How much will a designed garden cost?
The vast majority of the cost involved in transforming your garden is taken up by the installation, not by plants as many people assume. Building a new garden should be thought of as an investment in your property, and a realistic budget to consider would be between 4-10% of the value of your home. For a home worth £200,000 that means a budget of between £8,000 and £20,000.
This figure is on a par with the cost involved in a new conservatory or kitchen, and there is an equivalent amount of work involved. While this might sound like a substantial investment, consider the return – Ian Stuart, of Savills Estate Agents, wrote in the Financial Times that a designed garden can add 10-15% to the saleability of your home.
Ways to spread the build costs
You might not have £8,000-£20,000 to spare – most people dont! But it is possible to build your garden in stages. The first thing to do is to commission the design plans and have the garden build fully costed. Then you can decide which parts you can afford to have built this year and which could wait until some time in the future. Or maybe you can build the garden yourself. By getting the design plans created at the start, you can focus on the long term goal of transforming your garden, and we would be happy to provide you with advice on staging the build.
Our design fees
Within a 25 mile radius of Ashby de la Zouch, the initial consultation is free. Beyond the 25 mile radius we charge a £50 consultation fee, which is refundable when you commission us for a garden design.
After the initial consultation we will provide you with a written fee quotation, which is based upon a percentage of the estimated project construction price. The design fee will be broken down into stages, and payment intervals will be agreed in advance of any design work commencing.
Smaller jobs may be quoted as a project price.
The design fee covers outline proposals and presentation of initial design concepts, detailed plans and construction detail plans, planting design, planting plans and tender documentation.
What is not included in the design fee?
The design fee excludes items such as planning application fees, land survey and soil testing charges, etc. We will identify any such requirements and notify you should they be required.
The design fee also excludes plants and planting costs, which will be quoted separately. A fee for project inspection on the clients behalf of contractors during the garden build stage will also be quoted separately, if required.
