You booked the consultation. Now what?
Good news: you do not need to arrive with answers. The first meeting is a conversation, not an exam. A little preparation just makes it a better one. Here is all you need.
1. A short note on what you want
Three sentences is plenty. What bothers you about the space now, and what you hope it becomes.
"The backyard feels like one empty rectangle. We want a place to eat outside, more privacy, and less lawn to mow." That is a perfectly good brief.
2. A rough sense of scope
Whole property or just the backyard? Full redesign or a refresh? One season or phased over a few years? A loose answer is enough. It can change later, and it usually does.
3. Your site, as you know it
Your address, a few wide photos, and anything you have noticed: where the sun sits, where water pools, which corner the kids have claimed. If you have a property survey from when you bought the house, bring it. It is the most useful document you can hand over.
4. Ideas, loosely held
Saved images, Pinterest boards, a garden you loved on vacation. Bring them as clues, not a shopping list. What you dislike helps just as much.
5. A budget range
Not an exact number, just a range you are comfortable saying out loud. It lets us design something you can actually build, and phase it if the vision is bigger than year one.
And most importantly: an open-hearted conversation
Say what you love, what worries you, what feels too ambitious to say out loud. Admit you cannot keep plants alive. Design starts with trust, and trust starts in the first conversation. Come curious and honest. The rest is our job.
The checklist
A short note. A rough scope. Photos and your survey. Inspiration and dislikes. A budget range. An open mind. That is it.
