Many people assume that using designer for their home or garden is a luxury for the super wealthy, who own large country piles or multi-million pound town houses. However, through websites like Design for Me, affordable home and garden design has become more accessible to the masses. It’s now much more common for garden designer to offer a suite of garden design services to suit the budget and needs of all homeowners.
But I’m on a budget – surely designing the garden myself will keep the costs down?!
Yes, it’s true that you could use the money for the design fee you would save, on labour, plants and materials instead. However the saving is rarely that clear-cut. Design professionals could save you money by choosing and specifying intelligently, often far more of a saving than the cost of their fees. Not only this, you can be re-reassured that you will have a garden you feel truly happy with, designed according to your preferred level of maintenance. This can be priceless!
Below are some examples of typical garden design projects taken on by the garden designers on Design for Me. All the designers on Design for Me are independent and will provide a quote for garden design services that suit you personally, depending on your specific budget and needs. It’s free to post your project to our site and see who’s interested and get quotes!
Post your project here for free
Click the images below to see the garden designers’ full profiles…
By garden designers Maria and Gavin in Surrey
By Christine, garden designer in Wycombe
By Sara Jane in Camden
By garden designers Maria and Gavin in Surrey
By Christine, garden designer in Wycombe
By Sara Jane in Camden
A little professional input can go a long way
Some garden designers charge by an hourly rate but, more commonly, they are offering packages to suit different budgets and needs of homeowner clients. Even a few hours from a garden designer can make a huge difference – they can help drive you in the right direction, finding affordable and practical solutions to help shape your garden design plan.
How much does a garden designer cost (as a %)?
1. Full services
Garden designers will usually put together a fee proposal for their services, based on the overall budget for your project. If you require ‘full services’ from a garden designer to help design and deliver the project from start to finish, for a £5,000-£20,000 project, their fee will usually be around 20% of the total budget.
‘Full services’ from a garden designer usually includes the following:
- Outline proposals
- Submission for statutory approvals, such as planning (although this may be charged as an extra)
- Planting details, construction details, drainage and irrigation, schedules and specifications
- A package of documents for tender (i.e. sending all information needed for accurate pricing out to landscapers/contractors for their quotes), sending invitations to tender and a tender report to help you choose who to select.
- Site operations and contract administration (preparing the contract with your landscaper/contractor, site inspections, certification of payments to the contractor and issueing a final certificate when the work is complete).
2. Consultation & concept design only
The ‘full services’ listed above may very well be over-kill for a lower budget project. You might consider engaging your garden designer for the concept design only, which could halve the fee, i.e around 10% of your total budget. This would usually include:
- A consultation at your property
- An outline garden design plan/proposal
- A schedule of plants
- You would then need to get quotes, employ the landscaper, and oversee the work yourself. Be aware that without detailed construction details and specifications that you would have in the ‘full services’ package, the quotes you receive from landscapers may be less accurate.
Here at Design for Me we can match you with the best garden designers for your project and arrange initial consultations for free. Use the form below to get started and we’ll be happy to help!
Emily Design for Me
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