If you want to try landscaping your outdoor living area yourself, you might follow this general procedure.

First, make a scale drawing of your property. You should use a 1/4 inch equals one foot scale representation. Indicate the house, garage, driveway, walks, existing trees, shrubs and all existing features on your plot plan. You may already have a drawing, such as the mortgage survey or the property outlined with the house plans. Make extra copies for practice sheets.

Examine the needs and activities of your family, and pick those most important to you. Decide on the general character of what you want. Then imagine the details to help you reach your goal, while keeping the cost in mind.

When you begin to design your patio, deck or terrace, you should try it in different locations with different shapes. Roughly sketch in the larger units, such as the storage area, the dining and cooking areas, etc. Review each of them critically.

Crucial to your choice of either patio, terrace or deck is the shape of your land. Physical structures on your land, the large trees, the shape of your house and many other things will affect where you want to locate your outdoor living area.

If your house is built on a bank or a hillside, the natural choice of outdoor rooms is the deck. High off the ground, but level with the house floor, it can become an excellent living area. Decks built from durable products such as treated pine, redwood, cypress and cedar give a rustic appearance to a house.

Next, refine the shapes and think of the size and shapes for each smaller part within the total design. Remember that in formal and informal areas, curves and right angles can give consistency to a total design.

Thoughtfully consider the details, for instance the kinds of enclosures, the types of ground surfaces, the location and character of the trees and shrubs.

Check the plan carefully, as a whole and each part separately, to insure it provides for your family's uses and activities. Make sure it has a spirit or atmosphere that fits yours and your family's life style.

Set up a long term plan, if you can't afford to develop it all at once. Patio surfaces, overhead protection, fences and major trees should take a top priority. Permanent background planting, lawns, and expensive plants can wait.

Curt Peterson, Ph.D. is a landscape designer and garden specialist from Union Springs. He can be reached at curt.peters@hotmail.com