DESIGN
Designing the outside space
Don’t forget your outside space in the brief including garden pods, sheds and garages, attached or detached, as these should form part of the budget. These, as well as planting schemes may require planning approval.
It is one of the last things you will actually do but working out how the outside space is going to work is important as it will affect so many aspects of the house build itself including the size, position and orientation of the home and the location of windows and doors. It is therefore key to integrate it into the design process to get an idea of what finished project will look like – after all the house should look right within its surroundings and you should be able to enjoy the view from inside too.
Think carefully how you will likely use the outdoor space and consider how this may change over time, as a young family will have different requirements than a couple of empty nesters. The outside space design considerations should therefore include the following:
- House position relative to the landscape and neighbours
- Parking area
- Patio area
- The size of garden
- Privacy considerations
Don’t forget about planting early in your build too. Trees and shrubs take years to grow and mature so planning your planting for the beginning of your project will make a big difference to the end result.