Joe's design made easy - measure up

Follow these steps to give you the foundation to create your ideal design.

Equipment needed:

• Small tape measure

• Extra long tape measure

• Sketch pad

• Pencil

• If you're measuring on your own, then a peg is needed to hold the tape in place

What to do:

• Start by drawing a rough sketch of the outline of house, focussing on the side which is relevant to the garden. Use a large piece of paperso you don't run out of room.

• Draw the boundaries of the garden and plot all permanent features, paths, patios, ponds, etc. Then mark on all existing shrubs and trees and try to identify and label as you go. We can now start to plot the measurements.

• You can now start by measuring the house. Don't forget to plot all the doors and windows; you will be viewing the garden from these positions so they are vital.

• Next take a running measurement from the house to the boundary. Ensuring the tape measure is running at a right angle from the house. Plot your measurements on the paper and do the same for the width.

• Start plotting the rest by taking measurements from the house and gradually work across the garden.

• For the trickier measurements like plotting the curve on a border, lay a tape measure along the length. Using a second tape measure, every meter or so along the line, take a measurement from the boundary to the end of the border. Ensure this is at a right angle. Repeat this along the entire length and this will enable you to plot an accurate curve on your plan.

• Plot the rest using these methods and you have all the dimensions to draw up a plan.