Versatility By Design

One of the greatest truisms I know is that ‘Life is all about change’. As children grow up, and we all get older – perhaps moving from employment to retirement, our needs change. So, how do we cater to these changes in our back yards

When designing and preparing a landscape, consider the current and possible future needs of my clients. By doing this, make sure to incorporate elements that have several functions, or can be changed with a minimum of fuss and expense later.

A path that doubles up as a drainage channel. Maybe pop a gazebo on top of that old water tank.

An example of this is work I did for some clients and their family. A key existing element that we wanted to plan for was a view down a grassy slope to some newly planted ornamental and fruit trees. An area near the back door was terraced to set a children’s cubby house on. While the kids were young the location was perfect. They could be seen from the kitchen and dining areas; however, it blocked the developing view.

As the kids got older, the cubby was not being used. It had plenty of life left and was too good to ditch.

The solution as we planned it was to move the cubby to the side and fence it for a chook pen. We then created a meandering path that wound its way under the trees to the pen.

The terrace was paved and set a pergola over the paving. Now the view from the house is framed by the pergola and the new chook cubby looks good from the pergola.

If you love where you live and are planning to stay, think about flexibility. Have a chat to a landscape designer or consultant. They can suggest options that can save effort and time in the future.