Planning Your Outdoor Space: A Complete Guide
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Planning Your Outdoor Space: A Complete Guide

You could go on forever dreaming up new ideas for your outdoor space. At some point though, it’s time to commit and put a plan together for your backyard design.

Planning a backyard renovation should not be rushed. Careful planning can allow you to avoid mistakes like not having enough room for all your furniture. Make sure you know what is possible before you pursue a design plan.

Study Your Space

At the end of this design process, you may find your yard completely transformed into something new and exactly right for you. Before you can reach for this end result though, you must get to know the yard that is already yours. Familiarize yourself with the features and dimensions of your backyard before changing things up. 

Backyard Before Renovation

Consider the Conditions You Will Be Designing Around

No matter how involved the backyard design project that you’re undertaking is, you won’t be changing everything. If you already have a pool that you love or a large tree that’s not being removed, you’re going to want to work around these features. There are also elements that you can’t change even if you would like to, such as the climate and your yard’s size and shape.

Take note of anything permanent that will ultimately need to be incorporated into the final design.

Make Measurements of Your Outdoor Space

Measuring Tape

The size of your outdoor space may be one of the most important pieces of information you’ll need. Determining the dimensions that you have to work within will help inform the layout you create.

To figure out the size of your outdoor space, measure around the perimeter. You can use a measuring wheel to get the length and width by walking along your backyard fence. Then, use this measurement to make some decisions about your yard’s design. If you’ve got a big area to furnish, you can go all in on the shopping spree. You’ve got a lot of space, so you’ll need plenty of furniture to fill it all in. If space for your outdoor living area is a bit more limited, you’ll need to be more selective as you shop so your layout still has room for people to move around.

Measuring for In-Pool Furniture

Measuring the Ledge

If you have a swimming pool with a ledge, make sure that you take pool ledge measurements before you try to furnish this area. You can use a tape measure to get the length and width of this area. Compare with the product dimensions to determine the perfect fit.

Don’t forget to also check the water depth of your ledge. In order for in-pool products to work properly, they must be on a pool ledge of the right height. You don’t want your in pool chaise lounge floating away, after all. Take this measurement and compare it to a product’s recommended water depth range before placing an order. You can also add a chaise riser if your ledge is too deep for the chaise you want.

Plan Your Layout and Sketch Out Your Final Backyard Vision

Many people are very visually-oriented. You may find that you too benefit from having a visual reference to guide your backyard renovation plans. So, bring that vision you’ve got for your outdoor living space out of your head and into the world by first sketching it out.

Get out some grid paper or graph paper and incorporate the measurements you took into your sketched layout. You’ll be able to fully visualize the measurements, on a smaller scale, and see how everything fits together. With everything on paper, you’ll also have a useful resource for the next steps of the process.

Sketching Backyard Area

Make Your Orders of Materials and Products

Once you finally have your plan for your outdoor space put together, you’re ready to place some orders. Make sure to do your research before going shopping. You want to make sure you have the highest quality outdoor furniture.

If you choose the #LEDGELIFE, you can easily place an order right here on our website. Live in Houston, TX? Feel free to take a visit to our Katy showroom, where our sales team is ready to answer any questions you may have. Inside the showroom, you don’t have to use your imagination to plan your new backyard. Get to know the #LEDGELIFE by testing out seat heights, compare color swatches, and feeling the fabrics.

See the Plan Come to Life When Your Dream Backyard Becomes Reality

There are quite a few steps necessary to get from start to finish of a backyard design project. With a plan in place though, it’ll be easy to reach that dream backyard. Planning your design before you get into execution gives you something to follow so you make the most of your time as you go through each step of the process.

If you’d like more help along the way, our team of expert designers can give you a guiding hand. With an outdoor design professional by your side, this project can be completed in no time. Just get in touch to get started.

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