As we well know at Pornchai Garden, it is far easier (and less expensive) to make mistakes on paper before you begin to build your new garden.
You don't have to be a professional artist to sketch a garden, and you only need a few simple tools to complete this process.
If you garden happens to be large, start by pacing the length and dividing it into sections. Your measurements can be fairly rough, but try to be as accurate as possible.
All the main features should be measured, such as any paths, buildings, fences, garages, ponds etc.
There is no need to draw or measure any part of the garden you plan to remove.
Obviously some gardens are easier to measure, rectangular gardens for instance, but for more complicated gardens, it is best to try to 'box' things in your plan, you can use a piece of string and measure at right angles from the nearest straight edge to do this.
Essential items you will need for measuring your existing garden:
• Tape measure. The larger the garden, the larger the measure you will require. The easiest tapes measures for larger gardens are the 100ft fabric tape measures. The metallic ones are tricky over long distances.
• A clip board, with paper. Preferably graph paper, so you can scale your drawing appropriately.
• Pegs are very handy so you can mark out tricky and hard to measure positions.
• A ball of string is also desirable if you want help to measure awkward features (use with the pegs!)
• A sharp pencil and a rubber eraser.