How much will it cost, and when do I pay?
Garden Consultation and Advice
Quite reasonably, you will want to know what sort of expenditure might be involved in employing a garden landscape designer, but this depends on what you require. I cannot give you a quotation over the telephone, I will need to meet with you to discuss your needs and take in a visit of the garden. The final cost of the garden itself will vary depending on size, style, the proportion of hard landscaping versus soft landscaping, and the complexity of the site.
Having said that, below I have listed some outlines of what you might expect to pay:
An initial garden consultation involves spending up to 2 or more hours with you the client in order to get an understanding of what your ideal garden will look like, visiting the garden site, taking some preliminary photos and measurements, coming up with a preliminary rough drawing of a garden idea/design. Following the initial consultation, I will produce a written report with advice on how to proceed based on our discussion. Depending on the nature of the garden and the intended projects, this could include any of a wide range of services and solutions. The fee for the initial consultation is $250.00
* $125.00 of the fee for the initial consultation is payable at the conclusion of this initial meeting with the balance owing when you receive the written report.
Full Design Service
If you commission a design, my charges are for producing a Full Design Plan package which includes detailed design drawings. This would include: Outline/Concept drawing(s) consisting of 2 and 3 drawings including elevations and/or perspectives, Planting Plan (showing placement of trees, shrubs, plants), Planting Schedule (noting sizes and quantities) and a Landscape Maintenance Plan (fertilizing, watering, pruning, general plant care and maintenance). Every project is different so it is difficult to be precise. Full Design Plan packages start in the region of $550-$750 for a small to medium sized garden. A typical suburban back garden can take a little longer to produce a finished plan - so that's in the region of $750 - $950. Obviously, the larger the garden, the more complicated the site, (perhaps one with many grade changes) the longer it will take to arrive at a final plan. You will receive a written estimate to guide you.
Note: These prices are for the drawings alone and do not include any physical labour to construct landscape features or plant garden beds.
For small to medium sized projects with small to medium sized plantings, I can arrange for the gardens to be planted for an additional cost, to be quoted upon request. Please refer to the section on Contract Management and Planting Services to find out about hiring a contractor to complete the landscape/garden design.
* 50% of the Design Work fee is payable at the time of commission, with the balance due upon immediate receipt of the Full Design Plan package.
Contract Management and Planting Services
- the building and planting of the garden -
Once you receive your Full Design Plan you will have all you need to head to your local garden centre and purchase the materials you need to start working on your project yourself. If this is not something you see yourself doing, I can handle this step for you if it is a small to medium sized project. This would be at an additional cost over and above the Full Design Plan package. Fees will be calculated at $70/hr. For larger scale landscape/garden designs it may be necessary to hire a contractor. I can recommend some local contractors that you may request quotes from directly. If you prefer to hire a contractor to do all the heavy lifting I can still be available to supervise the placement of the plants - its really up to you and what you feel most comfortable with. You would be responsible for any and all negotiations with the contractor.
* Sundry costs such as site surveys, soil testing, printing of plans, schedules and reference photographs may be subject to additional costs.
*All fees quoted on this page are approximate and are subject to change depending on the size and scope of the project.