How long does a garden design and build take?

The design stage usually takes a few weeks depending on the scale and how settled the brief is. The build runs from weeks to months depending on the size, complexity and ground conditions. We give you a clear programme with the proposal.

Do I get drawings before any work starts?

Yes. We develop a concept and detailed design with drawings, agree the materials and the scope, and set out an itemised proposal before anything is built.

Why is the planting done last?

Because it has to go into ground that is already shaped, drained and finished. Doing the groundwork and hard landscaping first, then planting, is what lets the scheme establish properly rather than being disturbed.

Can a project be done in phases?

Often, yes. A larger garden can be designed as a whole and built in phases to suit your budget and timing. We plan the phasing so each stage stands on its own and the whole still works.

Do you project manage the whole build?

Yes. As one firm we manage the whole project from survey to handover, including any specialist trades, so you have one point of contact throughout.

Explainer

What does a garden design and build project involve?

Consultation and survey, then design and drawings, then a written proposal, then the build (groundwork first, planting last), then handover.

In short

A garden design and build project runs in clear stages. It starts with a consultation and a proper site survey, moves into a concept and detailed design with drawings, then a written proposal and programme, and only then the build itself, with the groundwork and drainage done first, the hard landscaping and structures next, and the planting last, before handover. Using one firm to design and build keeps every stage accountable to the same team. The design stage usually takes a few weeks; the build depends on the size and complexity of the garden.

Most people have never commissioned a garden before, so it helps to know how a project actually runs. A garden design and build is not a single job but a sequence, and getting the order right is most of why the finished garden holds up.

It starts with a conversation and a site survey. We want to understand how you want to use the space and what you want it to feel like, and we take the levels and the ground conditions properly, because the ground decides what is possible. From there we develop a concept and detailed drawings, specify the materials, and set out a clear, itemised proposal and a programme. Nothing is built until the scope and the budget are agreed.

Then the build follows a deliberate order: the groundwork, drainage and any structural work first, because they are what everything else sits on, then the hard landscaping and any structures, water or lighting, and finally the planting. We hand it over knowing how it all works.

The single biggest decision is who does it. Because we design and build under one roof, the person who drew your garden is the person responsible for building it, so nothing is lost in a handover between a designer and a separate contractor, and the finished garden matches the drawing.

Arrange a consultation

Send a few photographs and a sentence about the site. We will reply personally.

Arrange a consultation