Step (3/9): Analysis

       At this point, the designer will put down a fresh piece of tracing paper on top of the base plan and start to mark off problems and solutions. If there are any existing problems or property issues that will affect your emerging design concept, now is the time to focus on them—and design around them. For example, if the neighbors have a shed you’d like to shield, you can try out different arrangements (fencing, walls, vine-covered lattice or even trees and shrubs) on the tracing paper. They’ll hide the shed—and create a vertical element in your yard.
        Plotting your site is actually the first formulation of the design because it will reveal project boundaries and limitations. By laying possible designs (in tracing paper) over the existing base plan, it will be clear whether the property can accommodate the number of separate spaces (i.e., patio, gazebo, pool) you’d like to create, what size each space must be to serve its purpose and where the best sites are for each space. If you’ve done your inventory well, your base plan will allow you to assess whether the sites have good or bad views, whether they are private or exposed and other important considerations. Consequently, in this stage of design, you’ll be able to develop effective individual solutions and designs that take maximum advantage of these issues. If these concerns are not clearly represented on the base plan, it becomes difficult to do a comprehensive analysis.