Garden Design Fees and Construction Costs
One of the first questions I’m asked is ‘How much will the garden cost?’ The final cost of construction and planting depends on many things such as size of the garden, areas of hard landscaping vs soft landscaping, how complicated the build work is, whether it includes raised beds, lighting etc. At the initial consultation stage we can discuss potential costs, though its not until the design has been thought through that the work can be estimated accurately by a landscaper.
Garden design fees are also dependent on the size and complexity of the garden; after I have seen the site, and discussed your requirements, I will be able to provide a fixed price for a design. As a rough guide:
A design for a small garden will start from £500
A planting plan will start from £200 depending on the size of the area to be planted
There is no charge for initial consultations within 15 miles of my design office
An hourly rate is charged for consultancy, project management of contractors, planting, maintenance and significant redraws after the garden layout plan has been agreed,
I’m sometimes asked why design is not included in the price of construction or why its not done for free? Although I work closely with landscapers, we have different skill sets - their expertise is in paving, foundations, constuction etc. and mine is in design and planting. Some landscape design/ build companies claim designs are done for free, but as a design for a small garden takes around 12-15 hours, the costs are in there somewhere, even if not shown explicitly. If designs are done for free, they may not have invested time to train in professional garden design, and may not think about the best design for you.