Design and planning

Many of us, at some point in time, will find ourselves daydreaming of ways to improve, refresh or change the space we live in. 

There are many things you can do to breathe new life into a tired space, some more drastic than others. Your decisions will be influenced by your budget, the value-add to your property and the direct benefit to you. Whatever scale of work you choose to undertake, the process is similar; and the more time you spend initially researching and planning is time and money saved in implementation.

The Source Book – Second Edition is a must-have book for design ideas and selecting plants and materials for your outdoor space. The book covers hundreds of materials and products for outdoor spaces—from traditional timber, brick, stone, cement, metal and tiles, to innovative materials like river stones, ceramics, stainless steel, polished stone and recycled timber.

This section provides an overview of the design and planning stages when renovating or completing a make-over of your outdoor room. These stages will be similar in any design process, the more work you plan to do, the more planning will be required.