Frequently Asked Questions

This is one of the most common questions we are asked and one of the most difficult to answer before we have met with you and seen the garden for ourselves. We will always work hard during all stages of the design and build process to make the most effective use of your budget.

Our design fees depend primarily on how complex the design work is; sloped gardens with more elements and design challenges (eg awkward shapes or existing elements that have to be incorporated) are more time consuming than a site that is flat and a straightforward shape.

Size is a factor, but larger gardens are not necessarily more expensive to design as they tend to have larger open spaces incorporated into the design.

Our garden design fees are usually 30-40% of your overall budget and include scale plans and structural plans and elevations plus planting schemes and a detailed list of materials and plants.

For any customer unclear of how much to spend or budget for we can provide concept designs to cover a budget range so you can evaluate the value any items bring to the garden.

Not as such. If you are clear on what you wish to achieve, or have a garden design already, you can opt for our quotation only service which is FREE of charge. If you really do not know what you want we can offer a consultancy service to discuss all your requirements and budget and measure up the space to enable us to then discuss all the options and provide a quotation realistic to your expectations and budget. As you can imagine this process can take a day or sometimes more and will be chargeable.

Like any building project it needs to be designed before you start works. Changes at concept stage or changes to plans are relatively inexpensive, whereas changes during a build can be very costly.

You wouldn’t go ahead with a house build or extension with architectural plans. Garden design plans are very much the same thing. They take into account many factors prior to starting works.

A good garden design takes account of a wide range of factors including:

• Your uniqueness – what you want in the garden, your personality and preferences, your lifestyle
• The specifics of the site – views, neighbouring properties, existing trees and structures, where the sun is at different times of day, the soil, amount of rainfall etc
• The house – its character and style. Where the doors, windows and key views from the house are

The benefits of going through a design process are many and will save you both time and money in the long term.

• We combine creativity with technical knowledge to work out the feasibility of creating new levels or arranging the spaces in different ways, at the same time as creating drama, inspiring new views and spaces with real atmosphere.
• We can produce detailed plans to scale to help you visualise the way the garden may look and feel. We can see what is not yet there and inspire and enthuse you with new possibilities
• We can help you make the best use of every bit of your outdoor space, often using a range of design ‘tricks’ to make your garden feel bigger than it actually is
• We can help you work with the limitations of the site, turning problems into solutions
• We make it easier to choose materials and plants that you like and will suit the conditions in your garden. We bring deep knowledge and love of plants.
• We ensure effective design and planning and that the work can be done within budget

Yes, you can, but it is not the best way to go about it. We certainly don’t want to continue with something you have changed your mind about. We would advise you of any materials already ordered or work already completed plus any additional costs involved in the change. We want you to have the garden you desire, and changes or additions may become apparent as the construction progresses. We will happily make suggestions, discuss your ideas with you and make modifications to the plan as desired. Just be aware, this may have cost implications on the quoted price which we would discuss with you in advance.

Don’t worry, we live in the real world and fully understand the need to keep everything on budget. We start with both your dreams and your budget. We work creatively to maximise your budget to meet your dreams. If your dream garden is way beyond your budget, we work with you to prioritise each element of the design and look at alternatives or simply stagger the design process into phases with an overall vision as to the garden you want to achieve over a period of time to make it more affordable for you. We will also advise you of any elements you may wish to do yourselves to cut down on cost.

How long is a piece of string? It really does depend on the complexity of the design, weather, size and many other variables. But we set out every project with a full schedule and we always notify customers in advance if the time is running over on a project. On occasions outside of our control where a project is delayed, we work with you to see if you would allow us to work longer days or weekends to make up time and keep to the original finish date.

Definitely. We believe in proving a quality service and we always use quality materials. If for any reason whatsoever something is less than perfect, we will be straight back to put it right. Our no-quibble guarantee is as important to us as it is to our customers. We have built a reputation based on excellence and we intend to maintain this reputation at all costs. Most of our work comes through recommendation and word of mouth, which in itself speaks volumes. The relationship we have with our customers is such that they never feel uncomfortable picking up the phone to discuss their garden.

Gardens are more costly than many people realise. A well designed garden will not only bring many years of joy to your life, it will also enhance and add value to your property – so it’s an investment. 

The cost of course depends on the scope of the project, choice of materials, how prepared you are to wait for young plants to mature (rather than planting more mature specimens for instant impact).

Below are some VERY rough ball park figures for a small-medium garden.

£3,000 – £5,000 replant a fairly small garden including some small trees and shrubs and redesign of the layout

£5,000 – £10,000 is needed for a basic makeover of a small-med garden that includes hard landscaping such as a patio or deck and structure for height

£10,000 – £15,000 includes more elements such as walls, paths, structures such as arches, pergolas, seating

£15,000 – £25,000 – complete redesign of a typical medium sized garden with more hard landscaping, water feature, buildings, structures, larger trees. 

No, we organise everything for you. It may look a little chaotic throughout the transformation but on the day we hand over and walk round with you we want to ensure that your garden is spotless and cleared of all surplus materials. If you wish to supply any materials or service direct, then we would be only too happy to include in the overall cost reduction.

There are 2 main options available to you:

1. Do the project in stages. This tends to happen more with larger gardens, but it is perfectly possible to phase the completion on any garden. The important thing is to be clear on the design – producing the overall concept design and ‘masterplan’. We would recommend using a designer to create a plan for the whole garden as it will ‘flow’ better than if it is done in bits. Building the garden in phases can increase the total cost because it is more efficient to get everything done in one go. You also have to be careful that subsequent build work does not damage anything that was finished earlier. A well planned garden can easily be done in stages. The main hard landscaping can be done at the outset and then planted throughout the seasons.
2. Reduce the scope. It is possible to reduce the cost by removing elements such as features, structures or by choosing different materials. We are expert in offering advice on the choice of materials and equally expert in recycling materials and creating a design that will save on specific costs such as muck away, which can often be kept on site with raised areas.

There is an additional option which is only to plan to design and build part of the garden from the outset. For example, if you want to enlarge the terrace, add a pond or build an outdoor kitchen it’s perfectly possible to landscape a section of the garden. This is simply down to your priorities, budget and also time of year. You may prioritise outdoor shelter in the summer months and planting in spring or autumn.