Creating your garden plan
Gardens are rarely the shape we think they are, so drawing up a detailed plan is really useful. It’s not difficult, and will definitely help you all the way through the design process
© Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Start at the back of the house and mark the positions of windows and doors on your plan
How to measure a basic space
These simple steps use methods called triangulation and taking offsets to map out your space accurately. Make a rough sketch first and use it to log all your measurements. Then transfer them onto paper to make a precise scale plan.If you have an established garden with lots of plants or structures that make access to the boundary tricky, you might find it helpful to look online at an overhead view. The further you get from the house, the less critical it is to get accurate measurements; close to the house it is key.
1 First, using your pencil and paper, roughly sketch the basic elements of your garden: the house, the boundary line, and any fixed objects such as trees, buildings, structures, and manhole covers.
2 Measure from X to Y. Mark the position of the house, windows, and doors. The two end points of the house are your fixed points A and B. Don’t worry if the house isn’t a straight line across the back; you only need the corners to provide the fixed points.
3 Now use triangulation so that you can accurately place the corners of your garden when you create your scale plan. Measure from your fixed points A and B to the top left-hand boundary (C). Repeat for the top right-hand boundary (D). Note all measurements on your sketch.
4 If parts of your garden are curved, you can take offsets to track the curve accurately. First, measure out two lines of exactly the same length, at 90º to the house, from A and B. Peg out a straight line at 90º to them so that it’s parallel to the house.
5 Along that pegged line, and at regular intervals, take measurements at 90º from the line to the perimeter to plot the curve. Make a note of those measurements, plus the distance of each interval, on your sketch.
To accurately mark a fixed object such as a tree (C), take two measurements to it from A and B. Note the distance from A to B on your plan. Now measure the distance from A to C. Then measure from B to C. Repeat for other fixed points. Transfer these measurements to your scale plan to mark the location of fixed objects accurately.
Create your scale plan
When you’ve taken all your measurements, transfer them onto paper to create a precise scale plan. Most average-sized gardens are designed in either 1:50 (where 2cm on your ruler = 1m on your plan) or 1:100 (where 1cm on your ruler = 1m on your plan).Use the longest measurement on your sketch to work out the best scale to use. Using a scale ruler or a normal centimetre ruler, follow these steps to transfer the measurements onto paper. Lay tracing paper over your finished scale plan to sketch your design ideas for your plot.
