Our Back Yard Design

So here we are ready for a redesign of a back yard.
Step 1- I have looked at the back yard and measured it out. So I know what is there. I have drawn it out to scale on paper so that I can work with it. I have included all the structural aspects of the yard (house, garage, shed, deck, trees etc.). I have also taken note of the terrain (is there a slope to the yard). In talking to the owner I have found out that the soil is sandy with great drainage. We want to know at this point as much about the yard as possible as it may or may not have relevance to the project.

Step 2- is laying it out on paper. As you look at the drawing you will see this is not a big yard. The green space is only 30’ by 32’ between the deck and back fence and the garage and side fence. Here is a little bit of further info. The side fence is along a street that is why the arbor Gate. The back yard slopes down 2 feet from the deck to the back fence this makes setting chairs up on the grassed area difficult. The owner really likes to garden and would love to have some areas to plant perennials. He also would like to incorporate some water into the yard.
Well that is a great start. We have gathered our info. We have it on paper. We know some of what the owner wants to incorporate. Now we need to stop and creatively think about what we have and start to plan it out. We need to think about traffic flow, size, scale, needs, wants etc. There really is a lot to think about as we begin to develop our design. That’s step 3 and we’ll start on that next time.
Where would you start?