Planning a garden without a professional garden architect can be expensive. In an outdoor area designed without a concept, costly failures, time-consuming repair work and a lot of trouble are inevitable. Familiarize yourself with what costs you will incur when planning with a garden architect. Benefit from useful tips on how to noticeably reduce costs.
Why does professional garden planning make sense?
Sowing a lawn, pulling a fence, planting plants and setting up chairs doesn't make a dream garden. Although the well-read home gardener can carry out each of the tasks on his own, important aspects are overlooked. Lawn is no longer the ultimate in creative garden design, as tasteful and easy-care alternatives are more in keeping with the spirit of the times. If the architectural style of the fence and the house do not match, an appearance characterized by disharmony is created. The most beautiful perennials, flowers and trees are picky and have species-specific requirements for the location. A qualified landscape architect is familiar with these and other criteria. Under his professional guidance, you will be spared costly and time-consuming experiments when you redesign your garden.
Tip:
Don't ask yourself the question: Can I afford professional garden planning? – The better question is: Can I afford to tackle the project without a garden architect at my side?
What services does a garden architect provide?
Two hearts beat in the garden architect. He has the intelligence of a technical-constructive engineer and the imagination of a creative artist. The qualified engineer also does not lack empathy because he gives his customers' garden dreams a tangible shape. Based on in-depth background knowledge, under his expert guidance, even the barren, empty outdoor area of the new building is transformed into a picturesque oasis of well-being for the whole family. This masterpiece succeeds primarily because the certified garden architect is familiar with geological, botanical and design factors and also does not ignore sober aspects such as electricity or water connections. Last but not least, the professional garden planner always keeps an eye on his client's financial budget and strives for the most cost-effective solution possible and of the best quality. The portfolio consists of the following services:
- Terrain modeling including slopes, embankments, stairs and walls
- Site-specific planting plan as the heart of every garden architecture
- Path plan with adequate surfaces to suit budget and garden theme
- Conception of the enclosure in coordination with the house and garden style
- Lighting plan including all connections
- Incorporation of small and large water worlds, from the pond to the swimming pool to the waterfall
- Inclusion of sculptures, trellises, water features and seating
These services are carried out in close cooperation with the client or garden owner in order to implement their wishes and ideas in such a way that they comply with the costs and budget. In practice, the process follows a proven step-by-step plan. After an on-site discussion with the help of the site plan, the garden architect creates a preliminary draft, followed by a detailed draft and approval planning. This work results in a planting plan including a concrete quantity determination and price list. The client receives various detailed plans for visualization purposes. If the order is placed, the garden architect takes over construction management and creates documentation.
Fee regulations provide planning security
No question, nature around the house has its price. In order for your green and outdoor space to be transformed into a paradise that ideally blooms in the first season, you have to invest money. To ensure that the costs of hiring a qualified garden architect do not get out of hand, there is the HOAI (Fee Regulations for Architects and Engineers). This applies to all garden planners, regardless of their individual qualifications. We have summarized the most important key points for you below:
- HOAI as the legal basis for billing orders from 20,000 to 1.5 million euros plus VAT
- Is always applicable for billing for construction costs of 20,000 euros or more, even if not expressly agreed
- Fees for construction costs below 20,000 euros are freely negotiable
- Classification according to fee zones I to V takes into account the level of planning requirements from very low to very high
- Defines the price for a total of 9 service phases for each fee zone
One aspect makes the fee structure understandable even for laypeople. The basis for the billing of the individual services is generally the amount of the allowable costs that are incurred in total for the realization of the project. Up to an order volume of 20,000 euros to 150,000 euros, the costs are staggered in increments of 5,000 euros upwards. From 150,000 euros, the graduated prices increase in increments of 50,000 euros. The following example clarifies the procedure by listing the specifications of the fee schedule for order volumes of 20,000 euros, 50,000 euros and 1,000,000 euros, each based on the middle fee zone III, supplemented by the indication of the maximum permitted rate for fee zone V in brackets:
Applicable costs: 20,000 euros to 25,000 euros
- Basic investigation: 156.87 euros (243.24 euros)
- Preliminary draft: 522, 90 euros (810, 80 euros)
- Draft: 836, 64 euros (1,297, 28 euros)
- Approval planning: 209, 16 euros (324, 32 euros)
- Planting plan: 1,307.25 euros (2,027.00 euros)
- Quantity determination and obtaining offers: 366.03 euros (567.56 euros)
- Price table: 156.87 euros (243.24 euros)
- Construction management: 1,568, 70 euros (2,432, 40 euros)
- Property management and documentation: 104.58 euros (162.16 euros)
Applicable costs: 50,000 euros to 55,000 euros
- Basic investigation: 342.48 euros (531.03 euros)
- Preliminary draft: 1,141, 60 euros (1,770, 10 euros)
- Draft: 1,826, 56 euros (2,832, 16 euros)
- Approval planning: 456.64 euros (708.04 euros)
- Planting plan: 2,854.00 euros (4,425.25 euros)
- Quantity determination and obtaining offers: 799.12 euros (1,239.07 euros)
- Price table: 342.48 euros (531.03 euros)
- Construction management: 3,424, 80 euros (5,310, 30 euros)
- Property support and documentation: 228.32 euros (354.02 euros)
Applicable costs: 1,000,000 euros to 1,250,000 euros
- Basic investigation: 4,288, 26 euros (6,649, 23 euros)
- Preliminary draft: 14,294, 20 euros (22,164, 10 euros)
- Draft: 22,870, 72 euros (35,462, 56 euros)
- Approval planning: 5,717, 68 euros (8,865, 64 euros)
- Planting plan: 35,735, 50 euros (55,410, 25 euros)
- Quantity determination and obtaining offers: 10,005, 94 euros (15,514, 87 euros)
- Price table: 4,288, 26 euros (6,649, 23 euros)
- Construction management: 42,882, 60 euros (66,492, 30 euros)
- Property management and documentation: 2,858, 84 euros (4,432, 82 euros)
The division into different service phases takes the time required into account. The basic determination accounts for around 2 percent of the fee because it only determines the client's specific task. The second most expensive architectural service is the creation of the planting plan, accounting for 25 percent of the total fee. Understandably, the frontrunner is the very time-consuming construction management with a 32 percent fee share.
As the above excerpt from the HOAI 2013 makes clear, the costs of garden planning by a landscape and garden architect are capped. However, the prices stated there are not firmly cemented. In fact, there is scope for negotiation about the amount of costs, for example in the form of compensation based on hourly effort or as a flat fee. The most important requirement is that the amount of the final bill is within the minimum and maximum rates.
Tip:
Reputable garden architects always offer on-site introductory advice at a reasonable price of between 30 and 100 euros plus travel costs. If the order is placed, these costs will be offset against the total fee, so that the first visit is ultimately free.
Intensive garden planning for the small garden
If the order volume for garden planning is below 20,000 euros, a one-off intensive consultation on site will in many cases cover the entire planning requirement. This cheapest version for the use of a garden architect is particularly suitable when it comes to designing the following projects:
- Front garden of terraced or semi-detached house
- Ground-level “towel garden”
- Conventional terrace
- Garden area
Experience has shown that a local appointment in the garden is sufficient for the necessary planning work. When the garden designer leaves after 2 to 4 hours, you will have all the relevant information, including a professional hand sketch. It includes room layout, architecture and the design theme. The costs are calculated based on the time required at 25 to 30 euros per quarter of an hour plus travel costs. Competent garden and landscape builders are able to create the garden based on an impromptu design by an architect. Savvy home gardeners prefer to hire a garden architect who also does gardening and landscaping to carry out the construction and planting work. This has the advantage that if a minimum amount for this work is exceeded, the costs of garden planning are offset.
Tips for savings options
As this overview of the costs of garden planning shows, time is money. Regardless of whether you are blessed with a green thumb or are just beginning your career as a home gardener. With simple measures you can effectively influence the amount of your garden architect's fee bill. This is how it works:
- Send plans and pictures in advance by post or email and discuss them by phone
- Formulate your wishes and ideas in writing and send them to the garden architect before the appointment
- Ensure that all decision-makers are on site at the appointment to avoid subsequent changes
You can make the most of your savings potential by obtaining and comparing offers from different garden planners. Please also send your inquiries to planning offices that deliberately avoid using the term garden architect. In Germany, this professional and company title is legally reserved exclusively for owners who are members of a chamber of architects and who pay 19.9 percent of their income into the pension scheme of the chamber of architects.
This premise also applies to garden planners who have successfully completed their studies as landscape architects at a university or college as a qualified engineer. Numerous qualified garden architects remain exempt from the chamber and forego the professional title. As a customer, you benefit from this in cash, because garden and landscape planners largely include the whopping savings of almost 20 percent in their fees.
