Residential Landscape Design

The landscape around a home has a significant influence on how the entire property feels.

It creates the approach to the house, frames views from inside, provides places to relax and entertain, establishes privacy and connects the architecture with its surroundings.

Good residential landscape design considers all of these elements together.

At Kirman Design, we provide professional residential landscape design throughout North West England, creating bespoke gardens and landscapes around contemporary homes, period properties, renovated houses and substantial private residences.

Our approach combines creative garden design with an understanding of landscape construction and planting, allowing the garden to be considered as part of the property rather than as a separate space beyond the house.

What Is Residential Landscape Design?

Residential landscape design is the planning and design of the external spaces around a private home.

It can include considerably more than choosing plants or deciding where to position a patio.

Depending upon the property, residential landscape design may consider:

• The relationship between house and garden

• Site layout

• Garden levels

• Terraces

• Paths and circulation

• Driveways and arrival

• Walls and retaining structures

• Drainage

• Trees

• Planting

• Lawns

• Privacy and screening

• Outdoor kitchens

• Pergolas and structures

• Water features

• Garden lighting

• Views into and out of the property

The objective is to create a coherent landscape in which these elements work together.

Residential Landscape Design vs Garden Design

The terms garden design and residential landscape design overlap considerably.

Garden design often places strong emphasis on how an individual garden looks, feels and functions.

Residential landscape design can take a slightly broader view of the property and its external environment.

On larger or more complex sites, this might include the relationship between different parts of the property, substantial changes in level, access, circulation, drainage and how the architecture sits within the landscape.

At Kirman Design, we don't draw an artificial line between the two.

Our bespoke garden design considers both the aesthetic character of the garden and the practical landscape structure required to create it.

Designing the Landscape Around the House

The house is usually the most important architectural element within a residential landscape.

The garden should respond to it.

That doesn't mean copying the architecture literally.

Instead, we consider:

• Building proportions

• Materials

• Door positions

• Window positions

• Important views

• Internal rooms

• Floor levels

• Architectural style

The landscape can then complement the property while developing its own identity.

Connecting the House and Garden

The transition between interior and exterior is one of the most important areas within residential landscape design.

A terrace immediately outside the house may connect with a kitchen, dining room or living space.

Its dimensions should relate to how the area will actually be used.

External levels, steps and drainage need to be resolved.

Planting can soften the boundary between architecture and landscape.

Where appropriate, level access from house to garden can create an even stronger physical and visual connection.

Designing Views From Inside the Property

A residential landscape isn't only experienced when you are outside.

The garden is also viewed through windows and doors every day.

We therefore consider important internal viewpoints when developing the landscape.

A specimen tree might frame a view from the kitchen.

A water feature could terminate a sightline from a hallway.

Planting may be positioned outside a living-room window to provide year-round interest.

This approach allows the garden to become part of the experience of the house itself.

Landscape Design for Contemporary Homes

Contemporary architecture often creates a strong relationship with the surrounding landscape.

Large areas of glazing make the garden particularly visible.

Clean architectural lines can be continued into terraces, walls and paths before being softened by planting.

Our contemporary garden design combines structure with generous planting to create landscapes that feel modern without becoming stark.

The strongest contemporary landscapes often rely upon restraint in the material palette combined with richness in the planting.

Residential Landscape Design for Period Properties

Victorian, Edwardian and other period homes require a different response.

The landscape needs to respect the scale and character of the building without necessarily attempting to recreate a historical garden.

Our garden design for period properties can incorporate modern outdoor living, contemporary planting and high-quality landscaping while maintaining an appropriate relationship with the house.

Old architecture and contemporary landscape design can work extremely well together when the contrast is deliberate.

Landscape Design for Renovated Homes

A major renovation can completely alter the relationship between house and garden.

New rooms, windows and doors may create viewpoints that didn't previously exist.

The principal route into the garden may move.

Existing terraces can become redundant.

Our garden design for renovated properties considers how the external landscape can complete the wider transformation of the home.

Rather than simply repairing the garden after construction, the landscape can be reconsidered around the property that now exists.

Landscape Design for New Extensions

Extensions frequently create opportunities to improve the relationship between architecture and landscape.

Our garden design for new extensions can consider external levels, terraces, drainage and views around the proposed building.

Ideally, landscape design begins before every architectural decision is fixed.

This provides opportunities to coordinate internal and external levels and think about the view beyond the new glazing while changes may still be possible.

Landscaping After Building Work

Residential construction can be extremely disruptive to gardens.

Compacted soil, damaged lawns, temporary access routes, excavated material and changes to drainage can all need attention.

Our landscaping after building work addresses these underlying conditions before the finished landscape is installed.

A major construction project can therefore become an opportunity to create a completely new landscape rather than simply restore the old garden.

Designing Large Residential Landscapes

Large properties require careful control of scale.

A terrace that would feel generous in an average garden can look insignificant against a substantial house and wider landscape.

Our garden design for large gardens considers:

• Scale

• Proportion

• Sightlines

• Garden rooms

• Circulation

• Tree planting

• Long-term maintenance

• Relationship with the surrounding landscape

Large gardens don't necessarily require intensive landscaping across the entire site.

More detailed spaces can be concentrated around the house while the landscape becomes simpler further away.

Creating Structure in the Landscape

Successful residential landscapes have an underlying structure.

This might be created by:

• Walls

• Hedges

• Trees

• Paths

• Terraces

• Changes in level

• Planting masses

• Lawns

• Structures

Without this framework, even attractive individual elements can feel unrelated.

The design establishes the hierarchy between different spaces and determines how they connect.

Designing Garden Levels

Levels are both a practical and creative part of landscape design.

On relatively flat sites, subtle level changes can help define different spaces.

On steep sites, the management of levels can become fundamental to the design.

Terraces, retaining walls and steps can transform difficult ground into usable landscape.

The objective isn't necessarily to eliminate every slope.

Instead, the topography can become part of the character of the garden.

Landscape Construction

A landscape design eventually needs to become a physical garden.

Our landscape construction considers how the designed levels, surfaces, walls and structures will actually be built.

This may involve:

• Excavation

• Groundworks

• Drainage

• Foundations

• Paving

• Retaining structures

• Walls

• Steps

• Service routes

• Soil preparation

Understanding construction helps ensure that the design is grounded in the practical realities of the site.

Garden Drainage

Water management is a fundamental landscape consideration.

New paving, changes in level and extensions can all influence how rainwater moves across a property.

This is particularly relevant in North West England.

Our garden drainage solutions consider levels, ground conditions and surface water before the finished landscape is installed.

Drainage infrastructure should support the design quietly rather than becoming something homeowners need to think about every time it rains.

Terraces and Paving

Terraces provide some of the most intensively used areas within a residential landscape.

Our approach to garden paving begins with how the space needs to function.

A dining terrace needs sufficient room for people to move comfortably around furniture.

A lounge terrace may require a different scale and relationship with planting.

Paths and paving can then connect these spaces while reinforcing the geometry of the overall design.

Circulation Through the Landscape

How people move through a garden affects how they experience it.

Some routes should be direct.

Others can deliberately slow movement and encourage exploration.

In larger gardens, paths can connect a sequence of destinations.

A route might lead from the house through planting to a secondary seating area before continuing towards an orchard, meadow or other part of the landscape.

Circulation is therefore both practical and experiential.

Planting Design

Planting provides much of the character of a residential landscape.

Our planting design considers form, texture, colour, movement and seasonal change.

Planting may include:

• Trees

• Hedging

• Structural shrubs

• Evergreen plants

• Herbaceous perennials

• Ornamental grasses

• Climbers

• Ground cover

• Bulbs

Plant choice also responds to soil, light, exposure and the level of maintenance appropriate for the property.

Specimen Trees

Trees are among the most powerful elements within residential landscape design.

They create vertical structure and help balance the scale of buildings.

They can also:

• Frame views

• Provide privacy

• Create shade

• Introduce seasonal interest

• Screen neighbouring properties

• Connect the garden with the wider landscape

Where appropriate, larger specimen trees can introduce a degree of immediate maturity into a newly landscaped garden.

Privacy and Screening

Residential gardens often need to balance openness with privacy.

Our garden screening ideas focus on the specific sightlines that need to be managed.

Trees, hedging, layered planting and structures can all contribute.

Screening within the garden itself can sometimes be considerably more effective than simply increasing the height of the boundary.

Outdoor Living

Modern residential landscapes increasingly function as external living spaces.

This can include:

• Outdoor dining

• Lounge seating

• Outdoor kitchens

• Fire features

• Pergolas

• Garden rooms

• Water features

These spaces work best when they are integrated into the landscape.

Planting should surround and soften them.

Routes should connect them naturally.

Views should be considered from both inside and outside the house.

Outdoor Kitchens

An outdoor kitchen can become an important entertaining space within a residential garden.

Its position should respond to the internal kitchen, dining areas and circulation.

Services also need consideration.

Incorporating the outdoor kitchen during the landscape design allows infrastructure to be installed before the surrounding paving and planting are completed.

Pergolas and Structures

A garden pergola can introduce architectural height and define an outdoor room.

It can also provide a framework for climbing plants and create a greater sense of enclosure around seating or dining.

Structures need to be appropriately scaled.

A pergola that works beautifully in a compact garden might appear insignificant within a large residential landscape.

Water in Residential Landscapes

Water can introduce movement, reflection and sound.

A feature may be deliberately architectural or integrated more naturally within planting.

Position is particularly important.

A water feature aligned with an important window can provide interest from inside the property throughout the year.

Its relationship with surrounding paving, planting and lighting should therefore be considered from the beginning.

Residential Garden Lighting

Lighting changes how a landscape is experienced after dark.

Our garden lighting can reveal selected elements of the landscape while allowing other areas to remain darker.

Trees, textured walls, planting, steps and water can all become part of the night-time composition.

For houses with substantial glazing, this can be particularly effective because the garden remains visually connected with the interior during the evening.

Low-Maintenance Residential Landscape Design

Low maintenance doesn't have to mean removing planting and replacing the garden with hard surfaces.

In fact, excessive paving can introduce its own cleaning and maintenance requirements.

A lower-maintenance landscape can instead rely upon:

• Strong structural planting

• Appropriate plant selection

• Larger planting groups

• Trees

• Hedging

• Ground-cover planting

• Well-designed lawns

• Simplified material palettes

The design should reflect the amount of time the homeowner realistically wants to devote to the garden.

Designing for Wildlife

Residential landscapes can also provide valuable habitat.

Trees, hedges, flowering plants and water can support birds, insects and other wildlife.

This doesn't mean the garden has to appear wild.

Ecological value can be incorporated into contemporary, formal and traditional landscapes.

In larger gardens, meadow planting, native hedging and less intensively managed areas can create particularly valuable opportunities.

Residential Landscape Design and Build

Design and construction need to work together.

Our complete garden design and build service combines the creative and practical parts of the process.

The landscape can be designed with an understanding of how it will be constructed.

Construction decisions can then be made within the context of the original design.

Planting completes the landscape rather than becoming an unrelated final stage.

Garden Designer and Landscaper

For homeowners seeking one company to take responsibility for both the creative design and physical landscape, our garden designer and landscaper service provides continuity throughout the project.

This can be particularly valuable on substantial residential schemes involving multiple materials, levels, structures and planting.

How Much Does Residential Landscape Design Cost?

The cost of professional landscape design depends upon the size and complexity of the property.

A compact garden requiring a relatively straightforward layout is very different from a substantial residential landscape involving multiple terraces, significant changes in level, structures and detailed planting.

Our guide to how much garden design costs provides more information about the factors affecting professional design fees.

The cost of construction is separate and depends upon what the finished design contains.

How Much Does Residential Landscaping Cost?

Construction costs can be influenced by:

• Garden size

• Access

• Ground conditions

• Excavation

• Drainage

• Changes in level

• Paving

• Retaining structures

• Walls

• Steps

• Outdoor kitchens

• Pergolas

• Water features

• Lighting

• Planting

• Specimen trees

A developed landscape design provides a much stronger basis for understanding these requirements than attempting to establish an accurate project cost before the garden has been planned.

Can Residential Landscaping Be Phased?

Yes.

Phased construction can be appropriate for substantial properties.

However, the complete landscape should ideally be designed first.

A masterplan can anticipate future drainage, services, access and construction requirements.

This prevents later stages from unnecessarily disturbing areas that have already been completed.

Residential Landscape Design Across North West England

Kirman Design provides residential landscape design throughout North West England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas.

Our projects include contemporary houses, period properties, renovated homes and substantial private gardens.

Regional conditions form an important part of our design approach.

Rainfall, soil type, drainage, exposure and the surrounding landscape can all influence how a garden should be designed, built and planted.

A successful residential landscape should belong not only to the house but also to its location.

Why Choose Kirman Design for Residential Landscape Design?

Residential landscape design sits between architecture, horticulture and construction.

The garden needs to look beautiful.

But it also needs to function.

Levels must work.

Water needs somewhere to go.

Materials need to be appropriate.

Plants need to suit their conditions.

Trees need enough space to develop.

And all of these elements need to come together around the people who will actually use the garden.

Kirman Design combines garden design, landscape construction and planting to consider these elements as parts of one landscape.

From the architecture of the house to the smallest planting detail, the objective is to create an outside space that feels considered, coherent and appropriate to the property.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is residential landscape design?

Residential landscape design is the professional planning and design of the external spaces around a private home. It can include layout, levels, paving, planting, trees, drainage, structures, lighting and outdoor living areas.

Is residential landscape design the same as garden design?

The terms overlap significantly. Residential landscape design can imply a broader whole-property approach, particularly where architecture, levels, construction and substantial external spaces are involved.

Can you design the landscape around a new house?

Yes. Ideally, landscape design can begin while architectural decisions are still being developed so that levels, views and the relationship between house and garden can be coordinated.

Do you design landscapes around renovated properties?

Yes. We design gardens and landscapes around renovated properties and extensions, including sites where building work has significantly affected the existing garden.

Can you provide the landscaping as well as the design?

Yes. Kirman Design provides garden design, landscape construction and planting, allowing us to take projects from the initial design through to the completed landscape.

Do you design large residential gardens?

Yes. We undertake landscape design for substantial private gardens where scale, circulation, views and different areas of the landscape need to be considered together.

Can existing trees be incorporated into the design?

Yes. Healthy mature trees and other valuable existing landscape features can provide important structure and maturity within a new design.

Can residential landscape design include outdoor kitchens and lighting?

Yes. Outdoor kitchens, pergolas, water features, lighting and other garden features can all be integrated into the wider landscape design.

Can the landscaping be completed in stages?

Potentially. A masterplan can establish the complete landscape while allowing construction to be divided into appropriate phases.

Where do you provide residential landscape design?

Kirman Design provides residential landscape design throughout North West England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas.

Create a Landscape That Belongs to Your Home

The most successful residential landscapes don't feel like gardens that have simply been placed behind houses.

The architecture and landscape work together.

Views are considered.

Routes feel natural.

Terraces are correctly proportioned.

Planting softens the structure.

Trees provide scale.

And the garden changes the way the entire property is experienced.

If you are considering a residential landscape design project in North West England, contact Kirman Design to discuss creating a landscape that works with your home, your surroundings and the way you want to live.