In a word, early. Most often Landscape designers and architects are brought in either half way through a project or at the end and while in many cases this is warranted ( think projects such as industrial storage sheds) , often it is a waste of opportunity. I understand clients and other consultants want to keep things simple and so are reluctant to bring in too many opinions early on but a simple on site conversation can be of great boon to the final result.

While our practice doing a lot less in terms of residential projects these days we still get calls when people are at the end of their build or renovation thinking its time to consider the landscape. Designers and contractors can work around anything but the more difficult it is the less options and the greater the cost. Consider that most construction quotes are made up of a large labour cost ( up to 40%), difficult access is only going to multiply this. Too often I’ve arrived on sites to be presented with an ambitious brief ( including big ticket items such as pools, gazebos) and access that was blocked off just recently. Costs aside, lack of thought early on can severely limit future options. I once a met with a prospect who had placed a large pool smack bang in the middle of a small backyard. He then proceeded to give me his brief which included a play area for his young children, an outdoor kitchen, a dining area and lush tropical surrounds. In a word, too late.

I understand that the landscape and it’s design not in the forefront of homeowners or renovators minds when they begin their projects and it doesn’t need to be. It just needs a measure of thought allocated to make the most of the design opportunity any other work might present.