The design process addresses a full and comprehensive brief on your needs and budget, and you are consulted on suggested ideas and elements along the way. The result is a design to your taste that you will love, and that works for you and your space.

If you do need to have work done for you, a clear design will help you get accurate quotes, save time and money during works, and eliminate any confusion - in fact, a clear design usually pays for itself! We can also recommend suitable landscapers if required.

Every client is different, and so the design process in unique for each situation. Generally, the process is as follows:

A. CONSULTATION

If you're not quite sure how to go about transforming your space, then call us to arrange a consultation - for 90 minutes, we'll talk about garden styles, the potential of your outdoor space, how to integrate it with your indoor space, plant types and elements. You can then either take those ideas and act on them yourself, or decide to commission a full design.

The consultation fee is $275 (including GST) payable at the end of the consultation, and should you decide to commission a design, this amount is fully deducted from that cost. Design fees vary according to the requirements and scale of the project.

Country Properties
We are very happy to consult on and design country projects - a surcharge applies for consultations outside the Melbourne metropolitan area, please contact us for more information.

B. CONCEPT PLAN

Should you wish to go forward with a design, then the next step of the process is to develop a Concept Plan; this step usually entails a more formal site survey, and preparation of a base plan. Based on your brief, we will also develop concept sketches, elevations, and notes on plants and materials. We then work together on the Concept Plan to further refine the ideas and details - and this forms the basis of the final Landscape Master Plan.

C. LANDSCAPE MASTER PLAN

The Landscape Master Plan is a much more refined version of the entire garden planned, and this will form the last draft for final approval. When the master is approved, the final Landscape Master Plan will be completed, as well as any technical drawings as required.

D. DOCUMENT DELIVERY

Once all of the drawings are complete, you will receive several copies of each, as well as any documentation needed for construction.

We also prepare for you a full Landscape Maintenance Plan, so that you can look after your new garden and make sure it thrives!

We are independent designers with no vested interest in the construction component - this ensures that we are designing only for the client's needs, and not for what we want to build. However, we can refer suitable contractors to quote, and also recommend that you get at least 2 more independent quotes.