Garden advice

Planning a garden makeover: what to decide first

A useful starting brief for your new garden

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From GB Home & Garden Services · Practical project advice

Start with the problem

Before collecting material samples, describe what is difficult about the garden today. Perhaps the lawn is rarely used, there is nowhere comfortable to eat outside or the path is inconvenient. Give each problem a priority. A scheme that resolves two important frustrations can be more valuable than one that introduces a long list of decorative features.

Decide what stays

Photograph established planting, walls, paving and structures you would like to retain. Their condition and position need assessment alongside the new work. Keeping a feature is not always the cheapest option if it forces awkward levels or complicated construction elsewhere, but it is worth making your preference clear before the layout is developed.

Describe use and upkeep

Think about everyday furniture, children, pets, storage and the route between doors and gates. Then consider the maintenance you will undertake. Natural grass, planted borders, paving and decking all need care of different kinds. A practical brief includes both how the garden should look on completion and what living with it will involve.

Set priorities for the quotation

Share a budget range if you have one and say whether the project needs to be phased. Ground preparation, drainage, access and waste removal influence the cost alongside visible materials. Ask for an explanation of what is included and what still needs a decision. A quotation is easier to compare when the same scope is being priced.

Prepare for the first conversation

Send wide photographs, approximate dimensions, your postcode and any access restrictions. Include drawings if available, but do not feel you need to design the entire garden before contacting us. Clear priorities and honest information about the existing space are a useful foundation.

Write a brief in three layers

Separate essentials, preferences and possibilities. Essentials might include a clear path to the shed or enough room to use the back door comfortably. Preferences could cover the character of the paving or the amount of lawn. Possibilities are ideas you would like priced only if the budget allows. This distinction helps the discussion stay focused when choices compete for the same space or money. It also makes it easier to recognise a proposal that solves the real problem without including every early idea.

Walk the routes you use most

Start at each door and follow the journeys you make during a normal week. Where do bins go? How do you carry tools to storage? Where do guests stand when someone opens the door? Mark awkward turns and places where furniture obstructs movement. A layout should support these ordinary activities, not just a single viewpoint from the house. If a route needs to remain usable during work, include that requirement in the conversation about the programme.

Use photographs to explain conditions over time

One sunny photograph may not show why a garden feels difficult in winter. If you already have pictures showing standing water, worn grass or a persistently shaded corner, include them with the current view. Record observations without trying to diagnose the construction solution yourself. The cause may require assessment, and the right response could involve changes to preparation or layout. This is particularly useful when the main aim is to resolve a recurring problem rather than simply change the appearance.

Check the decisions before work is agreed

Review the proposed footprint, retained features, material selection and the boundaries of the work. Ask how unresolved choices will be handled and whether they could affect the quotation. Clarify who is responsible for moving furniture or other items and what making good is included. A short written list of these decisions is easier to revisit than assumptions from several conversations. Keep later changes explicit so that the scope remains understandable as the project develops.

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Which decisions should be settled before asking for a detailed price?

Define the intended uses, approximate footprint, features to retain and the boundary of the work. Identify materials already selected and those still open for discussion. Access, removal, levels and any specialist input also need consideration. A contractor can explain outstanding information, but a detailed price cannot reliably describe a scheme whose essentials keep changing. Record assumptions so an early budget is not mistaken for a final fixed quotation.

How do I turn an inspiration photograph into a useful brief?

Identify the specific thing you like: the seating position, relationship between lawn and paving, material character or a view from the house. Then compare it with your own dimensions, access and retained features. Avoid assuming the photograph reveals its preparation, cost or suitability. A sketch and a short explanation of priorities make the image a reference for your own proposal rather than an instruction to copy an unknown construction.

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