Money - in Cabaret they said it makes the world go round, but Pink Floyd reckoned it was the root of all evil. Either way, it’s a subject that always comes up when we’re discussing gardens with clients. One thing that we always discuss is the likely cost of the project - and how this compares to the client’s thoughts on their budget. This is one reason why our case studies specifically include the project’s budget to give some idea of the likely cost before they get in touch with us. It’s difficult to come up with a precise figure for the garden’s cost at the initial consultation but we can at least make sure that the designer and client are both in the same ballpark.
Very few clients have unlimited funds for their garden so as designers we have to be realistic and work with an eye on the client’s budget. This has a couple of effects on the design process. For example, during the initial design of the sketch plan a lower than optimal budget will mean that hard landscaping such as paved areas, retaining walls and steps may be limited and of course there is less scope for things like water features, lighting and bespoke structures. Once the sketch plan is agreed there are still areas where the budget can be manipulated such as specifying treated softwood rather than a more desirable timber such as cedar or oak, or selecting a different paving material. We can even split the project into discrete phases for construction over several years - in such cases we recommend that we finalise a ‘master plan’ for the site in advance to ensure that the finished project works as a unified scheme rather than an assembly of disparate elements.
The outcome of this is that we will always work with our clients to achieve the optimum balance of design content versus project budget. Obviously we can’t work miracles and there will always be a ‘rock bottom’ cost for any given garden, but we’re always happy to discuss options.
Posted by puregardendesign
