Almost every first call we take includes the same question, usually near the end and usually apologetically. It is a fair question and there is no reason to be coy about it.
The design is priced separately from the build
We charge for design as its own piece of work, between £1,800 and £4,500 for a typical domestic garden depending on size and how much survey work it needs. That buys a measured survey, a levels check, a layout plan, a planting plan and a specification detailed enough for another contractor to price from.
Paying for design separately means you are free to take the drawings elsewhere. Most people do not, but the option matters, and it keeps us honest about what we are recommending.
Build costs move with groundwork, not with planting
Plants are rarely the expensive part. Retaining walls, drainage, level changes and stone are. A flat garden with a simple terrace might come in at £25,000. The same area on a slope, with two retaining walls and a soakaway, can be double that before a single plant goes in.
This is why we survey levels before quoting anything. A garden that looks straightforward from the kitchen window often is not.
What we tell people to budget
As a rough guide, a full design-and-build on an average suburban garden lands between £30,000 and £70,000. Courtyards are less. Anything with significant retaining is more.
If that is well past what you had in mind, say so on the first call. We can usually stage the work across two or three seasons, and there is no sense drawing something nobody intends to build.
