How much does a professional garden design cost in Yorkshire 2026?

A concept design image from a 3D model

Let’s address the elephant in the room…

What influences garden design costs?

When I visit a garden the first thing I note is whether it is fairly flat or whether it has slopes and lots of changes in levels.  The latter will often necessitate larger design and construction costs because retained walls will, for example, be needed to flatten out parts of the garden for seating etc...

Then there is the time it will take to measure the garden - so much quicker if there are no existing obstacles/trees in the garden.  So, new builds will be a lot cheaper as they are usually a blank canvas!  Very large gardens will take longer to measure than small ones.  I prefer to measure gardens myself as I get to know the space in the measuring.  So, my fee will include a time element for measuring but some designers do not quote for measuring themselves and then you need to factor in the cost of a survey (usually much more).

The third factor is what the clients’ aspirations are - it will take longer to design a garden with a lot of bells and whistles but these are usually the most fun!

A further factor is experience - I have been designing gardens for more than 10 years, and have a foundation degree in garden design, so I will be able to anticipate problems the build may have and can design around them.

If you choose Jo Manfredi-Hamer Garden Design you can roughly expect to pay between £600 and £900 for the measure and initial concept design. The initial concept plan will include a bird's eye 2D plan which is to scale and 3D modelling of the new garden.  This is a better deal than most of our competitors according to ChatGPT!

Planting schemes and hard landscaping plans containing details of materials for the landscaper to use will be more.

How much should you expect to pay for the new garden to be built?

Typical landscaping budgets range from £15,000 to £100,000 plus.  Hard landscaping costs more than plants so, for budgets at the lower end, it may be cost effective to combine, say, a patio with a planting scheme.

When do you need a designer and when a landscaper?

If you know exactly what you want, and do not want anyone to challenge you to think of any other designs, you will need a landscaper.

If, however, you either:

- do not know what you want, or
- have some ideas but are unsure how to turn them into a workable design,

you need a professional garden designer.  A garden designer can produce workable plans for landscapers to follow and we have built up excellent relationships with really good landscapers.

Still not convinced?  Want to discuss how we can add value?  Contact me today.

Free Initial Discussion

Thinking of transforming your garden?  Call Jo today on 07816 844 188 or email her at [email protected]