A new year means a new idea for your Greater Chicago area backyard. You’re ready for your landscape transformation.
One of the most essential steps in bringing your outdoor living vision to life is the design phase. This is when ideas begin brewing and expand from concepts to reality. When you see it on paper, you know it’s getting real. A great landscape design holds a lot of value, so you want to maximize the first phase in this process: the landscape design consultation meeting.
In order to get the most out of this meeting, here are some important questions you should ask yourself and the landscape designer to ensure you’re getting the maximum benefit out of your consultation.
Get Ready for Your Landscape Design Consultation
We’re sure you’ve seen some great outdoor design ideas on HGTV and while exploring photos online. In fact, you have probably pinpointed things you like and don’t like and flagged some ideas for your Greater Chicago outdoor space. This is such a fun step in the process.
But while admiring photos of what has worked for other homeowners is a great-- and inspiring -- activity, you also have to think practically about what will work for you in your yard. After all, the best landscape designs are those that you can use everyday and fit your unique lifestyle.
Review these points as you prepare for a landscape design consultation.
What Activities Do We Like to Do Outside?
How you spend your time outside and entertain can make a huge difference in how your landscape design is organized and planned.
Think about the activities you like to do outside, such as cook, garden, relax, play games with the kids, or hold regular Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts meetings or family gatherings.
Share these ideas with your landscape design consultant and then have them regurgitate it back to you so they understand that, for instance, you need a social space, shade, fire, and lighting.
This back and forth conversation on what drives you to spend time in your yard will yield the best landscape design result for you.
What Components Are Most Important For Us to Have in Our Landscape?
Many times, you’re thinking about your landscape design as a whole -- the big picture without looking at specific features that you want to include in your yard. For instance, you may know you want an outdoor kitchen, but maybe you haven’t given much thought to the specifics you want that space to include.
Entertaining family and friends is often one of the biggest reasons for a new and improved landscape design. Adding additional components to the design can help take that space from boring to soaring.
Here are some examples of components to discuss with your landscape design consultant:
- Kitchen appliances, such as grill, sink, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, ice maker, etc.
- Outdoor lighting
- Storage solutions to ensure some things you use can pack up nicely and stay out of sight.
- Water features
- Fire features
- Pools and accessories, such as fountains or rock walls
- Planting beds or containers
- Structures, such as pavilions and pergolas
- Outdoor living amenities, such as audio/visual additions
Will this Landscape Design Work For Us Today and In the Future?
It’s natural to think about what you want now as you envision your outdoor living area. But because this space has staying power, you also want to think about how you will utilize the yard in five, 10, or even 20 years.
For example, will there be children or grandchildren enjoying the space? Do you have aging relatives visiting often or restrictions even on your own aging that would mean limiting lots of stairs or other concerns? Is your home in a phase where you might be adding onto it in the near future? What about the need for running plumbing or utility lines now that could make it easier to add a landscape feature in the future?
These are great questions to explore as you prepare for your landscape design consultation.
What Is Our Personal Style?
You might not be able to make a distinction between what style is specifically contemporary or more formal compared to one that is casual or more natural and free-flowing. Maybe you like Tuscan landscapes or prefer Japanese gardens.
Even if you can’t always define your specific style or think you don’t have one, by going through the motions of recognizing styles you like and don’t like you can determine what might fit best in your backyard.
Take time to search Houzz or flip through magazine pages, highlighting images that appeal to you, before your landscape design consultation. This can help you get to the root of your true style preferences.
Choosing a Landscape Design Partner in Greater Chicago
If you’ve considered making a landscape design consultation appointment or have scheduled one, then you’re serious about getting your project started.
Being prepared for this valuable meeting and getting the full scope of what a professional landscape design company can offer you will help tremendously as you make your final decision on what you want and who you want to work with.
In the end, you want a landscape company that is going to meet all of your specific needs and design a space that is exactly what you dreamed up … or maybe even better.
By working with a company that takes landscape design consultations seriously, asking you questions and getting to know you, you can feel confident you’re making a wise choice. After all, a company that is detail-oriented in the beginning phases is going to bring that same attention to detail to the entire installation and final touches.
Ready to see how KD Landscape can transform your Greater Chicago landscape into something beyond your expectations? We’d love to share our design and installation expertise with you and deliver a custom space that stands out. Get started today with a free consultation. Together, we can prepare a plan that works best for you. Then you can enjoy your new space for years to come.
