IT'S IN THE TIMING

If you're planning a new home or a major renovation, you need to address the design of your outdoor spaces at the same time

- Steve Taylor

When the time comes to build your dream home, or embark on a major home renovation, the process starts with searching for an architect or building designer and, possibly, an interior designer. You'll also no doubt be thinking about your garden, pool and outdoor living areas but with all the things you need to consider when building a house or organising a reno-council compliance, engineering requirements, building permits, interior selections - it can leave your head spinning. Feeling overwhelmed, discussions about the outdoor spaces can take a back seat.

Ignoring the landscape elements early on is common. It is viewed by many as the last thing to happen so it can be the last aspect to address, but this can prove to be a false assumption and, therefore, be very costly.

Collaboration is the key

I regularly visit home building sites when a project is at slab stage, lock-up stage, or with just a few weeks until completion and creating the optimum garden design at any of these points can be problematic. In some cases, the best possible result cannot be achieved. This can be avoided by engaging a landscape designer or architect as early as possible - as soon as you have a site survey with levels, a general floor plan of the home/ extension and the home's basic elevations.

The home and garden design elements need to work in harmony and starting early will give you the best chance for this to happen successfully. There are many elements of a home's design that can be influenced and improved with a well-thought-out landscape plan, and vice versa. As landscape designers, we need to honour the architect's vision yet even minor changes made early in the process can enhance, rather than undermine, the architect's vision.

Form and function