Beautiful & functional landscapes to suit your lifestyle
Garden Design Costs
We are often asked, “how much does a garden design cost?” The answer depends on the complexity of the existing plot, linked with the intricacy of the design and range and type of features to be included in the design. Our garden design fees are not based on your budget nor the size of your garden, but upon the amount of time that we judge it will take us to produce the garden design plans and drawings required to fulfil your design brief. On average, fees for a full set of garden redesign plans, drawings and specifications may come to between 8-15% of the amount you will spend on building the garden itself (see last paragraph below).
So that you only pay for the drawings and plans you require at that particular moment in the design process, we break our design process into several stages and quote for each stage as an individual contract as follows:
Discovery - initial phone consultation - FREE
Initial Garden Consultation - 1 1/2 - 2 hours - £150
Commission stage 1 - Concept Design - Fee based on design brief & garden complexity
Commission stage 2a) - Design Details - hard landscaping plans, drawings & specifications - Fee based on approved concept design
Commission stage 2b) - Design Details - planting plans, schedule & soft landscape specifications - Fee based on approved concept design
Commission stage 3 - Tender Process / Landscaper Liaison - Fee depends on whether you wish to work with a preferred contractor, or if you would like to run a competitive tender for landscapers to carry out the garden build
Commission stage 4 - Build Support - Fee subject to complexity of garden to be built
Travel charged at 55p per mile. Other expenses charged at cost.
We are not VAT registered.
We quote on a ‘set fee’ basis as this is preferred by most of our clients, however we are happy to work at our hourly rate instead if that is your own preference.
During our Discovery Call we can provide a rough guide to the likely fees for your project and then following the Initial Garden Consultation, when we have seen the garden for ourselves and taken your detailed design brief we can calculate the time required to produce designs for your individual project more accurately and will provide a written quote at that point.
Garden Design fees are in addition to the cost of building the garden itself. The complexity of your existing space and requirements of the design and range of features included to meet your brief will determine the cost of building the garden. Having a well planned and thought through design can contribute to making your investment go further. As an independent garden design practice we do not take commission from suppliers, so any materials we may suggest are chosen transparently to meet your brief without any of the potential conflict of interest that a design-and-build company or landscape contractor may experience when suggesting materials to you which will contribute to their profit from your project. By investing in formal garden design plans and our support during the build stage, we can help to prevent project creep as the designs are tailored to your intended investment from the outset. Our plans will also ensure that the garden is built exactly as intended in the design concept, including finer details which make the difference between a good garden and an outstanding outside space.
If you’re not sure how much to invest, as a rough guide, the cost of building a full garden makeover may come to between 5-10% of the value of your property, although some clients who are favoured with their ‘forever home’ or investing in significant luxury features such as swimming pools may choose to devote higher sums to their garden. You can of course choose to invest in a Concept Design Plan that you may implement in phases over time rather than in one go if you prefer, or focus on a particular area of the garden and editing the existing space rather than wholesale replacement, allowing you to invest the amount you are comfortable with at that moment. Although Heather Martin Garden Design are not VAT registered, the cost of building your garden itself will likely be subject to VAT so do take this into account when considering how much you allocate to invest in the garden. We are happy to discuss your individual situation and provide our thoughts and guidance on where you will benefit most from investing in the garden. Complete our form to arrange your discovery call and start the exciting process of remodelling your garden today.