By Jeremy Ruben, Founder of LANDOVA · October 15, 2026
Bring a short account of how you want to use your yard, useful photos, the property information you already have and a list of questions. You do not need to arrive with the design solved. The first consultation should help organize your priorities, identify missing information and clarify a sensible next step.
Think of your preparation as a small packet someone else can understand. A single folder and a brief note are enough to begin; there is no required format. If an item is unavailable, label it missing so it becomes a question rather than an assumption.
Your quick preparation checklist
- Your three main goals for the yard and who will use it.
- A few labeled photos and the property records you already have.
- Inspiration images with a short note explaining what you like.
- Items to keep, possible future additions, budget questions and timing goals.
- The questions you want answered before deciding on the next step.
You do not need every item to request a consultation. If a survey, budget or decision is missing, bring the question. A short, honest starting point is more useful than delaying until you think the project is fully figured out.
1. A one-page household brief
Start with three everyday uses you want the yard to support. Add who will use the space, when you expect to be outside and what currently makes that difficult. Include the needs you want the designer to consider, such as easier movement, room for pets or a quieter place to sit.
Then separate the priorities you agree on from preferences that are still being discussed. “We want regular outdoor dinners; we disagree about whether a pool belongs in the first phase” is useful information. You do not have to settle every disagreement before the meeting.
UF/IFAS identifies the user’s needs and the site’s conditions as starting points for landscape design. Your brief supplies the personal part of that conversation. UF/IFAS, Basic Principles of Landscape Design
2. Property photos with a little context
Photograph the yard from several ordinary viewing points: the main door, each accessible side and the places you hope to use. Add closer views of features you want to keep or discuss. A brief note such as “view from the kitchen door” is often more helpful than a long file name.
Include observations you want investigated, such as a wet area after rain or an awkward route. Record when the photo was taken and what you noticed. Photograph only from places you can access safely; do not climb, enter equipment spaces or disturb anything to improve the packet.
Photos introduce the site. They do not verify dimensions, boundaries, hidden services or the cause of a condition. Ask what additional site information the proposed design scope needs.
3. Existing records, clearly identified
Bring any survey, site plan, prior drawings, relevant approvals or association information you already have. Retain the document date and identify where it came from. If you are unsure whether a record reflects current conditions, say so.
You are not expected to determine which documents are sufficient for every later purpose. Ask the designer what can support the first discussion and what needs updating or professional verification. Put missing records on the meeting’s question list instead of filling gaps with guessed measurements.
4. A few references with a reason attached
Choose a small set of inspiration images and explain what each contributes. Perhaps you like the open view across one patio, the simple material palette in another or the relationship between dining and cooking in a third. Include a reference you dislike if it helps explain your preference.
Keep the original source links for discussion. Use each image to explain a preference rather than treating the pictured design as a ready-made solution for your yard. The consultation can explore the qualities you like and how they relate to your own property.
5. The items and limits that shape the conversation
Include furniture dimensions or product links for pieces you want to keep. List existing features you hope to preserve and any future additions you want considered. Explain the level of ongoing upkeep you are comfortable taking on.
Share a working construction budget or range if you have one, and explain what you believe it covers. Keep questions about design fees separate. If the amount is undecided, say which priorities you would most want to protect as scope options are discussed. No budget number in a first meeting should be mistaken for a verified construction price.
Bring your preferred timing with its reason. A gathering, move or personal milestone helps explain the goal. Ask what information is needed before anyone can evaluate feasibility or commit to a schedule.
A simple example of a useful packet
Here is a fictional example, not a LANDOVA client story. A household brings a note that says: “We want outdoor dinners, space to relax and a yard we can maintain. Keep our current table. Consider a kitchen later.”
The folder includes labeled yard photos, the table’s dimensions, an existing survey with its date and three inspiration links. One note flags a wet area for review. Another says the household has not agreed on the first-phase budget.
That packet gives the meeting something concrete to work with. The designer can ask better follow-up questions without treating the missing answers as final decisions.
How the first conversation fits LANDOVA's process
The consultation is Stage 01 of LANDOVA's six-stage process. It gives us a chance to understand your goals and discuss the planning support your project needs. It does not require you to arrive with a finished layout, selected materials or contractor bids.
Site evaluation and scope definition come next. That stage develops the site information and project scope that guide the layout. Once the arrangement is approved, detailed design develops the appearance; estimating connects the chosen design to its budget and possible phases; controlled bidding supports clearer contractor proposals.
Your initial goals can guide all six stages. For example, knowing that a kitchen is a future addition lets us consider its relationship to the patio before detailed finishes become the focus. The first conversation should clarify the next service, its scope and fee, and what information is needed before proceeding.
Leave with a short recap
Before ending the consultation, confirm what the proposed next step includes, which information is still needed, who will obtain it and when the conversation should resume. Ask how design feedback, revisions and approvals will be handled within the engagement.
LANDOVA’s planning direction begins with layout, form, function and lifestyle before detailed finishes. Bring your household’s questions into that early conversation. The aim of preparation is a clearer brief and a useful next action—not a folder so perfect that you never get started.
