To prepare a landscape design brief, gather information about how you use the property, what you want to keep or change, and which outcomes matter most. Add labeled photos, observed concerns, spending constraints and questions you cannot yet answer. The goal is to explain your needs clearly—not to arrive with a finished design.

A document or notebook is enough. Keep uncertainties visible rather than filling them with guesses, and use the checklist below as an optional discussion aid.

What a landscape design brief does—and does not do

A brief describes the problem you want to solve and the conditions a proposed design should address. It gives your goals, preferences and constraints a shared reference point. It is not a planting plan, property survey, drainage assessment or installation sequence.

Focus on desired outcomes before committing to particular features or materials. Explain what should become easier, more comfortable or more useful. If you already have a feature in mind, include why you want it and whether you are open to another way of meeting that need.

Describe who uses the space and how

Start with everyday use, not appearance alone. Record who uses the outdoor space, the activities it needs to accommodate and the routes people rely on. Include current uses that should continue as well as uses the property does not yet support.

• Users and activities: Note household members, visitors, pets or other users, along with the activities that matter to them.
• Movement and access: Identify entrances, gates, storage areas and routes that need to remain usable. Describe mobility or access needs you want considered.
• Comfort and privacy: Identify where you want more privacy, which views you value and where outdoor use feels uncomfortable.
• Upkeep expectations: Describe the maintenance tasks you are willing to handle and those you would prefer to avoid or arrange separately.

If needs conflict, record the conflict rather than forcing a solution into the brief. Knowing which activities need separate space or which users have different preferences gives the discussion a concrete decision to address.

Record what should stay, change or be assessed

Walk through the areas under consideration and group existing features under retain, change and discuss. Include plants, lawn, beds, paths, seating areas, fences and other visible features relevant to your goals. Explain the reason behind each label; a feature may matter because of its use, appearance or personal significance.

Use discuss when you are uncertain about condition or suitability. Wanting to retain a tree, wall or paved area is a preference to communicate, not confirmation that it can remain unchanged.

Make photos and sketches easy to interpret

Gather wide views that show how areas connect, then closer views of features or concerns you want to discuss. Label each image with its location, viewing direction and relevant note. Match those labels to a simple owner sketch showing the building, entrances and existing features.

The sketch does not need to be drawn to scale. Label approximate dimensions as approximate, and leave unknown boundaries or utility locations unconfirmed. If you have existing property documents, identify what they are rather than treating your sketch as a substitute.

Note Owner photos, sketches and notes are discussion aids. They do not establish property boundaries, underground conditions, structural safety or technical feasibility.

Separate observations from assumptions

Describe concerns in terms of what you have actually noticed: where water collects, where surfaces appear uneven, where plants struggle or where a route is difficult to use. Include the circumstances under which you notice the issue and any relevant photos you already have.

Keep suspected causes in a separate assumptions or questions section. An observed wet area does not establish a soil problem, and a visible crack does not establish a structural diagnosis. You can identify what needs attention without prescribing a remedy.

For each concern, record its location, what you observed, how it affects use and what you want assessed. If you do not know the cause or extent, say so.

Separate essential outcomes from preferences

Give the brief a clear priority order. Essential outcomes are the needs the project must address to be worthwhile. Preferences are choices you would like considered but could reconsider. Open questions are matters that depend on assessment or further discussion.

For inspiration images, explain what you like: the sense of enclosure, planting appearance, surface texture or relationship between spaces. Also note anything you dislike. An image communicates a preference; it does not confirm that the pictured layout or materials suit your property.

Include your spending limit or range if you have established it, and clarify what you intend it to cover. If the budget is unresolved, state that openly and identify which scope decisions need clarification. Do not use the brief to estimate project prices from inspiration photos.

Identify decision-makers and timing preferences

Record who will provide input, who can approve changes and whether those people agree on the essentials. Keep unresolved disagreements visible. Include timing preferences and any events or access restrictions that could affect the discussion, without treating a preferred schedule as confirmed availability.

If you are considering work in separate phases, flag that intention without deciding the construction order. For questions about how parts of a project depend on each other, see the landscape project phasing guide. The brief should capture your constraints; technical assessment should inform sequencing.

Reusable landscape design brief checklist

Copy these prompts into your document and fill in what you know. Mark unanswered items as open questions rather than guessing.

• Property and scope: Property location, areas under consideration and areas outside the proposed scope.
• Purpose: What should become more useful, comfortable or practical, and why the change matters.
• Users and activities: Who uses the space, activities to accommodate and access needs to discuss.
• Existing features: What to retain, change or assess, with reasons and matching photo labels.
• Observed concerns: Location, visible condition, circumstances and effect on property use.
• Priorities: Essential outcomes in priority order, flexible preferences and unresolved tradeoffs.
• Appearance and upkeep: Annotated inspiration images, dislikes and maintenance expectations.
• Spending constraints: Established limit or range, intended coverage and budget questions.
• Decisions and timing: People providing input, approval responsibility, preferred timing and access restrictions.
• Supporting material and questions: Labeled photos, owner sketch, available property documents and matters requiring assessment.

Bring the brief to a discussion with MAS Landscaping

MAS Landscaping and Snow Removal is based in Saugus, MA, and offers landscape design and installation services. Your brief can help you explain your goals while leaving site suitability, technical assessment and project sequencing for the appropriate next step.

This is optional preparation, not a required MAS form. When you are ready, contact MAS Landscaping to discuss your property and ask what supporting information would be useful. You do not need to resolve every question before starting the conversation.