HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER?

Good question! It really depends upon the size of your budget and the complexity of the job that you want accomplished.  As with many professions, landscape design costs tend to vary according to the size of the project and your location. As a landscape designer in New York City, costs for landscape design and garden design are proportional to the cost of living in this metropolitan area.

The landscape design plan becomes the roadmap to move forward, where every connection will be made above and below ground. If the project is installed immediately or in phases, it becomes the single document that tells each contractor what the others will be doing today or years down the road. Whether you build it all now or spread installation over many years, always design your entire project up front.

You cannot estimate the cost of a job until you have a plan.

Regardless of the cost of implementing the landscape design plan, it’s essence should remain true.  Once you have a garden design or landscape design plan finalized it can be distilled down or embellished based upon your allocation. It should be a custom job suited to you and only you. Your lifestyle, your family, your needs, your aspirations. It should address the challenges that you presently have.  Whether it’s a small job or a grand job.  Whether it’s $5,000 or $500,000.

The Landscaping Network offers “that if you have to compromise to achieve a budget, consider changes in materials or creative use of lesser expensive and readily available materials first. The overall layout of the design should be the last thing to be modified, because if the designer has done a good job, this layout will be the optimal solution for your lifestyle and the site.

As the term suggests, a garden designer drafts a design for how your new landscape will look. Drawings are produced (including 3D) so you can see how your garden will look before any of the actual work begins so you are not left disappointed on completion.

Garden design costs in Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens or Cobble Hill are proportional to the cost of living in that metropolitan area. 

A landscape design in Greenwich, Connecticut is proportional to the cost of living in that suburban location. 

In terms of total costs, a landscape designer’s service may cost between $1,500 and $6,000 for a landscape design plan.  The larger the garden, the more the designer is likely to charge. Some properties encompassing a swimming pool, tennis court and large acreage may incur a total cost of $7,500 or more. This is because the landscape designer will need to spend more time drawing and/or implementing a design for a larger space.

Services provided thereafter such as designer correspondence, on-site visits during construction, project management, budgeting, planning and implementation of the design are usually charged by the hour. On average, these services may cost around $60 - $200, again depending on the designer’s individual fee structure.

There will be immense improvements in the way you will live and experience your home – even in terms of the returns on reselling. While garden design may seem like a luxury, it’s a crucial aspect to building, renovating or improving any home. No different than the services of an architect or interior designer. And you may be surprised by just how much value a garden designer can add to your real estate asset.

HGTV states—“Know what you want to spend and talk budget up front with your landscape professional.  If you're unsure what to budget, the American Society of Landscape Architects suggests to start with 5 percent to 10 percent of your home's worth. The good news: a good landscape design can add as much as 15 percent to the value of your home compared to other houses on your street.”

HOW MUCH SUN IS CONSIDERED FULL SUN?

As a New York City garden designer I first take analysis of a site before designing. My recommendation as a garden designer is to first observe how the sun moves through your property during the course of a day. Take notes.   

Full sun is considered to be over 6 hours of unobstructed light each day.

Partial sun ranges between 3 and 6 hours, and shade is considered to be less than 3 hours of light each day. Typically, the sunniest areas will be the west and south sides of your home unless shaded by large trees or other buildings. The best way to determine sun levels for the area in question is to check it every hour on a sunny day.

One of my garden design tricks as a professional garden designer is to document the garden via photographs with my iPhone at various times of the day.  Having a visual record can sometimes be an effective reference. 

HOW TO HIRE A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER

Similar to an architect or interior designer, a landscape designer can can assist you with understanding spacial relationships, aesthetics, circulation, programming, and other challenges. Remember garden designers and landscape designers are experts in their field.

Whom to hire depends on several factors: your budget, timeline and project's size and complexity. You should inquire about their landscape design and horticultural training. Ask for referrals. The ultimate litmus test, though, is how you get along. Is the person receptive to your ideas, goals and project schedule? Can you communicate with each other?  Can they be an advocate for you in project managing the job?

WHY HIRE A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER?

HELP WITH LANDSCAPE DESIGN

LANDSCAPE DESIGN DILEMMAS.

It begins with.. “I need help with landscape design.”

The questions include How do I turn my front garden into an inviting entrance?  What do I plant in a shade garden?  Can I plant grass?  I need help designing a dog friendly yard.  Can a stone garden wall look contemporary?  Do I need to build a retaining wall for a my sloping backyard?  What’s the best way to decorate a garden room? My side garden has no sun, can I still make it a perennial garden bed?  What color do I paint my garden walls and shed?  How do I build a zen garden?  What pavers would you use for a rooftop terrace garden, vertical garden or roof garden?  Can we use modern landscaping ideas for a small garden?  How can I achieve privacy from my neighbors?

The answer to all these questions is to begin with a plan. A garden design plan or a landscape design master plan for your property.

Why a design plan?

Think holistically. Recognize the interconnectedness of indoor space with outdoor space and its possibilities

First you must take inventory of your needs, aspirations and challenges of the site.  Consider your lifestyle, short term plans and long term plans for your family and property. Who are the users of the space and will that change. What about programming? (Will you be entertaining, using it as playspace for kids, installing a pool, kitchen garden, cutting garden and so on…)

Very seldom does a home builder or architect give the same thought and consideration to the outdoor home surroundings than they do to the interior of the home.  We enter a home the moment we set foot on the property, and not when we cross the threshold into the residence.

Residential landscape design is not foundation planting, it is not merely beautification with pretty plants, it is the integration of house and site, custom designed for you. 
 

LEARN MORE >> DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE

WHAT IS A GARDEN DESIGNER?

A garden designer is a professional who designs the plan and features of gardens.

The compositional elements of garden design and landscape design are: terrain, water, plantings, constructed elements, buildings, paving, site characteristics and genius loci, (a sense of place) and the local climactic qualities.

Garden designers create brownstone garden design, townhouse garden design, roof garden design, residential garden design and public garden design. A garden design in Brooklyn, New York (an urban garden design) is just as challenging as a country estate.  Creating a successful Brooklyn garden design is just as rewarding to the designer as is the creation of a 5-acre site.

Garden designers are skilled specialists dealing with master planning of landscapes and design of gardens, consulting with advice for clients, providing direction and supervision during construction, and the management of establishment and maintenance once the garden has been created. Many garden designers have formal education and practical education. As with any professional, a combination of the formal education and practical education and experience bodes well for the client. 

They are able to survey the site, and prepare drawings for the development of a garden from concepts to construction, and resource the plant and building materials. The complexities in contemporary environmental design issues and technology increase the scope professional garden designers fill.

WHY HIRE A GARDEN DESIGNER?

GARDEN DESIGN IDEAS FOR PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN

A significant part of my practice in New York City is designing and installing small gardens, in particular Brooklyn brownstone gardens.  Here are a few ideas for small garden design specifically for a Park Slope Brownstone garden.

1. A small garden outside your home is an extension of your indoor space. It is an outdoor room, or rooms -- if you have the ability to create multiple levels. Inherently there should be a relationship between the outdoor space and the architecture of your home.

2. Maximize your space. In many situations designing round shapes in small gardens create leftover, wasted spaces.  Try using squares/rectangles so that every square inch can be used. Try designing with a grid. (An alternative would be laying your hardscape pavers on a 45-degree angle)

3. A Park Slope, Brooklyn garden design should plan for the most effective way to install and manage the garden before building it.  Transporting materials, equipment, plant material, soil, etc. through small spaces, basements and garden apartments needs to be thought through carefully.

4. Consider the seasonal views looking out to the garden from inside the brownstone or townhouse.

5. Keep the plant palette simple!  Repeating plants and combinations of plants bring cohesion to a design. Different foliage shapes create complexity within the planting design.  This becomes even more critical when you are designing a shade garden.  Many Park Slope gardens are shade gardens.

CONTINUED (Tips 6-9)…