Studio 31 on landscaping your garden
What are the advantages of professionally landscaping your home and garden? We talked to director Katie Flaxman from Studio 31, an award-winning landscape architecture practice with a health, well-being and sustainability focus.
There’s plenty to shout about when it comes to landscaping your garden – even if you’re on a budget. Most people want their home to look amazing so they can enjoy the health benefits and aesthetics it brings, but also want good value for money.
But what are the benefits?
A beautifully landscaped garden can work wonders for your mental health in particular. When you imagine your house, whether it’s a flat with a balcony or a family detached on a large plot of land, every space will connect to the exterior. It’s proven that even just looking out at nature can have a positive impact on health and lots of research has been done to support that theory. But – don’t forget functionality.
When it comes to the internal part of the house nearest to the garden, most times this is the kitchen; it’s often the space in a home with the most connectivity to the garden. When you ask people to imagine being in their kitchen, they’ll often talk about opening up the doors to the garden on a sunny day or having big windows overlooking their kids at play. They may also imagine social events where they’ll be using the garden and kitchen spaces together. So, it’s worth giving the two areas equal consideration rather than thinking of them separately. After all, a build project can really benefit from a landscape that works with, and compliments, the building overall.
Plus, a carefully designed garden is likely to boost the value of your home too. When talking to estate agents most will tell you that a well landscaped garden can really help to sell a property, so it can be an investment that, quite literally, pays off.
So what’s the most important message here?
Have a plan! Whether making changes in small stages or doing everything in one go you can spend a lot of money in the wrong places when you don’t have a long-term achievable plan. If you get a landscape architect on board, you will soon have an idea of what that bigger picture looks like. You can work towards this and save serious money in the long run.
There are so many benefits of planning ahead, not least to check that the work is actually possible. For example, not all houses have rear access and if you don’t plan and measure up it may not be physically possible to get the machinery or mature plants required through your house to do the garden. Seeing both your internal and external renovation work as one project, and not two separate entities could save you both time and money; machinery hired for the home renovations may have a dual purpose on some of the garden work, you may want to run electrics or cabling out to the garden whilst you have fitters doing work inside, the same goes for water and sorting any level or drainage issues. Early planning can ensure you don’t have to redo work on the house or damage your beautiful new home later when installing the garden.
But how do you go about getting a garden designer? And who should you hire?
So, you’d like to start speaking to someone about your garden design, but how should you approach it? And what is the difference between a Landscape Gardener, a Landscape Designer and a Landscape Architect?
Hopefully this will explain.
Landscape Architects
Landscape Architects are in many ways like building architects. They work to a professional set of guidelines and there’s a Chartership in the same way there is for architects. The training is similar and they must maintain certain standards which protect both the professionals and also the clients. You might find a landscape architect working on large scale landscaping jobs in the public realm right down to individual residential projects and everything in between; it depends on their specialism.
Garden or Landscape Designers
To call yourself a garden designer you don’t need to have any qualifications but most do. Many will have a degree in garden design or another garden design qualification but there isn’t a chartership process in the same way as there is for landscape architects and their projects tend to be smaller residential though this isn’t always the case.
It’s always good to look for people that are registered with a professional body such as the Society of Garden Designers (SGD) or the Landscape Institute, or with an organisation like BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) because it gives you some kind of protection as a client.
Landscape Gardeners
A Landscape Gardener is usually tradesmen registered with the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL). These tend to be the people that actually build or maintain the garden.
Some will offer basic design services and many landscape architects or garden designers will work closely with landscape gardeners to offer design and build services.
What Services can they provide?
+ Start with a concept plan
+ Help get through planning
+ Detailed design
+ Planting guide
+ Ordering
+ Oversee the tender of the project to contractors
+ Installation
+ Project manage the build if that’s require
For more information
Take a look at the design pages of Studio 31’s website for more detailed information on the stages of the design process. And if you’re keen for some more reading on the subject, check out our article Making the Most of Your Outdoor Space.
Five top tips for staying within budget
Ready to get started? Why not check out Katie’s handy budgeting tips to make your dream home a reality without breaking the bank.
When discussing your plans with your landscape designer, make a list of ‘must-haves’ and ‘would like to haves’.
That way you can see where money needs to be spent and where you can cut corners.
The services of a professional landscape designer may not be as expensive as you think.
In fact, they can help you save a lot of money in the long run by using their experience to recommend against any unwise decisions, saving you a huge headache (and plenty of cash) in putting things right if the worst happens.
There’s no such thing as too much planning when it comes to redesigning your living space. The more thought you put into it, the less likely you are to experience unpleasant surprises – or extra cost.
Plus, it can really help give your planner additional confidence in your scheme to have a landscape plan in place, bringing that extra context to your application.
They will be able to take your plans and see what will be expensive and where costs can be cut.
They can also phase the works, take elements of the design out or alter the specification so that the project budget fits – or is within a price – that you’re comfortable with.
Although you may not want any lighting or irrigation put in now, it’s well worth adding cabling and drainage anyway.
This means that if you decide to put these features in at a later date, you don’t need to spend further time and money altering or adjusting your garden further down the line.
We would love to know how your project turns out!
Follow us on Instagram and tag us #wearehomenotes in images of your works in progress or your finished dream home!
We have created a FREE Renovation Budget Guide
that unpacks all the figures of a project – from building costs and professional fees to those extra expenses that no-one tells you about.
This will put your construction budget in the context of the whole project’s costs and make sure you’re considering all those added extras from the outset.
How much will my extension cost in 2024?
It’s the all-important question for home renovators: how much is my extension really going to cost? Read on to find out!
Natural Plaster – and why we can’t get enough
Want a material that is beautiful, and works hard for you? Look no further than Natural Plaster. We explain why we can’t get enough of it!
The New DIY: Online Renovation Courses
More homeowners are turning to online renovation courses as a way to save costs on their renovations. Take a look at our top picks!
Where NOT to scrimp on your renovation
Sometimes it’s tempting to cut corners and save a few pounds but it’s likely you’ll regret it in the long term. We share our top tips of where it doesn’t pay to scrimp in your dream home.
Open House Festival: 8th – 21st of September
For those who have decided THIS is the year that they’re going to bite the bullet and renovate, Open House London is a chance to go and see some projects up close and personal. Here’s our list of recommended projects to go visit.
Why do we still not have a national retrofit strategy?
We talk to Paul Testa of HEM Architecture about why we need a national retrofit strategy and why it needs to happen now.
How to prepare your house for builders: 10 things you must do
When getting ready to receive contractors into your home it’s important to prepare your property. Get started with these 10 must do tasks!
Our 10 top tips to buying a house
Buying a house is potentially the biggest financial commitment you will ever make, so take the time to prep with our tips!
Don’t move, Improve! 2022 Shortlist
Check out the 15 incredible London renovation projects shortlisted for this year’s Don’t Move, Improve! Awards and get inspired!
Viewing a property: The ultimate checklist
You’ve done your research! But when you’re in the actual property, remember to consider the following things…
How much will my extension cost?
When it comes to home-renovating this is the most common question we get asked. So let’s get right to it, how do you work out the REAL cost? Read on to find out!
How to make the most of a Trade Show
Returning to thoughts of renovating your home? Then jumpstart your project by attending a trade show. But first make sure you read our top tips on how to make the most of your visit!
Top tips for renovating from industry experts
We asked a range of architects and experts working in the residential sector to give us their top tip for homeowners who want to renovate.
Worried about increasing construction prices?
Everyone is concerned about increasing construction costs. We talk to BuildPartner about what measures home renovators can take to reduce risks for their projects.
Your handy guide to assessing builders
Linden from Weaver shares his a handy guide to assessing builders. So before a spade is in the ground, it’s worth taking a moment to prepare.
Product spotlight: Little Bishop Hook
A neat solution for pendant lighting; we take a look at the clean design and appealing simplicity of the Little Bishop Pendant Hook
The ‘Iron Triangle’ you should embrace
It may sound daunting, but knowing about the ‘Iron Triangle’ in advance can help you plan your project and set realistic expectations.
Making the most of your outdoor space
If you’re living in London, then chances are you’re severely lacking in one department: outdoor space. But even if you only have a small patch to play with, this space can do so much for you with a bit of care and forward planning.
Your ultimate guide to extractor fans
Our complete guide answers all your extractor fan questions (even those you didn’t know you had!)
EJ Ryder and the world of joinery
Edwin J Ryder and his team specialise in bold, creative design and impeccable workmanship in their joinery and interior finishes. We spoke with Edwin to find out how they work with clients on their property renovations.
