Why design fees are priced by deliverable, not by garden size.
It is intuitive to assume a bigger section means a bigger design fee, and section size does play a role, but it is rarely the dominant factor. A small, awkward, sloping courtyard with three retaining questions and a tight access constraint can take a designer longer to resolve on paper than a large, flat, straightforward rear lawn. What actually sets the fee is the depth of documentation being paid for: a concept sketch that communicates a direction is a fundamentally different scope of work from construction drawings precise enough for a contractor to quote and build from without guessing.
This matters because comparing two design quotes by their headline number alone can be misleading if one is pricing a concept sketch and the other is pricing full documentation with levels, setout and a planting schedule. This page separates the fee structures that are actually being compared, the factors that move a fee within each structure, and how to read a design quote against the deliverable you actually need.
Cost drivers
What sets a design fee, beyond section size.
Four factors explain most of the variation between design quotes for a similarly sized site.
Planning noteThe single biggest lever on a design fee is usually documentation depth — clarify exactly what is being drawn before comparing two quotes as if they were the same scope.
Compare fee structures
Fixed fee, hourly and percentage-of-build pricing.
Landscape designers in New Zealand price using a mix of these structures — understanding which one you are being quoted changes how to compare it.
Fixed fee
How it worksOne agreed price for a defined deliverable
Best fitWell-defined scope, budget certainty preferred
Watch forWhat counts as a scope change that triggers an extra fee
Hourly rate
How it worksBilled against time actually spent
Best fitEvolving or exploratory briefs
Watch forNo hard cap unless an estimate range is agreed upfront
Percentage of build cost
How it worksFee set as a percentage of the eventual construction budget
Best fitDesign-and-build engagements with one team end to end
Watch forFee moves if the construction budget changes
Worked scenarios
Two different design engagements, two different fees.
The same site can produce very different fees depending purely on what is being commissioned.
New-build section, concept-only brief
A blank canvas section with levels already supplied by the builder. The brief is a concept layout and planting direction to guide a landscaper's quote, without full construction drawings. Because the site assessment burden is low (levels already exist) and the deliverable is concept-only, this typically lands at the lower end of the Entry band, around $1,800–$3,000.
Established sloping garden, full documentation with staged construction support
An existing garden with retained trees, a level change to resolve and a full construction drawing set required for tendering to contractors, plus the designer available to answer contractor queries during the build. The site assessment, drawing depth and construction-phase involvement together push this into the Complex band, typically $14,000–$22,000 depending on how many revision rounds are needed to resolve the retained-tree constraint.
Choosing a designer
What to confirm before engaging, and before comparing fees.
A fee comparison is only meaningful once the deliverable behind each number is understood.
- Ask exactly what documentation is included: a concept sketch, full construction drawings, or something in between.
- Confirm how many revision rounds are included and what an additional round costs.
- Clarify whether site assessment (levels, soil, existing services) is included in the fee or needs to be supplied separately.
- Ask whether the designer is available during construction to answer contractor questions, and whether that is charged separately.
- Request to see drawings from a comparable project, not just finished photographs, so the documentation depth is visible before you commit.
Frequently asked questions.
Is landscape design worth paying for on a small section?
Even a small or simple section benefits from resolving circulation, zoning and material direction on paper, where changes cost nothing, rather than during construction, where they are expensive to undo. A concept-only engagement at the lower end of the fee range is often proportionate for a smaller brief.
Does a design fee get deducted from the construction cost?
This varies by designer and by engagement type. Design-and-build arrangements sometimes credit part of the design fee against construction if the same team builds the project; concept-only or documentation-only fees are usually a standalone cost regardless of who eventually builds the work.
Why did my design fee increase after the first concept round?
Most commonly because the brief changed materially after seeing the first concept — a new priority was added, or the scope grew — or because more revision rounds were used than the fee originally included. Clarifying the revision structure upfront avoids surprise here.
Can I use design drawings to get quotes from multiple contractors?
Yes, and this is one of the main reasons to commission full documentation rather than a concept sketch — drawings with levels, setout and material specification let multiple contractors quote against an identical scope, which makes their quotes genuinely comparable.
Sources & methodology
Designed to show its working.
Design fee structures and inclusions vary between practices. This page describes general fee mechanics for planning purposes; specific fees should be confirmed directly with the designer for the site and brief in question.