Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Some designers charge for this initial meeting, but we would only charge travel time and expenses if your garden is a long way from East Lothian.

I may share some of my initial reactions to the garden and potential design solutions, just to gauge what you might be looking for, but this meeting is primarily to talk through what you’re looking to achieve and how we can best work together, as opposed to producing design ideas. My design ideas usually evolve and change once I have spent more time considering your brief and working on scale models of your garden – after you have accepted our costed proposal.

Having a garden built can be a major undertaking. Even if you are not in love with your current garden, once the contractors move in, they very quickly turn it into something resembling a building site and it will look worse before it gets better! It is magical to see the new design emerge and eventually blossom, but given that the build can be quite disruptive, we help you get it right on paper first. The main steps, which are outlined in more detail on our ‘process’ page, are:

1. Free initial consultation- Site Survey and Analysis
2. Garden design briefing – followed by costs proposal
3. Tridimensional Presentation
4. Presentation Plan
5. Planting Plan
6. Renderings
7. Detailed design

Gardens can be designed at any time of year – although to design your garden ahead of time, planning is key to getting exactly what you want at the time your want it. The longer you have, the smoother the process is. Don’t wait until it’s too late if you want your garden ready for the next 6 months as you’ll end up with a rushed design (if you can find anyone free) or even cut out the whole design process (don’t do that, a big mistake, it will cost you more and you will be disappointed with the final result).

This is one of the most common questions we are asked and one of the most difficult to answer before we have done any design work and agreed the scope of the work. The first thing to say is that we will work hard during all stages of the design and build process to make the most effective use of your budget.

Our fees depend primarily on how complex the design work is; sloped gardens with more elements and design challenges (eg awkward shapes or existing elements that have to be incorporated) are more time consuming than a site that is flat and a straightforward shape, and currently has very little in it. Size is a factor, but larger gardens are not necessarily more expensive to design. Our fees are usually split between:

• Concept design (30-50%)
• Detailed design and overseeing the build (50-70%)

Designer fees are a relatively small proportion of the overall cost of creating a garden (typically approx. 10% of the build cost) so it is probably more important to choose the right designer for you than get overly focussed on cost at this stage.

We recommend you don’t make cost the only consideration when selecting a garden designer. As a designer needs to have a wide range of skills and you will be working with them for some time, choose someone who you feel you will be happy working with.

A well designed garden will not only bring many years of joy to your life, it will also enhance and add value to your property – so it’s an investment. Think of it as an ‘outdoor room’ or extension to your house.

The cost of course depends on the scope of the project, choice of materials, how prepared you are to wait for young plants to mature (rather than planting more mature specimens for instant impact). A ball park figure for build of a garden can sometimes be given after the concept design, but an accurate figure cannot be produced until all the detailed design drawings and specification have been submitted to contractors. These are some VERY rough ball park figures for a small-medium garden.

There are 2 main options:

1. Do the project in stages. This tends to happen more with larger gardens, but it is perfectly possible to phase the completion on any garden. The important thing is to be clear on the design – producing the overall concept design and ‘masterplan’. We would recommend using a designer to create a plan for the whole garden as it will ‘flow’ better than if it is done in bits. Once this is in place we can obtain costs for building separate parts of the garden and agree a phased build, based on your priorities and available funds. Building the garden in phases can increase the total cost, partly due to inflation, but also because it is more efficient for a contractor to set up what they need once. You also have to be careful that subsequent build work does not damage anything that was finished earlier.
2. Reduce the scope. It is possible to reduce the cost by removing elements such as water features, structures or by choosing different materials. Changing elements of a design often has knock on effects, so could incur some additional design cost, but the overall cost will be lower.

There is an additional option which is only to plan to design and build part of the garden from the outset. For example, if you want to enlarge the terrace, add a pond or build an outdoor kitchen it’s perfectly possible to landscape a section of the garden. These may be examples of when it makes more sense to work directly with a landscaper.

This depends on the extent of the changes. Because we take into account multiple factors when creating a design, changing one aspect of it can have knock on effects that can take some time to resolve. As long as the overall scope of the brief has not changed and the amendments are relatively minor then we do not charge to make revisions. It doesn’t usually happen, but if changes require us to go back to the drawing board as it were, then we would agree the cost of coming up with a new design.

Building a garden is a significant investment, so we work hard to ensure that you are happy with the concept design before moving on.

Without an agreed design and detailed specification there can be all sorts of misunderstandings and a contractor can construct something, perhaps the way that they are used to doing it, but with unexpected or unwanted results.

A good garden design takes account of a wide range of factors:

The benefits of engaging a professionally trained and experienced garden designer such as Andreea Scurtu from Gardens&Projects are:

Garden Designers have to be technically and horticulturally knowledgeable, but they are also artists. They paint with plants, use materials in creative ways and design spaces that are both practical and evoke emotion. If you are looking for something unique to you and want the wow factor then engaging a designer is the best place to start.

Landscapers have a wide range of skills and equipment that enable them to reshape and contour a site, install new drainage, build proper foundations, construct garden structures, and install sometimes quite technically demanding designs, safely and to budget. If you are simply replacing or renewing something – such as a drive, terrace or boundary, it is unlikely that a designer will add enough value to make it worth hiring one and you may want to hire a landscaper directly.

To complicate the picture slightly there are also ‘design and build’ companies who do both. These companies can vary widely in their design flair and expertise. Some are very good, but others can be very mediocre. The advantage of using a landscaper with in house design skills is that it can potentially be cheaper as they might not produce all the detailed construction drawings and specification that a designer would. However, they may also try to win your business by charging less for the design work, and you then have no guarantee that they would be the cheapest when it comes to building the garden. The advantages of using a garden designer are:

• They are focused entirely on design and are passionate about it. They are more likely to produce something original as a design/build company may, sometimes unconsciously, produce a ‘safe’ design that they know how to build
• A garden designer will produce detailed specifications and ask more than one landscaper to tender for the work, which ensures that they are quoting on a like for like basis and delivering value for money
• During the build a landscaper may make decisions based on more pragmatic considerations which, whilst not technically wrong, could potentially compromise the design, whereas with a designer overseeing the build you can be more assured that practical considerations will be balanced with integrity of the design

Definitely not! We have designed gardens as varied as large country gardens of several acres to small residential gardens of only a few metres, and even courtyard cafes and care home gardens! The point of good garden design is to make the most of the space you have available, which works from a practical point of view and is also a beautiful space that you can enjoy for many years to come.

Yes. Photorealistic 3D visualisation is an important part of our design process.

These visualisations help clients understand:

• Spatial layout and circulation  
• Materials and textures  
• Planting structure  
• Scale and proportion  
• The relationship between the house and garden  

This creates much greater clarity before landscaping begins.

You can learn more on our 3D Garden Visualisation page.

Yes. We also provide walkthrough presentations that allow clients to experience the proposed garden spatially before construction begins.

These walkthroughs help communicate atmosphere, movement through the space, and how different areas connect in practice.

Many homeowners find it difficult to fully visualise a garden from technical plans alone.

3D visualisation reduces uncertainty by helping clients explore layouts, planting, materials, and proportions before committing to the build stage. This makes it easier to refine the design confidently during the planning phase.

This depends on a range of things:

• The complexity of the project
• When Landscape contractors are available to start. Good landscapers can often be booked up for several months in advance, so early planning to get work start dates agreed is essential
• The lead time for specific elements such as bespoke furniture or swimming pools
• How quickly decisions can be made along the way
• The great British weather! Landscapers are hardy souls and can continue working in most weathers, but very heavy rain or freezing temperatures can mean that they have to down tools occasionally.
• What trees, hedging and other plants are being used. Different types of plants are often only available at certain times of year

With all these factors playing a part, it’s likely that for substantial jobs the process of moving from design to a complete garden will take several months and some can take over a year.

Ideally any alterations will be minimal as any concerns will have been addressed during the design stage. However, we understand that it is sometimes difficult to visualise how some things will look until they appear in reality. Sometimes views don’t work quite as expected or a space doesn’t ‘feel right’.

To minimize problems we check things at the ‘setting out’ stage as landscapers spray paint the design onto the ground at the start of the project. It is far easier and cheaper to make amendments at this stage than after the diggers have moved in or concrete has been laid!

Ultimately of course it’s your garden and if you have concerns or we uncover issues as the build progresses, we will either find a different way of doing something or, if any changes involve additional cost, agree this with you before they are implemented.

Gardens & Projects is based in Musselburgh and works with clients across Edinburgh and East Lothian.

Projects regularly take place in areas including:

• Portobello  
• Leith  
• Stockbridge  
• Morningside  
• North Berwick  
• Haddington  

You can learn more on our Areas We Cover page.

Yes. New-build gardens often benefit significantly from professional design because they can initially lack structure, planting maturity, and a clear relationship between indoor and outdoor space.

A carefully planned design helps create a more cohesive and functional outdoor environment over time.

The first step is to contact us to discuss your garden, your goals for the space, and your location.

From there, we can explain the design process, answer any initial questions, and advise on suitable next steps for your project.