What does garden design cost?

19 Nov What does garden design cost?

Posted at 09:15h in Garden Design by Tapestry Design Studios 0 Comments

0 Likes

Toying with the idea of a garden makeover but wondering about the cost? Garden designer Katie Moyes looks at benefits of garden design and answers the question “what does garden design cost?”

Garden design is more affordable than you might think. Especially since the cost of garden design can be spread over a great many years. Just look at some of our regions historic houses. Money invested in garden design many years ago is still reaping benefits today. For example, Audley End House near Saffron Walden boasts gardens designed by Capability Brown back in 1763

When I hire a garden designer, what will I get for my money?

Every garden design practice is different, but at Tapestry Design Studios we aim to offer best value for money. Depending on the package you choose, our garden design service includes:

One to one meetings
Bespoke ideas tailored to your needs – not an “off the peg” design.
Help to define the style and function of your garden
Inspirational ideas to make better use of your garden
A design that suits your lifestyle and makes you feel good
Practical suggestions for a garden that will look good and work hard for you
Your personality reflected in your garden
Concept for a manageable space with as much or as little gardening as you wish
Suggestions for plants and materials that work well together
Help to select the best materials for a long-lived garden
Design that can be built comfortably within your budget
Recommendations for reputable landscape contractors who won’t rip you off

The benefits of garden design

Getting best value for money from your garden makeover

A 3D garden design helps you to imagine how you would use your garden – before you spend one single penny on materials and labour.
Want to change things around? It’s cheaper to do it at the design stage than it is once work is underway.

A good garden designer can actually save you money. By helping you to think about what you would really like to achieve with a garden makeover, garden designers help you achieve your goals without the procrastinating or experimenting that so often go with spending money.

Buying a car? You can road test it and send it back if you don’t like it.

Booking a holiday? It’s only 2 weeks out of your life, if it’s not perfect it’s not forever.

Planning a garden makeover? You will be looking at your new garden every single day, in every type of weather and with everybody who visits your home. It needs to suit your property, your lifestyle and your personal taste. There are literally millions of materials to choose from and countless possibilities for layouts. A garden designer helps you to organise your ideas and then adds that indefinable twist of panache that makes the difference between “made” and “designer made”

Building your self-esteem and nurturing wellbeing

As a garden designer, one of my greatest pleasures is meeting up with clients once their new garden has been built. More often than not, it’s like meeting a whole new person (or people!). Invariably, their eyes are brighter, they walk taller, smile more and seem happier.

Somehow, being in beautiful surroundings makes people feel better about themselves and about life in general.

A garden doesn’t need to be huge to boost your wellbeing. Somewhere that looks good, expresses your personality and encourages you to spend time out of doors, is what makes us feel more human.

When you feel that somebody has understood you well enough to create the perfect space for you (and when other people are complimenting you on your garden) just makes you feel great.

Garden design, it seems, is the ultimate form of retail therapy.

Sustainability and garden design

To me, sustainability means more than being eco-friendly. It’s more about doing (or choosing) something well and only needing to do it once. So whilst I recommend materials that benefit the environment, have a low carbon footprint and a long life, I also think about designing a garden that will adapt to the changing needs of the household.

For me, sustainability in garden design is about futureproofing and ensuring that the ongoing maintenance is comfortably achievable.

For instance:

If I am designing a garden for a young family, I like to include features that will grow with the children. A sandpit can become a vegetable patch. The playhouse can morph into a teenager’s retreat or a study.
If my clients are a little more senior, I subtly make sure that steps, slopes and paths can still be still be used when the householder is less sprightly. I recommend lighting and trims that are nice and clear for fading eyesight. And then I futureproof the maintenance by opting for self-sufficient planting or planters that can be cared for without bending down.

This back garden is a major transformation from the narrow, uninviting space it once was.
The garden designer has used some clever tricks of the eye to make the space seem wider.
This is a low maintenance artificial lawn. The owners have limited time for gardening and want to spend all of it experimenting with bee friendly plants for the beds and borders.

No two gardens alike

It’s great to keep abreast with the latest trends but look around – you rarely see two supermodels wearing the same outfit, you won’t get the same meal from two different chefs and no two homes have the same furniture and pictures. Your garden can be on point and still be very much a reflection of your individuality.

Garden designers like me are usually quite creative and love to experiment with different materials and styles – just as clothing designers do (but on a larger and more permanent scale). My own design inspiration comes not from copying what I’ve seen on TV but from the client’s themselves, the places they like to visit, the things they like to do, favourite colours and even the things they dislike.

By asking a garden designer to help you to personalise your garden, you can be certain of gaining an outdoor room that you absolutely love.