HOW TO

PLAN YOUR
BACKYARD DESIGN
THE ULTIMATE CHECKLIST
Our landscape architects use a version of this checklist
with our clients to make sure we cover all the important
topics in our initial design meetings. We’re sharing it with
you to help you do some of the imagining and information
gathering prior to discussing your project in detail with
your landscape company.

You may feel like you’ve been “planning”

this project for ages—pinning inspiring
photos, talking to family and friends about
your ideas, discussing priorities with your
partner, and writing to-do lists. This
checklist will help you focus your thoughts
and conversations, and encourage you to
tackle some of the less fun—but incredibly
important—topics, such as budget.
If you have a partner, chances are you’re the
one taking the lead on the project vision
and execution—but that doesn’t mean your
partner doesn’t have goals, opinions and
concerns. We encourage you to discuss the
items on the checklist together and try to
reach consensus on areas where you initially
Now it’s over to you. If the time is right, grab a coffee,
then dive right in. You’re about to take one of the most
important steps to make your backyard dreams a reality.
disagree. Being on the same page prior
to meeting with the professional
who will do the design for you will save
you time, money and headaches in the
long run.
Complete the checklist when you know
you’ll have uninterrupted time. That being
said, you may still have trouble with some
items. Maybe you need some professional
guidance. Maybe your partner and you can’t
agree on an item or two. Don’t worry. The
simple fact that you’ve started the conver-
sations prior to meeting with a professional
means you’re further ahead than most
people who start a backyard design project.
ENJOY THE JOURNEY,
LOVE THE DESTINATION
When it comes to creating a The same goes for any important landscap-
beautiful new outdoor space, if ing project. Plan it well and you’ll enjoy the
dreaming phase. You’ll feel your money has
you enjoy the journey, you’re much
been well spent (and you’ll spend less of
more likely to love the destination.
it). You’ll reduce the risk of surprises. You’ll
minimize conflict and communication
That’s why we encourage our clients to
breakdowns between others involved (think
think of their backyard design project like
your spouse and contractor). And, when it’s
they would a once-in-a-lifetime trip. If you
all over, you’ll have a backyard you’ll love for
do a good job of planning before you leave,
a long time—in fact, you may choose to stay
you’re more likely to have a great experi-
home rather than take that once-in-a-life-
ence on the way and once you get there.
time trip!
 STEP 1 CREATE A LIST OF “WANTS” AND “NEEDS”

WHAT’S THE BIG PICTURE?
CHOOSE A MAXIMUM OF THREE WAYS YOU’D LIKE TO USE
YOUR BACKYARD
HINT!
You can get the ideas flowing with these questions:
What is the most important thing I/we want to be able to do in the space?
What are secondary activities that I/we’d like to include?
What do I/we not want the space used for?
What does the space have to be used for?
This is a great exercise to help you start setting priorities for your project.
Examples of “wants” might be a fire pit, outdoor kitchen or gazebo.
Examples of “needs” might be a shed for storing tools/bikes, space for the pool equipment
and enough comfortable seating for the immediate family.
What does the space have to be used for?
Refer back to the three uses for the space that you chose and the feeling
you want to create in your backyard. Do your wants and needs fit in? Are
any of them in conflict? If so, it’s probably a good idea to rethink either the
uses, feeling you want to create, or your wants/needs list. together, choose
one of them, not both.

WANTS NEEDS

HINT! If there are two uses for the same space that don’t go well together,
choose one of them, not both.

a safe place for kids to play growing vegetables/fruit/flowers for

cutting
a place for entertaining large DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY EXISTING PROBLEMS YOU WANT YOUR
groups a place for pets to play BACKYARD DESIGN TO SOLVE
Examples are drainage, an unsafe deck, lack of privacy, lack of shade, a sloped yard.
an escape from everyday stress

a place to spend time with immedi-

ate family members/close friends

cooking and dining

games and sports IDENTIFY ANY PLUSSES ABOUT THE EXISTING SPACE YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
Examples are a particular view, sun at a particular time of day, a beautiful tree, your
back entrance, a pool.

CIRCLE THE MAIN FEELING YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE WHEN YOU’RE IN THE SPACE

relaxed energized productive WRITE DOWN ANY ASPECTS OF THE CURRENT BACKYARD THAT NEED TO STAY
tranquil adventurous healthy Examples include an existing shed, tree, hot tub, pool or deck.

cozy creative
open social
playful excited
meditative pampered
LIST ANY PART OF THE PROJECT YOU WANT TO DO
protected/sheltered revitalized
 STEP 2
WHAT’S YOUR STYLE?

CHOOSE A PREFERRED STYLE FROM THE LIST BELOW COLLECT PHOTOS AND IMAGES

You can gather your images on a Pinterest board, Houzz ideabook or hold-in-
Asian
your hands scrapbook.
(a simple design that emphasizes foliage rather than flowers and uses stone or
rocks, symbolism and moving water)

HINT! Think in terms of what you like and not “this is exactly what I want.” The
English country
designer, particularly if he or she is a landscape architect, is the expert
(an informal design that uses natural building materials and mixes shrubs and in offering specific solutions and will know what is both feasible and
perennials in dense plantings) visually pleasing after a site visit.

Woodland
(a shady, natural-looking design that features trees and often uses native plants)
Where I/we’ve saved our images:

Xeriscape
(a water-conserving and low-maintenance design that emphasizes native plants
and replaces grass with other natural materials like pebbles or stones)

Modern CREATE AN “I DON’T LIKE” LIST

(a geometric, linear design inspired by the 1950s and 60s that uses contrast in Think of colours, styles, plant varieties and types of structures that you don’t
materials and plantings to create drama) want in your design.

French
(a very formal, symmetrical design that uses a reflecting pool as the centrepiece I/WE DON’T like…
and draws the eye to the residence)

Tropical
(a bold, colourful design that features lush plants and often has a swimming
pool)

Other

HINT! Consider the era and architecture of your home and the size of your
space when choosing your style. A 60s bungalow could look great with a
modern design. A Cape Cod style home lends itself to a country garden.
A small subdivision lot won’t be easy to turn into a woodland.
 STEP 3
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
IN A DESIGNER/CONTRACTOR?

DETERMINE YOUR SHORTLIST

CHOOSE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA TO YOU

Low price Qualifications (e.g. has licensed

Quality work
Good reputation (including reviews)
Availability to meet our timeline
HINT! HINT: When deciding whether you want to “interview” one, two or more
landscape architects on staff)
potential companies, consider your timeline, the experience you had
Years in business during any initial contact, and the strength of any recommendations
you’ve received.
Has done projects like the one I/we
want

Excellent communication skills Option 1:

In-house expertise to manage the

Option 2:
project from design to completion Option 3:

HINT! Low price and quality work rarely go together if you work with an estab-
lished landscaping company. If you selected both of those criteria, you’ll
need to find someone who is just starting out. This can be risky because
there’s no way to confirm if their inexperience will affect quality or if they’ll
have the capacity to complete your job within the promised timeline.

RESEARCH POTENTIAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN/CONTRACTORS

Possible sources of information include:

We’d love to be on your shortlist!
Company websites
Online reviews
Ask us your toughest
Friends and family questions…or get us to
Neighbours help you check some
items off this checklist!
Potential companies:

LET’S TALK
wrightlandscape.ca/lets-talk
 STEP 4 DETERMINE A MAXIMUM BUDGET FIGURE—THE NUMBER YOU ABSOLUTELY

WHAT’S YOUR BUDGET? CAN’T GO ABOVE

$ ________________

FIGURE OUT THE BALLPARK COST OF YOUR WANTS AND NEEDS

This will give you the maximum budget you would require to complete your IDENTIFY POSSIBLE SOURCES OF FINANCING FOR YOUR BACKYARD DESIGN
backyard design.
Options include:

Inground pool ($XXX-$YYY) Savings

Pergola ($XXX-$YYY) Secured line of credit
Unsecured line of credit
Paver patio ($XXX-$YYY) Home improvement loan
Outdoor kitchen ($XXX-$YYY) Refinancing your home

Firepit ($XXX-$YYY)

Cabana ($XXX-$YYY) Financing sources:

Shed ($XXX-$YYY)

Furniture ($XXX-$YYY)

_________________ ($_____-$_____)

_________________ ($_____-$_____)

_________________ ($_____-$_____)

TOTAL: $ ________________ to $ ________________

CONFIRM YOUR FINANCING

Source: ________________________ Confirmed amount: $ ________________

Source: ________________________ Confirmed amount: $ ________________
HINT! Don’t be alarmed or discouraged if the total is out of your budget—you’ll
have the opportunity to reduce this total in the next step when you set Source: ________________________ Confirmed amount: $ ________________
priorities. You can also often complete your project in phases, to give you
time to save.
TOTAL CONFIRMED: $________________

DETERMINE A BUDGET RANGE YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH

HINT! Adjust your budget range and budget max based on the total you’ve
confirmed if you weren’t able to secure that much financing.
$ ________________ to $ ________________
 STEP 5 STEP 6
WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? WHAT’S YOUR TIMELINE?

IDENTIFY YOUR PROJECT PRIORITIES, GIVEN YOUR BUDGET FIND OUT WHEN YOUR PREFERRED CONTRACTOR OR LANDSCAPING
COMPANY IS BOOKING NEW PROJECTS

HINT! A reputable company that does good work is often in demand and will be
HINT! A great way to do this is to go back to your wants and needs list. Cross out
booking large projects for the next year, not the current year.
items that you know won’t fit your budget and rank the remaining items
in terms of priority. Continue to remove and rank items until you reach the
budget range you’re comfortable with or the financing you’ve confirmed,
whichever is less.

DETERMINE YOUR PROJECT START DATE

HINT! If you haven’t talked to a contractor yet, it’s a good idea to have a back-up
start date in case they’re not available for your preferred start date.

DECIDE ON A COMPLETION DATE

It may help to ask yourself these questions:

Are there any important events that impact your timing?

(Examples include a wedding, family reunion, special anniversary, or simply
when the kids are done school for the year)

Given your budget, what’s a realistic completion date?

If you want (or need) to finish the backyard design project over more than
one year, what do you want done by when?

HINT! If you’d like to complete your project over a few years, put any elements
that will require large equipment or will tear up your yard (a pool, for
example) in year 1. That way you know you’ll have the best access to the
property and won’t disturb any of the design you’ve already completed.
Also remember that weather is an uncontrollable aspect of any project
and can affect your timeline.
 STEP 7 STEP 8
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU ALREADY
ABOUT MAINTENANCE? HAVE ON YOUR PROPERTY?

MAINTENANCE CAN INCLUDE: COLLECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON YOUR HOME, IF AVAILABLE

Weeding and grass cutting Enhancing the soil Types of helpful information include:
Edging Pruning trees and shrubs
Property survey
Mulching Pool and/or hot tub maintenance
Information on underground services (gas, electrical, water, sewer, septic
Dividing perennials beds etc.) Information on previous work that has been done on the property

PUT AN ‘X’ BESIDE THE SENTENCE THAT BEST EXPRESSES YOUR FEELINGS
ABOUT MAINTENANCE

___ Bring it on! I/we love looking after our property.

___ It’s fine…as long as someone else does it! I/we will hire someone to
look after the property on a regular basis.

___ Low maintenance is the law! I/we don’t want to do maintenance,

but we don’t want to pay someone either.

___ Let’s strike a balance! I/we’ll do some maintenance ourselves but will
Ready to move on to the next step?
hire others to do things like spring and fall cleanup, pool opening and
closing and pruning.
Learn about our free
backyard design
consultation!

LET’S GET TOGETHER

wrightlandscape.ca/
design-consultation