FAQs

We offer both. Emerging Landscape Design is a design and build studio — Option A) we create the design with you, then manage construction through to completion, so you're working with one team from first sketch to finished garden rather than coordinating a separate designer and contractor yourself. Or Option B) we work with your trusted contracting partner (s) to design and then specify the landscape materials ready for build. We can then act as a supplier of certain elements (lighting, planting etc) or in a design advisory role to your contractors.

We work across Sussex and the surrounding Counties of the South East.

As a general guide, we typically work on gardens from around 300m² upwards — but size on its own isn't really what determines whether a project is a good fit for us.

What matters more is three things: your ambitions for the space (a pool, a garden studio, an extension, decking, patios, pergolas and similar), how much genuine problem-solving the site demands (sloping ground needing retaining walls or split levels, water features such as streams, difficult boundaries, restricted access), and budget. The first two determine the necessity of a design, the last one less so but obviously drives whether professional design fees should be spent against the overall project budget. The more a garden calls for real design thinking around those kinds of challenges and ambitions, rather than simply being planted up, the more likely it's a project where we can add value.

Get in touch by phone, email, or the contact form. We'll arrange an initial chat or email exchange, then a likely consultation and site visit, which is free of charge, to understand your project and talk through what's possible before any commitment on your side.

We work through four stages: an initial consultation to understand your brief and site, a design phase covering surveys and iterative concept development, a planning phase producing technical drawings and documentation, and finally the build itself.

Typically we would spend 4-12 weeks (dependent on size of undertaking) on the initial conceptual work before moving into phases; collaborative design iteration and outline specification and budgeting

The process is collaborative — we develop the design with you through review and revision, so you have the opportunity to shape the plan before it's finalised.

Both — it depends on how you'd like to work with us, and there are two models clients typically choose between.

Many clients start by commissioning us for the conceptual design, and as that relationship develops — and you get a feel for how we work and the vision we've put together for your garden — you ask us to take the project through to build using our preferred, trusted contractors. In this model we administer the build contract and manage payments with ongoing design oversight throughout; it's best described as contract administration with a designer's eye, rather than full project management.

Alternatively, some clients commission the concept design only, then either bring in their own contractors to carry out the build, or ask us to run a tender process on their behalf to help find the right contractor for the project.

You can see profiles of our key contracting partners on our About page.

Very much depends on the size, complexity and season of build. Small or micro projects/works can take a few weeks whilst large builds can take several months.

Will my garden be a building site for the whole project? How do you manage disruption?

We prepare a phased plan of works with you before anything begins, organised around your family's lifestyle, holidays, and capital deployment — as well as the best seasons to carry out each stage of the build. Wherever possible we work outward from the rear of the property, so the areas you use day to day are affected for the shortest time possible.

We also handle the practical side of keeping disruption to a minimum: contacting your neighbours ahead of time, managing parking, waste, and deliveries, and maintaining site safety throughout — covering everything from machinery and open trenches to planning around inclement weather.

Yes — the initial consultation and fee proposal are provided free of charge.

Design fees are calculated as a percentage of the overall build cost, in line with sliding-scale guidance published by the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (formerly the SGD) — typically around 18–20% of build cost on smaller projects, reducing to around 8–10% on larger-scale builds (£100,000–£500,000+), since design input doesn't increase in direct proportion to the size of the build. Where a project includes additional scope such as drone survey work, 3D terrain modelling, separately visualised renders, tendering work or detailed technical designs, this is quoted individually so you can see exactly what you're paying for.

Build costs vary considerably from project to project, driven primarily by the scope of what you're looking to achieve — a swimming pool, garden studio, extension, retaining structures for a sloping site, or extensive hard landscaping will all shift the budget significantly compared with a more modest refresh. Following your initial consultation, we'll give you a clear steer on likely build investment before any commitment on your side.

It's worth knowing how this differs from design-and-build competitors who quote design work very cheaply. Many can do this because they recoup the cost through their construction margin — meaning their proposals are effectively constrained to what's profitable for their own in-house build team. Our design fee reflects the genuine value of the work, and in exchange you retain the freedom to competitively tender the build across contractors, or use our contract administration service with our trusted partners, rather than being tied to one outcome from the outset.

We provide a maintenance plan for all our clients and can recommend local maintenance providers

We always create a final retention payment which is set aside so that our clients can fully sign off on all the works to their satisfaction. Beyond that payment which represents the end of the contract in terms of stage payments, there are contractual obligation provisions that allow clients to contact us for any issues regarding build (during the first year) and planting (at our discretion). However more importantly, we seek to maintain positive relationships well beyond project completion with all our clients therefore you will find us very approachable should issues arise after practical completion