The courtyard brief.
A smaller outdoor room, considered from the route to the planting.
View image - Project type
- Illustrative design & build brief
- Space
- Small residential courtyard concept
- Priorities
- Movement, seating, manageable planting
- Status
- Demonstration only; not built
The starting question.
How could a small outdoor space become somewhere to use, rather than only pass through? This sample brief imagines a simple connection between the house, a place to sit and a planted edge.
A route that makes sense.
The first design discussion would establish the necessary access, the areas to keep clear and the relationship to doors and boundaries. Actual levels, surfaces and drainage need site-specific assessment.
Space to pause.
A seating area should be considered alongside movement and planting. The brief asks how many people use the space, when they use it and what they want to see from the house.
A restrained material direction.
The visual reference suggests a limited palette of stone, gravel and green planting. Those are cues for discussion, not the specification of this fictional project. Suitability, installation and maintenance would need to be confirmed.
Planting kept within reach.
The planting brief would consider the conditions, desired character and ongoing care. A local professional must decide appropriate species, quantities and establishment needs; none are prescribed here.
Handover is part of the brief.
- Record the agreed materials, relevant product information and work areas.
- Explain the responsibilities for establishment and routine care.
- Identify what is excluded and how follow-up questions are handled.
- Keep photographs and project facts accurate when replacing this sample.
No client, location, cost, completion date or measured dimensions are claimed. The image does not document the fictional brief.
Tell us about your patch.
What would you like the garden to do differently?