Full Garden Design
Perhaps you have just moved and so inherited a garden – it may not feel it’s truly yours. Maybe the needs of your family have changed or you feel the prospect of creating a space that fulfils your needs and considers all the practicalities is just too overwhelming. A full design service can be the answer.
Please keep reading below for The Process so that you can understand each stage of this project and how we will work together.
The Process: working with me
Consultation
As with all projects, it’s important to find the right professionals for you. So, I offer an initial free chat by telephone or Zoom to ensure we are a good fit and can work well together.
Once we have determined that I am the garden designer for you, we move to the face to face consultation.
At this point, I will meet you on site and together we will look at your outside space. We will: identify problems; consider the elements you enjoy in your garden; assess the site itself and its surroundings; discuss how you wish to use your garden and discuss your ideas and aspirations. We will consider budgets and the maintenance implication of the garden.
I will need to take videos and photographs. This is essentially information gathering to inform the concept design brief. You will then receive a proposal letter based on this initial site visit and our discussion.
Once I have your written acceptance of the proposal, I can begin the design of your new garden.
In-person consultation - from £60 (deductible from design fee)
Site Analysis and Survey
A full topographical survey of the site is necessary for any garden design project. Without this information it will be impossible to produce an accurate design.
For smaller or simple sites this can be undertaken in-house, for more complicated sites I can recommend a trusted land surveyor to produce the required document.
Other information required will be soil samples, any information pertaining to party walls, tree preservation orders, boundary issues such as public rights of way and a climate report.
From £350
Concept Design and Master Plan
This is an outline design of your garden on paper. It will show how I have interpreted your brief for the space.
We then meet to discuss the design to ensure your requirements are being met and make reasonable changes as required and with an eye on the budget.
Once agreed, the drawings are taken to the next detailed stage – the master plan, where the chosen hard landscaping, any lighting and irrigation schemes along with structural planting is drawn to scale on a colour rendered plan.
From £650
Planting Plans
The planting plans are created considering all aspects of suitability – colour, texture, form, hardiness and seasonality.
The plan will show the planting density, location and of course, plant names.
All planting plans will come with a plant identification dossier and maintenance schedule.
From £300
Tender
Scaled construction drawings are produced to ensure all design features can be constructed according to exact specifications.
Along with a scope of works, these documents can then be sent out to tender to a selected number of approved contractors.
Based on the final detailed package, along with a site visit, the contractors will be able to give an accurate quote for the build.
The site visit allows you to meet the contractors and consider the possibility of a working relationship with them.
You can then make an informed decision based on their quotes as to who will undertake the build and when it will begin.
from £200
Monitoring of the Build and Planting
If desired, I can organise regular visits to monitor the build and ensure the design is built according to specification.
I am also available to assist the landscaper to set out the plants when we get to that point.
I will ensure the plants are in the right place, making any adjustments as needed.
From £40 per hour
Maintenance Plan
With each garden and border design, I provide a plant identification dossier and plant maintenance schedule to enable the very important after-care of the garden. You may wish to do this yourself or employ skilled help.
Either way to ensure the ongoing success of your garden, it is worth remembering the old adage ‘The most important thing a garden needs is the shadow of a gardener’.
