What Goes Into Garden Design Costs?
Summary
Garden design costs will vary depending on your garden and what you want to achieve with it. The size of the space plays a part, but so does the amount of planning involved and the level of detail needed to take the design through to construction. Understanding what’s included at each stage makes it easier to plan a realistic budget for your project.
Key Takeaways
- Garden size matters, but the layout and complexity of the design can have just as much influence on cost.
- Professional garden design can cover everything from the initial site assessment through to the detailed plans needed for construction.
- What’s already in your garden needs to be considered before the design can be developed properly.
- Decisions about materials and features should be made with your overall project budget in mind.
- A complete garden plan can still be useful if you intend to carry out the landscaping in stages.
If you’ve started looking into professional garden design, you’ll quickly find that there isn’t a standard price that applies to every project. The amount of design work needed depends on the garden you’re starting with and how detailed the plans need to be.
At TM Landscapes, we design and build gardens across Hampshire, considering the practical side of the project from the very beginning. The decisions made during the design stage need to work when it comes to construction, from the layout and levels through to the materials you choose.
In this guide, we’ll explain what goes into garden design costs and what you can expect as your project moves from the first ideas through to a finished design.
What Do Garden Design Costs Actually Cover?
The garden design process involves much more than producing a plan of how the finished garden could look. Before we can start designing, we need to understand the space properly and, just as importantly, how you want to use it.
For TM Landscapes, that means spending time at your property taking measurements, photographs and a 3D scan of the garden. We can then look more closely at the existing site and pick up details that need to be considered within the garden design.
The creative work comes from that information. We develop the layout, explore ideas with you and start making decisions about the materials, planting and other features that will shape the garden. You’ll be able to see how the design is developing and make changes before anything is built.
Once you’re happy with the design, we prepare the more detailed plans needed to take it onto site. These give our landscaping team something accurate to work from and mean important decisions have already been made before construction gets underway.
All of this forms part of garden design costs because it’s the work that takes your initial ideas and turns them into something that can actually be built.
Why Garden Design Costs Vary Across Projects
Every garden gives us something different to work with, so the amount of design work needed will change from one project to the next.
Before we can give you a clear idea of garden design costs, we need to understand the space itself and what you want the finished garden to achieve. Here are some of the main things we take into account:
Garden Size and Layout
The size of your garden is one of the first things we’ll consider when looking at design costs. Larger landscapes generally take longer to survey, and there may be more of the garden to plan.
Smaller spaces can bring their own challenges. If the garden is an awkward shape or space is tight, the layout may need more thought to make the most of the room available without trying to fit too much in.
Existing Garden and Site Conditions
What’s already in your garden can also influence the garden design costs you’ll face, because it can impact what work is needed.
During our site visit and analysis, we look closely at drainage, access, existing planting and any other constraints that might shape the design, so we can incorporate them early on.
A garden with straightforward access and fairly even ground will usually be simpler to design around. Where the site has challenging levels or other existing features that need to be accommodated, more thought has to go into finding a layout that works with the garden rather than against it.
To learn more, see our post How to Make the Most of an Unusual Garden Layout.
How Much You Want to Change
There’s a real difference between wanting a new patio and a refreshed planting scheme, and wanting to reimagine the entire garden from scratch. The scope of your brief has a direct impact on your garden design costs, because it determines how much design time and skill is needed.
Materials and Features
The choices you make during the design stage will also shape the overall project cost. Some materials will take up more of the budget than others, particularly when they’re being used across a large part of the garden, such as paving. Adding more bespoke features can also increase what’s involved when it comes to construction, whether this is fencing, decking, or even garden rooms and pergolas.
We keep the budget in mind as the design develops, so we can talk through different options and help you decide where you’d prefer to spend more and where a simpler approach might work just as well.
To learn more about paving and landscaping materials, see our post Choosing the Best Paving & Patio Options for Your Southampton Garden.
What Do Your Garden Design Costs Cover at Each Stage?
It’s easier to understand garden design costs when you know what happens before a garden is ready to build. Each stage has a different purpose, starting with understanding what you want from the space and gradually adding the detail needed to turn those ideas into a workable design.
At TM Landscapes, this typically involves four main stages:
1. Consultation and Design Brief
We start by getting to know you and your garden. Rather than jumping straight into ideas, we want to understand what you like about the existing space, what isn’t working and what you’d like to change.
From those conversations, we can put together a clear brief for the project and make sure we’re designing with your priorities and budget in mind.
2. Surveying Your Garden
Before we can design accurately, we need a good understanding of the site itself. We take measurements and photographs during our visit and use a 3D scan to capture the garden in more detail.
This gives us reliable information to work from and helps us identify anything that needs to be considered as the design develops.
3. Developing the Design
This is where your new garden starts to take shape. Using the agreed brief and information gathered from the site, we work through the layout and explore how the space could work for you.
You’ll be able to see the ideas develop through concept plans and other visuals, giving you the opportunity to discuss changes with us before the design is finalised.
4. Preparing for the Build
Once the main design has been agreed, we can work through the finer details needed to build it. The design is developed into the technical information our landscaping team will use on site, and you’ll receive an itemised quotation setting out the proposed work.
If you’re unsure how this differs from the physical construction of your garden see our post, Garden Design vs Landscaping: A Guide for Southampton Homeowners, to learn where each part of the process fits.
You can also see how the two come together in our Contemporary Outdoor Living project in Chilworth, where our team handled the project from the initial design through to construction. This ensures that the ideas developed during the design stage could be carried through into the finished garden.
Planning Your Garden Design Budget
You don’t need to know exactly what your garden will cost before speaking to a garden designer. Having an idea of what you’re comfortable spending and what matters most to you does, however, give us a much better starting point.
A few things are worth thinking about before your first consultation:
- Decide what matters most: Think about what you really want to change and how you’d like to use the garden. This helps us understand where your budget is likely to make the biggest difference.
- Be open about your budget: If we know what you’re comfortable spending, we can design with that figure in mind and suggest options that are realistic for the project.
- Know where you’re flexible: You may have certain features that you definitely want to include and others where you’re happy to consider alternatives. We can work through those choices with you as the design develops.
- Think beyond the first stage: You don’t necessarily have to build the entire garden at once. We can design the space as a whole and plan the construction in stages, so work completed later fits naturally with what’s already there.
Get a Clearer Idea of Your Garden Design Costs With TM Landscapes
The best way to get a realistic idea of garden design costs is to speak to a professional about your own space. A garden designer can look beyond the size of the garden and consider what will actually be involved in delivering the ideas you have in mind.
This also allows you to discuss your budget before the design goes too far. If certain ideas are likely to take up a large proportion of what you want to spend, alternatives can be explored early rather than having to rethink the garden once the design is finished.
At TM Landscapes, our designers also understand what is involved in building the gardens they create. We consider how design decisions will translate into the landscaping work, helping to keep the proposed garden grounded in what is practical for your site and your budget.
Once the design is agreed, we can provide an itemised quotation for the construction work. You can then see what is involved in bringing the design to life and make informed decisions about how you want to move forward.
Conclusion
Garden design costs will be different for every project, which is why it’s more useful to understand what goes into the price than to rely on a general average. Your garden, your priorities and the amount of design work required will all help determine what you can expect to spend.
At TM Landscapes, we’ll talk through what you want from your garden and what you’re comfortable spending before we get too far into the design. That way, we can focus the budget on the parts that matter most to you and look at different options where there’s more flexibility.
Contact Us Today
If you’re planning a new garden in Hampshire, get in touch to start discussing your ideas with our team.
FAQs
How much does professional garden design cost in Hampshire?
There isn’t a set price for professional garden design because the amount of work involved will depend on your garden and the scope of the project. At TM Landscapes, we start with an initial conversation and questionnaire before providing an estimated design fee based on what your project is likely to involve.
What is included in a professional garden design?
Professional garden design takes you from the initial ideas through to a plan that can be used to build the garden. At TM Landscapes, the process can include understanding your brief, assessing the site and developing the design before preparing the more detailed information needed for construction.
Is garden design separate from landscaping costs?
Yes. Garden design covers the work involved in planning your new garden before construction begins. Landscaping costs cover the work carried out on site to build it, including the labour and materials required. At TM Landscapes, we provide an itemised quotation for the construction work once the design has been agreed.