Scoring your plan:

Overall:
If these three areas – public, service, and private – are closely knit with their counterparts inside the house and if there is no crossing through one outside area to get to one of the others within, then the layout is on its way to being a good plan. If a rough sketch plan of your property shows this co-ordination between inside and out, you can give it an area rating of 30, as in A-2 and B-2. If public and private areas are correctly related, as in B-1, it gets a rating of 20. But if only the public areas are properly linked, as in A-1, then it deserves only 10.

Among the features that all houses have in common are drives, garages, entrance walkways, and porches or terraces. As a further step in your properties design analysis, these too, can be subjected to a test and a system of rating or scoring.

Driveways:
For the best results, the driveway should enter the property at right angles to the street and swing toward the house; be as inconspicuous as possible; be direct and occupy only as much space as necessary, and give direct access to the house entrance. It should also enter on the service or kitchen side of the property, where deliveries are made. If it does all these things, it can be credited on the general score card with 15 points. But if it is not direct (see A-1) or does not enter on the service side (B-1) a deduction should be made.

Paths:
Too many paths and walks meander harmlessly but aimlessly over properties. A walk should be unobstructed and quietly efficient in leading users to their destination. It should exist only if absolutely needed. Sometimes the drive and the path to the front door can be combined, but only if the drive is surfaced with easy-to-walk-on material. A perfect score here gets 10. If the walk wanders, or unnecessarily bisects the front lawn (A-1 and B-1), or misses the main line of travel, it should be marked way down, perhaps 0.

Garages:
Often our houses today have garages that are attached and a part of the house but, in many cases, the garage is a separate building. To be most useful, and economical, it should stand close to the house, not on the rear property line. Generally, it should be part of the service area, as in A2 and B-2. Allow 15 points for perfection in the placing of the garage.

Doors:
Homes today are required to have both a front and rear door, some have perhaps several including a garden door into its respective outside areas. Here, again, a perfect score is 15. If the front or the kitchen exit must be used to reach the garden, deduct 5 points. Sometimes you can improve this by converting a dining or living room window into a door and frequently, the possibilities of such a change are often not fully realized until the change is made.

Windows:
The principle of a large or picture window making striking views possible, offers an idea that could well be used in more houses to permit the garden, itself, to be seen, enjoyed, and made a part of the indoor life. Five points can be allowed for success in this direction.

Porches, terraces and decks:
Older houses were sometimes built with porches and verandas on all sides to take advantage of breezes from all directions. Porches, terraces and Decks are still essential to our comfort today. The degree to which this is true may vary by region and which a person chooses to use in their yard, is determined by preference and the style of their house and the layout of their yard. They should however connect the indoor and outdoor private areas and be an integral part of each.
Whether it is a screened porch or an open terrace, this feature should command a view of the outdoor living space and any outstanding vista or landscape. It should be reached from the living part of the house. Ten points are allowed for this feature.
A porch on the front of the house only, falls short of our needs today. While one off the kitchen often meets our needs especially if it has an outlook to our private area. These porches, terraces and decks are also used for informal meals and places for relaxing. Allow 10 points for a perfect terrace, 5 can be given for one of the type just mentioned.

A perfect garden design score can be set at 100, even though it is rarely attained. The weaknesses of any plan become visible, and details that can be improved are quickly spotted, when this comparative method is used. Even the roughest of sketches, like the ones above, are sufficient for such a study.

Next time we will talk about the second part of a good design which consists of selecting plants, trees and shrubs to gain desired effects, and making certain that they are used for a purpose.

Continually developing “Ideas for Outdoor Living”

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