success look like to you, how do you know that you achieved your goal.
- What is the garden for? Entertainment, additional living room, relaxation, meditation, sport
- for whom is the garden..
- complete change over or building onto what is there?
- no work at all, easy going?
- lots of colour, flowers or rather green? Veggie growing, fruit production.
Questions to understand user profile
- Age, gender, disabilities, mobility, abilities, family size,
- how mobile are you, family members
- for whom is garden…little kids, elderly,
- animal…dog, rabbits, cats…
- want to keep animals for food production like bees, chicken, fish pond?
- how able (and willing) are you to maintain garden - or family member.
- how many people will use the garden and what for
Questions for intended use
- What will you want to use the garden for?
- what features are a must have and what is a nice to have?
- What would you use the garden most often for?
- what time of the day Mainly? What day of week?
- will you entertain a lot?
- do you want o have different areas in ur garden like veggie, animal, fruit, entertaining, relaxation, children plot, sport etc?
*
Questions for maintenance arrangement
- How much time can you afford to maintain the garden
- how fit, able are you to maintain the garden?
- willingness, having fun to maintain the garden
- How much experience you have with gardening? Beginner?
- Can you ask for help like grandchildren or children.
- how many hours do you want to spend in the garden, will that be your hobby?
- if not yourself #plannning on budget for a gardener and how much?
Questions for utility areas
- do we need to make space for sheds, bins, compost tc?
- want to create your own compost?
- Do we need to create storage for machinery, need a shed?
- want a greenhouse?
- parking of cars or machinery (tractor.)
- want to have garden watse bins and no compost, where to store?
- need parking facilities, more than 1-2 cars?
- clothes drying area
Questions about timescale
- How mature is the garden and do you want to build on what is there or to revamp it?
- work done in stages or all at once
- want a qucik fix or long teem building
- what it all mature and good looking (i.e. no patience..or idea how long that takes…)
- when do you want the garden completed, do you have a timeline or an event?
questions regarding budget
- How much do you intend to spend?
- all at once or in stages.
- any idea how much plants can cost
- how much do you want to spend at garden maintenance / even thought about that?
- Do you have people you can get cuttings from?
- willing to wait for maturity,having the patience to wait or do you want it staright aware mature looking.
