How would you like Professional Garden Designers to work?

3 years ago

As a professional Garden Designer I get asked a lot about how I work. There is a great deal of information needed to arrive at the best result for any specific space, things like the surroundings (views, drainage, wind noise pollution etc.) and, to be a bit more ethereal, the feel of the place, apart from terrain,soil type dimensions etc. etc.

One thing which is very important as a Consultant, which is what a Garden Designer is, is that we don't want to give advice which won't work (due to something we didn't know about! or otherwise!). Professional Garden Designers should (I say should as unless they are part of professional organisation there is no policing of it I'm afraid) have Professional Indemnity Insurance to protect everyone against this possibility but generally this form of insurance is not understood and confused with Public Liability Insurance.

Anyway I do still wonder if there some sort of service which potential clients are hoping to find which is not on offer? We don't have a magic wand but perhaps the way things are presented could be better?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Hellen Pethers
3 years ago
In a way that mixes their expertise and ideas, with my space, character and ideas, creating a space we both love! Communication is key.
Garden Design Guru thanked Hellen Pethers
sarh123
3 years ago
Each time I have used a garden designer they completely underestimated the costs of implementing their design. The most recent one said “oh this always happens”! So I would like a designer who produces a plan and realistic budget.
Garden Design Guru thanked sarh123
Related Discussions
Gardening tips
Q
Comments (6)
I'd love to help answer this, but I'm in the USA and don't know what zone Ireland is in, what sort of soil you have, or how many hours of light on an average summer day various parts of your yard get. For a cottage garden look, you need some perennials and some annuals. You'll also want a rose trellis somewhere in the mix. While this may sound silly, what you might want to do is keep a camera or cell phone with you and take photos of local yards you admire during different seasons over the next year then have an experienced gardener help you identify the plants that you like in the photographs so you can get them in your yard. The reason to take photographs during different seasons is because different plants will be in bloom. The reason to take the photos locally is because you'll be better able to tell which plants grow well in your soil type and climate zone.
...See More
New kitchen, but just not working.
Q
Comments (448)
fragle0 ... congratulations on the new addition to your family. Have been following your lovely changes. You probably won't have time to work on the decor for a while. Just wanted to suggest that you try pulling the nesting tables forward to be more in line with front of the chairs & placing your floor lamp to the back of them. This will give a bit more light at night for reading in that area.Also switching the plant by the fireplace & the one on the corner by the sofa.
...See More
My Before and After picture for my garden
Q
Comments (95)
It makes me cross that people think they have a right to make some quite negative comments on this post. Masmccar76 put these photos on because she thought people would like to see a genuinely lovely transformation of her garden. Instead there have been some downright nasty comments. By all means make comments but keep them constructive. Houzz is all about is sharing ideas, not about being nasty
...See More
iPad app to help with re-design of house and garden
Q
Comments (3)
Hi Triona, I've reviewed the free floor plan software apps that are available. You can read them here. http://www.houseplanshelper.com/free-floor-plan-software.html Just FYI most software programs have an app where you can view your projects but I can't remember seeing one where you can actually work on your designs on your iPad Hope this helps Meg.
...See More
PRO
Garden Design Guru
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes sarh123 I know that is an issue in the industry and obviously it is distressing for you the client. I find that it affects me in that when I give a client a realistic estimate I have really reassure them that it is a realistic estimate because underestimates are rife in all areas, Even then I'm pretty sure that a lot of them don't believe me.

Architects, Builders and other trades frequently give underestimates. I know some people will just expect the job to cost twice whatever someone says. Unfortunately there are also those who contractors who just give a low price to get the job, which is a different but very worrying issue.

There can unforeseen things, like buried 'treasure' and in doing an estimate one has to allow something for this, without being too pessimistic and coming up with a big over-estimate.

There is also a very clear phenomenon that a high proportion of people, who don't think that they know what something will cost, give a budget which is almost exactly half of the real cost. That's not all people but maybe half of the time a client who specifies a budget (an a list of must haves - I hasten to add) will specify a budget half the size it needs be, with some accuracy...!

Apart from experience, in general it really helps to have built many garden projects myself so that I know the process and where things can take a lot time. It is perhaps worth saying that Contractor can vary quite a lot for perfectly valid reasons such as they may be very keen to secure work flow (so they price keenly) or they may be able to operate below the VAT threshold (usually by getting clients to pay direct for materials) or sometimes one Contractor has a better way to do a certain job. What Contractors add in terms of profit and allowing fro the unforeseen (which could include really challenging weather) will also vary.

These days I just do the planting and I deliberately overestimate by a little so that I can then bring the work in under the expected cost. That seems to be a real novelty!
Emmanuel
3 years ago
What does a Garden Designer do? Do you design the garden and build or just design?
PRO
Garden Design Guru
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Typically a garden designer will be creating the design, helping with the setting out of the plan and overseeing the project. Working in the same manner as an architect might work. You wouldn't expect to find an architect laying the bricks for a house they had designed....

If I was building every garden I design myself then I would only be able to work on half a dozen gardens a year. I have built many gardens which I designed but there are other professionals who are faster and better at laying slabs, erecting pergolas etc.

There is far more to know about design than most people imagine. If you are going to pay for a design service you don't really want a jack of all trades, do you?

Having said that garden designers are often very passionate about the spaces they are creating, so they may choose to get involved in certain aspects of the build, usually the planting. It is not unreasonable perhaps to expect your garden designer to be a good gardener.

With a garden build there may be specialist areas. An obvious thing is that an electrician will be getting the lighting installed but certain surfaces or timber work might be best done by a company who specialises in it (like say polished concrete). On a house build the people doing the roof are trained in roofing and that is probably all that they do.

With gardens there does tend to be a view that somebody should be doing everything, but I don't think that there is much reasoning to that.

Clients do tend to favor design and build companies, however sometimes this can mean being subject to some bias. Some design and build companies have particular deals with suppliers and always use the same materials or products in their projects. That's OK if the client is aware of this but maybe they would have liked or enjoyed some other element in the garden if the money had not gone on that?

Neither the design nor the building of gardens is a regulated industry in the UK so I would say that it is best to go and see a project that any professional you are planning to work with has done. It is very mixed industry with people in all areas of it sometimes being self-taught and other times having lots of paperwork - either of them could be more masterful than the other, the only way to know is to look.

How would you like Professional Garden Designers to work?

Comments (5)

Hellen Pethers

sarh123

Related Discussions

Garden Design Guru
Original Author

Emmanuel

Garden Design Guru
Original Author

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

How would you like Professional Garden Designers to work?

Comments (5)

Hellen Pethers

sarh123

Related Discussions

Garden Design GuruOriginal Author

Emmanuel

Garden Design GuruOriginal Author

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

Garden Design Guru
Original Author

Garden Design Guru
Original Author