So you think you can’t afford a garden designer?

22 Apr So you think you can’t afford a garden designer?

We’re trying to dispel the myth that a garden designer costs a lot of money to hire. Read this article to discover how a garden design could actually save you money.

So you’ve finally decided to get a new garden. Getting a landscaper in to do the job may be a no-brainer, but have you ever considered hiring a garden designer? You may be surprised to learn how wise investing in a good garden designer can actually be. And what good value for money they offer.

• A garden designer costs less than you might imagine.
• Actually save money by hiring a professional with industry knowledge who knows how to design a garden that will match your build budget.
• Open your mind to new ideas that can really change the way you use your garden.
• Discover which plants will love your garden – saves spending out for plants that will never thrive.
• Make sure your landscaper is building the garden you want them to build.
• Create a garden that will continue to fit your lifestyle as you and your family mature

This garden design brings interest to every corner of a once underused garden and is far more imaginative than the previous homeowner’s arrangement of a small patio, some shrubs and a worn out lawn

Keep your budget on track

Having a budget doesn’t mean low-cost and low-end. It means managing the cost of your new garden and getting best value for money.

A good designer will find imaginative but cost-effective solutions to the issues identified. Things like a lack of privacy, road noise, sticky soil or trouble accessing all areas.

If certain features or materials seem too expensive for your budget. A garden designer can suggest alternative ideas and concepts that still give the wow factor but with less outlay. 

Designers often work with several landscape contractors and can help source the right one for your project.

Minimise unnecessary expenditure

Only spend where it is really necessary. A recent client disliked their steeply sloping back garden. But rather than choosing to terrace it like their neighbour had, we reduced how the gradient felt by designing a meandering path across and down the slope, culminating in a focal point at the bottom.

Many people are surprised to know that a huge amount of cost in landscaping is in the earthworks – bringing in or taking away vast amounts of soil to create artificial levels. 

Garden designers can show you how to work with what you have got, rather than spend money fighting against it. Not only does this save you money but you’ll end up with a garden more in keeping with its surrounding environment.

Maximise worthwhile expenditure

One of the key benefits of having a designer is knowing where it is really worth spending money and conversely where cost savings won’t really affect the final result.

For instance,  to give the garden its best chance at establishment whilst giving it an instant sense of maturity. Save cash with younger, but fast-growing plants and then spend more on one or two decent-size specimen plants. 

With hard landscaping did you know that there is little difference in cost between having a fairly ordinary and a higher quality paving? The bulk of the cost is actually in the sub-base, regardless of the final layer on top. So perhaps you can afford that porcelain patio after all….

Get it right first time

How many people have spent their hard-earned money on planting schemes that just don’t seem to work, or even to survive? 

Garden designers don’t waste your money experimenting.  A good garden designer has an in-depth knowledge of all their materials, plants included. Not just of what plants look good together but what will succeed for the conditions. 

Another key benefit of a designer is their ability to bring the aesthetic and functional elements of a garden together in one cohesive design, thereby eliminating the piecemeal approach that so often befalls DIY gardens.

Futureproof your garden

This little guy’s interests are bound to change as he grows – let’s hope he always loves gardening but I’m sure he’ll be using the outdoor space quite differently when he’s 17

We all of us use our gardens differently as life moves on. Your toddlers quickly become teenagers and abandon their much loved sandpit. You may find yourself working from home and wishing you had a better view from your office window. Or maybe you are approaching retirement and looking forward to spending less time gardening and more time adventuring.

Your garden should be able to adapt to your lifestyle and a good garden designer will be able to help you futureproof your outdoor space.  Even to the extent that the garden will help to sell your home when you are ready to move on.

Think you can’t afford a garden designer? Think again.

By employing a garden designer not only will you benefit from their ingenuity and experience, but they can make your budget go further and add long-term value to your space too. All of a sudden, those garden designer costs sound like a good deal to me!

Find out what garden design actually costs.

Take a look at our garden design packages.

How to hire the best landscaper for your project

Contact Katie at Tapestry Design Studios for a garden design quote. 

Katie Moyes is a garden designer for Tapestry Design Studios.