How much does garden design cost?
Garden costs split into two very different things: paying someone to decide what the garden should be, and paying someone to build it. Mixing them up is why quotes feel unpredictable.
5 min read · MyGardenova
1. The design itself
A local garden designer normally charges by project size or as a percentage of the build, and a full design package with site visits, drawings and planting plans is usually a four-figure sum. That is good value for a large or complicated garden, and a lot for a small one where you mainly want to know what it could look like.
An AI garden design sits at the other end: MyGardenova packages are one-time and range from $149 to $349, and give you a visual direction in two views, plant and material ideas, rough costs and next steps you can hand to a builder. It is not an engineering drawing set or a permit document — it is the decision-making stage, done quickly and cheaply.
Before — the photo you send
After — AI proposal
2. The build
Build cost depends far more on materials and labour rates where you live than on the design. As a rough ordering, from cheapest to most expensive per square metre:
- Gravel and ground preparation — cheapest surface, easy to change later
- Turf or seeded lawn
- Planting beds with soil improvement
- Timber deck on posts (2x4 and 4x4 lumber, cladding boards, screws)
- Concrete pavers or slabs laid on a proper base
- Fencing and screens
- Natural stone, retaining walls, steps, drainage and lighting — the most expensive items
Anything involving level changes, retaining or water is where budgets grow. A flat garden using gravel, planting and one timber deck is usually the cheapest way to get a big visual change.
3. How to keep the total down
- Fix the layout before buying anything — changes on paper are free.
- Spend on the surface you actually stand on; save on the rest.
- Buy smaller plants and plant more of them — they catch up within two seasons.
- Phase the work: floor and boundaries first, planting next, lighting and extras last.
- Get two or three local quotes using the same drawings and material list.
4. What you get from us before you spend on building
Every MyGardenova project includes two proposed views of your garden, a plain-language material list (2x4 lumber, cladding, pavers, gravel, fence panels, planters), plant suggestions, a rough cost range and suggested build phases — a downloadable report you can send straight to a contractor for quoting.
More guides
- Small backyard design ideas that actually fit
Layout ideas for small backyards: zones, seating, screening, planting and materials — with AI before and after examples.
- Scandinavian garden design: a practical guide
What makes a Nordic garden work — pale timber, gravel, grasses, birch and restraint — and how to apply it to your own yard.
- How to brief an AI garden design model
A practical, copy-ready guide to describing your space, needs and style so an AI garden model can create a useful proposal.
- How to photograph your garden for an AI design
Which photos to take, from where, in what light — so the AI keeps your house, boundaries and levels while redesigning the garden.
- How to describe garden style and materials
Plain words that actually change a design: decking, gravel, pavers, cladding, screens and planting — with word-by-word examples.
- Measurements and site details to send with your brief
How to measure a garden without a surveyor, and the sun, slope, drainage and access details that make an AI proposal buildable.
- How to ask for revisions that improve your design
Write revision requests the AI can act on: what to keep, what to change, one group of changes at a time, with ready examples.