The Comprehensive Landscape Plan

CLP-Intro

Preface:

Form should follow function when it comes to designing your outdoor spaces.

You should ask yourself, how do we want to plan our space? How do we want to use it, and why do we want to spend time out there?

So, we, or rather I, attempted to answer these questions:

• When the weather is nice enough, we enjoy spending time outside. The more adaptable to space is for different types of weather, perhaps the more use we could get out of it at different times of the year.
• It rains often here in western PA, so having a roofed area is a must.
• In the warmer months, we frequently will eat our meals outside. Even if it is something as simple as having our morning coffee in the monring sun, while listenting to the bird song.
• In those same months, we will often set up a TV outside, so we can sit on the patio and watch TV in the evenings.
• We enjoy playing various types of games, from yard games to table top ones.
• We enjoy having a wood burning fire pit, but would like it a little closer to the house and easier to access and use. Carrying arm loads of S’more supplies and drinks to the other side of the yard is no fun, and one of the reasons we find excuses not to use it. Too far away, bad seating, nowhere to set anything, bad lighting, no formal path along with lots of roots and landminds to avoid.
• We want to keep a wood burning feature, but possibly also have a gas flame feature somewhere too.
• We enjoy listening to music outside, especially when entertaining.
• Zoned and adjustable lighting that will allow the creation of the best atmosphere for the time, event, and place.
• Accent lighing around the yard.
• Bright flood lighting for the area when it is time to clean up or look for something.
• Able to entertain a larger group of people.
• Outdoor cooking area as well as space that is designed to better intergrate with the interior space.
• Our kids are grown and older now, but we certainly want to keep some more playful and fun aspects to the yard for current and other future grandchildren.

The style of the house is generic 1970’s ranch, but our goal is to slowly switch the aesthetics of the house to one that is more align with a “Craftsman” style. For the patio and landscaping, I would almost want to say we want to aim for a fusion of primarily “Craftsman“, but with a mix of certain aspects of an “English garden” and that of a “Japanese Zen garden“. Perhpas with some highlights of “Celtic” design thrown in too. A mixture of wood, stone and nature.

Future areass of this plan will include:

1. Current Site Survey
2. Inspirational Design Vision Boards
3. Creation of Base Map
4. Referenece Maps
5. Usage Design
6. Garden Bed Design

Current Site Survey

What should be in the current site survey?

• Simple an inventory of any factors that can affect the finished design.
• Sun/Shade areas
• Utilities
• Safety issues
• Privacy concerns
• Plants in certain areas of the yard
• What you may want somewhere
• Type of weeds

Existing Space Vision Board

Inspirational Design Vision Boards

Here

Creation of Base Map

Here

Referenece Maps

• Sun/Shade Assessment
• Wind Assessment
• Privacy Assessment
• Lighting Assessment

Usage Design

Here

Garden Bed Design

Here