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You may be interested to know that many landscape designers earn about as much money working to correct problems in a landscape as they do planning the initial installment. I remember a conversation I had with one landscape architect who expressed the frustration that he wished people would call him more often before they put in their landscapes, not after.
As with any project, planning is essential. It is so much better to know what you’re doing before you get started, especially since putting in a landscape costs so much money. For that reason, a lot of landscape architects will have an in-depth interview with their customer before doing any work to make sure they know all of the landscape needs and wants of their customer.
Sometimes as part of this interview process, especially with customers who aren’t altogether sure what they want, landscape architects will give their customers an extensive questionnaire for them to fill out that helps the customer think about what he or she really needs or wants in his or her landscape. This questionnaire is particularly useful because it asks a lot of questions that will introduce the customer to landscaping concepts or issues that he or she has never before considered. In this article I include a typical landscape architect’s questionnaire for your use to help you better plan for your next landscaping adventure. And if you are planning on putting in a landscape, I highly suggest you take the time to fill it out completely and really think about it. It’s better to do it right the first time. And it helps you figure out what you really want. If you don’t know what you like and what would suit you and your family’s needs best, there’s no way you’re going to get it. So take the time to figure it out.
Client Questionnaire (to easily print this, click on the “Print” button above the picture at the top of the article)
The purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain information that will be helpful in preparing a design for your residential site. All information you provide will be held in confidence and will aid in creating a design that fits the special needs of your family and conditions of your site. Please feel free to make additional comments or notes wherever you think it would be helpful.
I. Family Characteristics. Please list the names of all family members, each person’s age, and hobbies or interests especially as they relate to the outdoors. _________________________________________________
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II. Existing Site Conditions. A. Front-Yard Problems. Please list the current problems in the front yard which you think should be minimized or overcome in the design. 1. Visually: ________________________________________
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2. Functionally: _____________________________________
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B. Back-Yard Problems. Please list the current problems in the front yard which you think should be minimized or overcome in the design. 1. Visually:_________________________________________
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2. Functionally: _____________________________________
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C. Front-Yard Positives. Please list all positive elements and qualities of the front yard which should be retained or enhanced in the design. 1. Visually: ________________________________________
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2. Functionally: _____________________________________
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D. Back-Yard Positives. Please list all the positive elements and qualities of the front yard which should be retained or enhanced in the design. 1. Visually: ________________________________________
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2. Functionally: _____________________________________
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III. Desired Outdoor Activities. Please place a check mark next to those activities in which you want to participate on your site. After each activity, please circle the season(s), the frequency, and the time(s) of day in which you would like to enjoy this activity. Legend: 1) Season: (W=winter / Sp=spring / Su=summer / A=autumn) 2) Frequency: (d=daily / w=weekly / m=monthly) 3) Time of day: (m=morning / a=afternoon / e=evening / n=night)
____Barbecuing: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Fire-pit: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Traditional grill: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Eating: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Sitting/relaxing/reading: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Sitting and talking with family: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Walking/strolling: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Entertaining: ____2-4 guests: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____6-8 guests: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____10-12 guests: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____over 12 guests: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Bird watching: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Gardening (vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers…): (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Pets (dogs, cats, horses, other animals): (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Horseback riding: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Sun bathing: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Recreation: ____Badminton: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Young children playing: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Volleyball: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Croquet: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Swimming: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Basketball or tennis: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Playing frisbee, football, or baseball: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Horseshoes: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Putting green: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Kickball or Soccer: (W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) ____Other: ______________(W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) _______________________(W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) _______________________(W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) _______________________(W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n) _______________________(W/Sp/Su/A), (d/w/m), (m/a/e/n)
IV. Desired Site Characteristics. Please describe how you think your site should look. For example: formal or very orderly vs. informal or more random, open vs. wooded or bordered, bright and engaging vs. cool and calm, etc. ________________
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V. Desired Materials. A. Please list the types of materials you would like most for pavements (asphalt, concrete, brick pavers), fences (wood, vinyl, metal), walks (brick pavers, fine or pebble gravel, wood chips, flagstone, cobblestone, riverstone, fieldstone, cutstone), etc. _______________
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B. Please list your favorite plant materials. For example: annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, vines, evergreens vs. deciduous plants or both, foliage vs. flowering vs. food producing plants or all three; and specific plant species you admire such as Red maple, White oak, Austrian pine, White spruce, Roses, Snapdragon, Daffodils, Tulips, etc. _____________
C. Please list plant materials you do not want used on your site (such as Boxelder, Poplars, Russian olive, Siberian elm, etc.). ______________________
VI. Budget. Please identify the budget you would be willing to spend on your site annually.
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