Thinking about having your garden designed?
The answers to all the questions:
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Why have my garden designed?
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How much will it cost?
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At what stage do I call my designer?
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What if the designer gets it wrong?
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When I have found my designer what next?
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How does the design process work?
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How do we know that a contractor will follow the design to the specications out lined in the plan?
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Why have my garden designed?
Most of us enjoy our gardens, even if the time we spend there is short. We have an idea of what types of plants we enjoy, of what sort of garden appeals most, what activities or leisure pursuits we would like to engage in. We know what we like but find it hard to realise it in the garden. Many hours and a great deal of money can be spent on a garden and some how it still isn’t how you would like it to be.
Having the garden designed initially will prevent costly mistakes and provide you with a great deal of pleasure through out the life of the garden. Your designer will provide the plans for a garden specifically designed for you and your family, which reflects your personalities, wishes, needs, likes and dislikes.
Planting will be in keeping with the area in which you live and the nuances of your site. Plants will also be given space to grow over the next 15 – 20 years, so no overcrowding will take place and each plant can develop into its potential shape and size as it grows older. One of the beauties of this is, that you will know what the garden looks like before putting the spade in the soil and making costly mistakes both in terms of energy and money. In using the plans the designer provides you have many options.
You can make the garden gradually, as your budget allows, over the next 10 years, in the sure knowledge that you are not planting anything in the wrong place or building something you will regret. Having a set of plans allows you to get quotations from a number of landscapers and to choose the most competitive.
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How much will it cost?
Fees cost from €2000 for a small garden. Make sure you get a written rate of fees charged and to understand when fees will be due. Most Designers charge for every visit and also travel expenses.
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At what stage do I call my designer?
The beauty of designing when the house is not yet built is that the garden can be better integrated with the house and the builder can be contracted to build the hard landscaping at the same time as the house, thus saving money. The sooner you can have the plans for the new design, the less likelihood of making costly mistakes.
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What if the designer gets it wrong?
If the designs, at the concept sketches stage are not to the clients liking, they are amended until the client is satisfied. Only when the client is happy are the full sets of plans drawn up. So the final set of plans is never wrong.
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When I have found my designer what next?
Discuss the new garden with every member of the family, children included. Write down every thought you have about the design even down to your favourite flowers/ time of year/ colours. How much time will you realistically spend working in the garden?
Estimate the amount of money you will spend on having the garden made, even if it is over the next number of years. Designers work in different ways, so make sure you know their method of charging fees, and what you can expect in the way of drawings and plans. Ask for written details of sketches, drawings and plans the designer is to provide. Set a time scale with your designer for each section of the project to be finished. Don’t rush, allow yourself time to understand the drawings and plan before taking decisions on each stage. Change your mind before the final drawings not afterwards, as redrawing will cost extra.
How does the design process work?
The following stages are what normally happen unless specified.
Initial Meeting
The first consultation meeting will take place on site. If the house is already built, the designer will sit down with the client and discuss the garden and their lifestyle needs. The designer listens carefully and notes on paper every detail of what is said. If the house is not yet built, it is necessary to have the plans of the house to view, on site. Photographs are taken both outside and from inside the house. It is vital to view the potential garden from inside and often very helpful to take photos from upstairs too. Clients will often have cuttings from magazines to show garden types or features they like. If a site map is not available a site survey will be required. (If a site survey is required a date and fee can be set up to undertake it.)
Back in the office: The designer will compile a “Design Brief” which outlines the existing features of the site and includes all details to be shown in the final design.
The first consultation meeting will take place on site. If the house is already built, the designer will sit down with the client and discuss the garden and their lifestyle needs. The designer listens carefully and notes on paper every detail of what is said. If the house is not yet built, it is necessary to have the plans of the house to view, on site. Photographs are taken both outside and from inside the house. It is vital to view the potential garden from inside and often very helpful to take photos from upstairs too. Clients will often have cuttings from magazines to show garden types or features they like. If a site map is not available a site survey will be required. (If a site survey is required a date and fee can be set up to undertake it.)
Back in the office: The designer will compile a “Design Brief” which outlines the existing features of the site and includes all details to be shown in the final design.
The first drawings will be the concept sketches and plans.
Every aspect of the site, house style, local landscape, orientation and topography are taken into the design process. Using the “Design Brief” as a guide, along with the photos, the designer will draw up plans of the proposed new designs and artist’s impression of what particular design would look like in reality.
Three different design concepts are presented at this stage depending on the clients requirements. Named planting is not required at this stage, just an indication of trees/shrubs/herbaceous etc. At this point the designer makes an appointment to present the concept sketches.
Second Meeting
The designer presents the concept sketches and plans to the client. A detailed explanation of the design is given and discussed in detail.
The clients reactions are taken into consideration and any modifications to the design are discussed and agreed. A soil sample may be taken. Only plants suitable for that soil will be included in the design.
Back in the office : If the sketches and plan require modification, both are redrawn and returned to the client via post or personally as required.
When the client is completely satisfied with the concept sketch and plan, the finished set of drawings is undertaken. The following drawings are completed: Architectural layout and construction plan. These plans are to scale.
Numbered planting plan including names/ quantities/ exact position of each plant. This plan is to scale. Presentation drawing of artist’s impression of the finished design. This drawing is not to scale.
Final Meeting
The designer presents the final drawings and goes through them with the client. The invoice for the fee is presented and paid and the pricing of the landscaping and plants discussed.
Once the design is finalised we will give you a free estimate on the cost to construct the garden. This is included in the cost of the design.
How do we know that a contractor will follow the design to the specications out lined in the plan?
Lotus Landscape Design will happily look after everything for you. From the initial design, contracts to building the garden. We normally charge you a percentage on top of the contractors for large gardens ranging from 8% to 12%. We will happily build smaller gardens ourselves. We will manage everything from planning permission to time scales and keep you informed every step of the way.