Editor’s Note: In our “Anatomy of a Lafayette CA Remodel” blog post series, Kelly and Ned Wood are sharing lessons learned as they transform a newly purchased fixer-upper into their family home. This is the fourth article in the series. If you are new to the series and want to know more about it, start by clicking here.

The Wood family remodel has turned a corner and is now moving at a feverish push towards move-in ready. Already, wallboard is up and doors are in. The kitchen cabinets are in place, and so are the new windows.

Today, the front yard looks like a parking lot. Workers are everywhere – laying flooring, installing the range, and placing tile. In the garage, an outside contractor is checking measurements and surveying electrical outlet options for the new garage door.

Kelly and Ned Wood are in the backyard with their Landscape Architect Cris Schatz Franklin.

Cris, a Lafayette resident, has an impressive project portfolio that spans the globe and includes luxury estates, wineries and resorts, including the Calistoga Ranch.

Luckily, Cris is a Wood family friend. They’ve struck a barter arrangement, trading Kelly’s photography services for the design work. At first, Kelly just asked for help with the driveway design because she knew they’d be phasing in any landscape work over several years.

That’s a common – and often costly – error.

“The biggest mistake people make is that they think because they’re phasing (the project) in, they only have to worry about the first phase first,” says Cris. “Then they get to the next phase and everything they did has to be ripped out because what they want doesn’t go at all with Phase I.”

Phase I work typically includes functional things, like putting in a driveway or creating a retaining wall. These can be costly to change later. It’s better, says Cris, to think ahead to a final vision for the space, and then work towards implementing that plan at whatever pace works for your calendar and budget.

Here’s how to get started:

Pick a Style. Cohesiveness matters.

“The first thing to do is decide a style,” says Cris. “You don’t decide twenty styles.”

That single style doesn’t have to be pre-defined. For example, you can “assemble” one out of two styles to create a unique third, says Cris. The important thing is that you understand what that style means and how it will inform design choices.

The Woods’ newly renovated property? It’s a clean and fresh “modern farm.”

If you’re not sure what your style is, start by looking for images you like in magazines or online.

Create Scenarios for How You Might Use the Outdoor Space

Instead of thinking about what things you want to buy, re-purpose or plant, think about how you’ll use the space itself. To do that, engage your imagination.

“I ask (clients) to think about their life and how they want to live outside,” says Cris. “Just sit and think about some great scenarios – how it would be to be outside, if I was having friends over, if I was by myself, if I was with my family.”

For the Woods, who have four children, scenarios involve family and friend entertaining, as well as playing, gardening, and even gathering eggs from the chickens. In addition, the property has to support the family’s cattle business, including unobstructed access to park the big cattle trailer.

Start Work with a Complete Picture

As complicated as it may seem to solve all property use needs with one design, imagine how hard it would be to focus on only one at a time – and get the overall design right.

No wonder Cris was so adamant when Kelly first approached her about the design work.

““I can’t just give you the hardscape,” Cris had told Kelly. “It has to be the whole thing.”

Long term, this will save the Woods’ money, time, and avoidable design compromise.

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Articles in the Anatomy of a Remodel Series:
Anatomy of a Lafayette Remodel: Matching Home to Budget, Lifestyle & Business Needs (Remodel Series #1)
Flooring Design Assumptions versus Concrete Realities (Remodel Series #2)
Taking Something Out to Let Light In (Remodel Series #3)
Landscape Design: Think Ahead Even If You’re Implementing in Phases (Remodel Series #4)