Landscape Design

“Good designers are highly conscious of the way that people move through, perceive and experience our designed environment. What is clearly important as a designer, is an ability to connect with a client, to understand and help to define a requirement or series of requirements and to be able, through both professional training and practical experience, to help solve problems with clients in a creative and dynamic manner.”

Landscape Design Process:

1. Initial introductory meeting in order to establish the general scope of the work and to develop a detailed design brief.
2. Outline site survey and photographic site record. Where necessary a detailed specialist site survey work can be arranged on behalf of a client, including digital lines and levels surveys or specialist arboriculturist tree surveys.
3. Sketch design and outline specification preparation, typically including: sketch perspective views of a proposed space in either full colour or black and white, annotated sketch details and supporting illustrations/photographs demonstrating concept development work.
4. Client presentation and sketch design review meeting.
5. Preparation of an annotated and coloured master plan and planting schedule.
6. Guidance on outline cost estimating can be provided. Specialist Quantity Surveying expertise can also be arranged where necessary.
7. Suggestions for the selection and appointment of a suitable landscape contractor.
8. A unique supporting design guide booklet recording the project from ‘conception to completion’ can also be provided where required for an additional fee.

Clients may wish to be independently responsible, taking control of the setting out, construction and planting of their own garden or landscape space and relying only periodically on technical design assistance.

Alternatively, a client may wish to employ the services of a professional landscape contractor to carry out construction and/or planting works.

Expanded Landscape Design Process:

The following technical services are available to assist with the successful development of larger, more involved landscape projects where a more rigorous technical specification is required.

1. Technical planting plans and plant schedules including plant sizes and suggested planting densities.
2. Technical hard works general arrangement plan.
3. Detail design for hard construction works.
4. Detailed qualitative specification (National Building Specification).
5. Formal standard contract selection.
6. Management of formal Tender process in order to select a competitive landscape contractor.
7. Formal contract administration.

Landscape Design Fees:

Fees can be agreed to suit individual client's requirements and fall into one or more of the following categories:

• An agreed lump sum figure based on an approved scope of works.
• An agreed hourly rate where the designer is working on a retainer basis.
• An agreed hourly rate which is capped to an agreed limit.
• An agreed percentage of the total contract or construction cost for contracts of a value greater than £25,000.

Please note that all fees are exclusive of project expenses unless otherwise agreed.  Typical expenses may include: printing costs, copying costs and all reasonable travelling expenses involved in delivering a comprehensive and professional service.

If you would like to find out more please contact Jonathan. The services described above are offered in accordance with the standard terms and conditions.

Examples of previous work

View the following PDF documents to see examples of Jonathan's previous work in this area:

• Hawkhill Housing, Soft Landscaping and Park, Edinburgh. (144 KB)
• Garden Design, Glenlockhart. (144 KB)
• Garden Maintenance, Kingsbarns, Fife. (158 KB)
• Office Garden, Michael Lairds Architects. (766 KB)
• Private Garden, Liverpool. (1.6 MB)
• Private Garden, Montrose. (156 KB)

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