Landscape Design Lecture
Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2011

ROOM landscape design & construction was asked to present a Landscape design lecture at Home improvements centre at South Brisbane.  We covered a variety of landscape design topics including landscape design elements and principles, landscaping ideas, materials and budgets.  We hope that those that attended will have learnt the basics about good landscape design and received some good landscape ideas.

Download Landscape Design Lecture (4285 KB)

Common Landscaping mistakes
Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2011

Common Landscaping Mistakes
Whilst we all would like that picture perfect landscape, the ability to achieve this is limited only by our knowledge and planning.  There are severeal common mistakes I see in our landscapes that with good planning and forethought can be averted.  Some of these have become very apparent over the last few months with all of the rain we have had. So let me outline some of these mistakes and how they can be averted.

Planning:
Whilst none of us would build a new home or extend/renovate our current home without first consulting an architect or designer, we often approach our landscaping without the same level of planning and design.  A common mistake that I see is that as we decide to improve our landscape, the first thing we do is grab the yellow pages, make a few phone calls to our local landscapers and expect to get 2-3 consulations that will help us develop our plans and ideas.  Whilst this approach may work for some people, how can you be sure that your ideas and thoughts have been heard, interpreted and costed by these landscapers in a way that will allow you to ensure you are comparing apples with apples.  
Lets go back to the house plan idea for a moment to explain my point.  If you engage a designer, he designs your renovation, details the construction methods, specifys the material selection, then as you give this to 2 or 3 builders they will all be able to quote the same project with the same specification.  At the end of this process you will receive 2 or 3 quotes that you can compare with each other as you decide which builder to use.  You could say you are comparing apples with apples.  However if you decided to renovate your home, grabbed the yellow pages, called 3 builders and said "I want to renovate my home," without a set of plans you won't get what you want.  You can say that you are comparing apples with oranges and pears.  There are no comparison as they are totally different fruits!
So the most common mistake I see in our industry is the lake of planning and design.  Even a small courtyard renovation which may seem very simple, can benefit from the eye of a qualified designer, and a good set of plans.  The old saying goes "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail!"
This leads me to the second mistake I often see in landscapes today.

First things First:
When designing a landscape, I never start with the end and work forward, I always start with first things first.  So what are they?  It amazes me, that when landscapes are planned, that many people neglect the one thing that all landscapes need-Water!  Especially over the last few months in Brisbane, we have seen how many landscapes have been designed with no consideration for drainage or "Where the water goes!"  Whilst many people suffered the terrible floods, many of us watched as our gardens, and lawns were swamped and even overcome with the sheer volume of water.  Some lost a few plants whilst others simply watched their lawns grow at a rate of knots not being able to keep up with the mowing because it was so wet. 
When a designer starts a plan for you, they need to consider some ellements prior to starting to create your new garden.  These ellements include, rainfall and water movement over your property, sun direction and patterns throughout the seasons, storm and wind directions, and soil type and suitablity.  If these ellements are not considered before the ellements of design, your landscape may look wonderful, but it may not function well during a storm event, or it may not be useable in the peak of summer.  That is why engaging a suitably qualified landscape designer will ensure that these areas of your design are considered.
A good designer will also consider future development of your property and allow for service conduits so it is easy to run lighting and irrigation at a later stage.  So when you do engage a designer, ensure that they have the knowledge and experience to consider these aspects before anything else.  One last note, a good designer will be able to survey your site, take levels and be able to provide finished levels for construction surfaces throught the plan.  Without these even a good looking plan fails to achieve the most important outcome, a plan that can be quoted by a few and then compared by you. 

Designers vs Designers!:
One mistake I often see, is the amount of money that we do pay for plans that are worthless or poorly designed.  It is relatively easy these days to achieve a design qualification within the landscape industry.  I am however not talking about landscape architects that do have to study and work for 6+ years to achieve their qualification. Anyone can complete a design course at tafe and say they are a designer.  However, in my experience, the best designers are the creative landscapers who like to push the boundaries. 
Why choose a landcaper who is also a designer you say? Well they are the ones that work in the industry, who build the landscapes every day, who know how to read a plan, take levels, interpret them and provide you with the finished product that they beleive will grow and last day in and day out for you.  There are many designers who have never picked up a shovel, studied the soil profile of a garden, watched as their hard work has stood up to 100mm of rain in one hour and not washed away, and therefore their level of knowledge and experience is somewhat limited.  Having said this, I know a few designers, who do nothing but design and have a passion for it and are very good at what they do.  However my experience is those that have the construction and the design experience are best experienced and therefore will consider all aspects of your project and ensure that your design answers all of your needs.  So do your research, look at their previous plans, ensure that they are considering the aspects I have mentioned above and you should be able to find a designer who will achieve an end result that will benefit you no matter how large or small your project.

Visit Us at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre for the HIA Renovate & Build Expo
Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010

We've proudly put up a beautiful display at the HIA Renovate & Build Expo, Brisbane Exhibition Centre this weekend, 30th July to 4th August.

If you can't find us we are in stall G36.

Here is all the information for the Expo.

Come and see our amazing work. We'll put some photos us soon.

New Website
Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010

Room Landscaping has launched it's new website. Come and see the new look.