The most common mistakes to avoid when engaging a landscape designer or landscape architect

March 25th, 2024

11 min read

21:21

Do you have a major landscaping project in mind for your existing home or a new build? Are you at the point of considering a landscape designer or landscape architect for the project?

Before you commit to anyone, we'd like to share with you the most common mistakes we've found people tend to make when commencing landscaping works. Our experience has been gained over the past 30 years from assisting more than 550 of our clients to complete their landscaping projects largely without drama.

We could probably write a hundred more of these, but the ten we list here are definitely the most common mistakes to avoid.

Remember, you can only make the right decisions when you have the right information. So when it comes to potentially expensive projects like landscaping, it is best to make sure you have the correct knowledge to hand.

1. Not knowing the difference between designers and landscapers

If this is your first landscaping project, the industry can feel overwhelming. Understanding the different roles involved makes the process much clearer.

A landscape designer or landscape architect is responsible for creating the design of your garden but typically does not build it.

A landscaper constructs the garden but does not design it.

As with any profession, there are varying levels of skill, experience and service within both roles.

Some companies (including Whyte Gardens) provide a complete, end-to-end service, managing everything from initial landscape design through to construction. This means you only need to work with one team, creating a smoother and more streamlined experience.

It’s also important to understand that there are many steps between the design phase and the build phase of a new garden. This is often where confusion arises. Different designers and architects may include more or fewer of these stages in their service, which can leave you uncertain about what happens next and what your role in the process is meant to be.

2. Having a design and assuming you're ready to build

Once you’ve engaged a landscape designer or landscape architect, you may receive a set of detailed drawings and feel ready to move straight into construction. It’s easy to assume the next step is simply to hire a landscaper and start building.

However, as mentioned earlier, there are often several important stages between the design and construction phases. The number and complexity of these steps vary from project to project.

How smoothly these stages unfold can depend on how many of them your designer manages, as well as their level of experience, their understanding of construction, their level of care for the construction stage and how practically the design has been considered.

If your designer is not typically involved in the construction phase of the gardens they design, a myriad of possible mistakes can be made. Without experience of seeing what happens during construction, it’s easy to overlook practical considerations. We regularly review plans created by other designers that contain common errors, such as specifying unsuitable materials, recommending plants that won’t thrive in the garden’s conditions or proposing construction methods that aren’t appropriate.

One of the most frequent problems we see is a lack of cost awareness. Some designs are created with little or no consideration of budget. When these plans are later priced for construction, the quoted cost can come as a significant shock.

Sometimes they may be a great designer but not so good at maths, resulting in technical oversights. For example, designing a 3000 x 3000mm paved area but specifying 800mm-wide pavers meaning one row will need to be cut which affects the overall aesthetics. Or designing a 7450mm wall but nominate 2400mm concrete sleepers, when slight adjustments could have aligned perfectly with standard sizes, reducing waste and cost.

Another critical factor is compliance. If a designer is unfamiliar with local building codes and council requirements, the design may need substantial changes before approval, often resulting in delays and additional expense.

Choosing the right designer is essential to ensuring your project progresses smoothly from concept to completion. We have several blogs that can help guide you through selecting a landscape designer. We recommend you take a look Whyte Gardens Blog.

3. Choosing to Project Manage the job yourself

Once your garden design is complete, it’s tempting to think, “I could probably project manage this myself.” You might enjoy a challenge, or believe you’ll save a significant amount of money by not hiring a professional landscaper to carry out the build.

However, if you’ve ever watched programs like Grand Designs, you’ve likely seen how quickly things can unravel when homeowners take on construction management without the necessary experience. While there are occasional success stories, more often the result is stress, delays and very costly mistakes.

If you do decide to manage the project yourself, it’s essential to set realistic expectations. It will almost certainly take longer than you anticipate. You’ll encounter unexpected issues. And you may find yourself saying things like, “I didn’t realise you couldn’t…” or “How was I supposed to know that…?”

If you feel that uneasy knot in your stomach, the sense that you might be taking a gamble, you probably are. It may be worth pausing to reconsider.

If you’d like an unbiased, no-obligation conversation about the pros and cons of managing your own garden project, we’re always happy to chat.

4. Contracting a pool company before the design is settled

It’s a common misstep: choosing the pool first, then engaging a landscape designer or architect.

Many people start by exploring different pool styles and finishes, selecting the one they like best, signing a contract and only after this, bring in a designer. The assumption is that the garden will simply be designed around the pool.

In reality, the opposite approach works far better.

A pool should sit within a well-considered garden design, not dictate it. The garden is the bigger picture. The pool is one element within it.

You might think this sounds biased, but we can give you dozens of examples of projects that have been compromised because the pool contract was signed before the overall design was completed.

In one instance, a client briefed us to create an aspirational garden for their “forever home.” Before we had even finalised the concept, they signed a contract for a fibreglass pool with a separate spa. From that point on, we were forced to design around a pre-selected pool and spa combination. The end result was perfectly functional, but it lacked the cohesion and “wow” factor that an integrated pool and spa design could have achieved. The elements would have flowed seamlessly together rather than feeling like separate additions.

There’s also a practical consideration. You don’t want your pool installer and landscaper operating independently with no clear coordination. Ideally, site sequencing should be managed by the landscaper in collaboration with the pool company, not the other way around.

When this coordination doesn’t happen, problems arise. For example, if a pool is installed before access for other works has been considered, it can block machinery from entering the site. In one project, we were forced to complete substantial excavation work by hand, at additional cost to the client, simply because an excavator could no longer access the area. With proper planning, the sequence of works would have been reversed and the issue avoided entirely.

The right order makes all the difference: design the garden first, then integrate the pool into a cohesive, well-managed build.

5. Underestimating the regulations involved

If you’ve never undertaken a major landscaping project before, you may be surprised by just how many rules and regulations now apply and how many permits may be required.

Decades ago, garden projects were relatively straightforward. Today, it’s a very different story. As one building surveyor recently told us, “It’s now more complex to obtain permits for landscaping than it is to get them for building a house.”

Navigating council requirements and other regulatory authorities can involve a significant number of approvals. These processes don’t just add time to your project, they can also introduce unexpected costs, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with the system.

Here’s just a small sample of what may apply to your garden project:

Decking almost always requires a building permit and often a planning permit as well.
Retaining walls may require a building permit in certain circumstances. If they’re close to boundary fences or enable you to overlook your neighbour's property, council permits may also be required.
Pergolas and verandahs commonly require permits.
Heritage-listed properties often have multiple overlays that strictly control what changes can be made.
Easements on your property typically require approval before any works can occur over them.
Arborist reports are often mandatory if there are significant existing trees on site.
Soil reports may be needed to confirm ground stability for structures such as pools or retaining walls.

And that’s only the beginning.

The most common mistake we see is simple underestimation. People don’t realise how many permits and approvals may be required until they’re already well underway.

This is where the experience of a highly-experiened designer or landscaper becomes invaluable. Having a conversation before you begin can give you a realistic understanding of the scope, timeframes and level of effort involved, helping you avoid delays, frustration and costly surprises later on.

6. Underestimating your budget

We all have a tendency toward wishful thinking. It’s human nature to imagine the best-case scenario.

But when it comes to “guesstimating” the cost of a new garden, that optimism can lead us seriously astray. Most people simply have no real sense of what individual elements cost, let alone the labour involved in bringing everything together.

For many years, we surveyed clients before beginning their garden design. We asked them to nominate their anticipated budget range. The majority estimated somewhere between $100,000–$150,000. Yet once their full wish list was compiled and a concept design prepared, the projected investment almost always doubled. That gives you some idea of how common underestimation is.

At the other end of the spectrum are clients who prefer not to nominate a budget at all. Their view is often:
"We don’t want to limit your creativity. Take our wish list, design the best garden you can, and then we’ll look at the costs." Their attitude is, “Show us what’s possible. If we love it, we’ll find a way to make it happen.” It’s a very different approach, one driven by inspiration rather than constraint.

Between these two extremes are those who, upon discovering their dream garden costs twice what they had imagined, pour themselves a good single malt, make a few strategic adjustments to the design and accept that their original estimate may have been a little optimistic.

If you’d like to avoid underestimating your garden budget, we strongly recommend reading our article: How much will it cost to get my new garden landscaped. It provides a realistic guide to what’s involved.

The goal is to avoid the emotional rollercoaster — designing a garden you fall in love with, discovering the cost, feeling deflated and then settling for a cheaper alternative that never quite delivers what you hoped for.

7. Engaging a landscaper who is too cheap

Some people try to correct the previous mistake, underestimating their budget, by engaging the cheapest landscaper they can find. Unfortunately, this often makes the problem worse.

If you’ve invested in a professional garden design and genuinely love the outcome, handing it over to a landscaper whose price is dramatically lower than everyone else’s can be risky.

If you do have a garden design, we absolutely recommend obtaining several quotes. However, the key is understanding what you’re actually comparing. Not all quotes are created equal. (For some tips, take a look at this article - How to compare different landscapers' costs)

We’ve had situations where competing landscapers have submitted quotes 50% cheaper than ours. In one case, the landscaper had simply failed to include labour costs altogether, something the client only realised after we pointed it out.

In another instance, we were again undercut by roughly 50%. When that happens, clients understandably wonder whether we are overpriced or whether the other landscaper doesn’t fully understand how to estimate the work. At Whyte Gardens, our quotations are developed based on our years of experience of accurately recording time and materials required to carry out the works. We use detailed estimating software to ensure accuracy. So when we see a price gap of that magnitude, it usually signals that something has been omitted or downgraded.

Interestingly, we later saw this project after it was completed by a cheaper landscaper. The differences were clear. The specified exposed aggregate driveway had become simple gravel. A 200mm concrete block wall was replaced with a single brick wall of questionable strength. A rendered finish was substituted with sponged mortar. The plant sizes were significantly smaller than outlined in the design brief. The result wasn’t just different, it felt compromised, cheap and disappointing.

And that’s the real risk. A beautifully designed garden deserves to be built properly.

Our general advice when reviewing quotes is simple: if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

8. Trying to save money by avoiding permit costs

Another common mistake is attempting to avoid the cost (and perceived delays) associated with obtaining the necessary permits for certain aspects of a garden project. Unfortunately, this approach can carry significant risk.

This issue often goes hand-in-hand with trying to project manage the build yourself (Point No. 3 above) but it can also arise when engaging a landscaper who is not a Registered Building Practitioner. Without the right qualifications and processes in place, required permits and compliance steps may be overlooked. For more information on the risks of going down this path, please see this article What type of landscaper will I need for my new garden project?)

For example, when we design a garden that includes a structure such as a verandah, we ensure it complies with building codes and engage the appropriate professionals, including an engineer and building surveyor. However, some clients choose to proceed with another contractor who does not involve an engineer or obtain the required building permit.

We were recently asked to review a situation where a homeowner purchased an established property, only to be contacted by council shortly afterwards to advise that the deck on the property had been built without a permit and did not comply with building regulations. The new owners were faced with two options: demolish the deck entirely, or engage a designer and building inspector to retrospectively assess and certify the structure, assuming it met code. If it didn’t, it would need to be removed and rebuilt. Either pathway involved considerable stress, time and expense.

In cases like this, the current property owner may attempt to pursue the original builder but this can become a complex and costly process.

The reality is that bypassing permits can expose you to significant financial and legal consequences.

That’s why we follow the correct procedures and comply fully with regulations, protecting both our clients and our business from unnecessary risk.

9. A mismatched budget and wishlist

One of the challenges of starting a new garden project is arriving with a fixed budget that doesn’t align with the vision you have in mind.

This can quickly lead to frustration and the question: “Why have you designed something that’s beyond my budget?”

It’s similar to seeing the advertised price of a new car, then heading to the dealership with a long list of optional extras. The base model might be $78,000 but once all the additions are included, the total jumps to $95,410. The difference can be confronting.

The key difference with landscaping is that there isn’t a standardised price list to reference. If you say, “I have $150,000 to spend and I’d like an outdoor kitchen, paving, a basketball court, planting, lighting, irrigation and more,” your designer can’t simply total up a set of fixed prices. The garden first needs to be designed to understand what’s possible within the space and even then, costs can shift as the design evolves.

Take paving as a simple example. How many square metres will be required? That isn’t known until the layout is developed. Then, as the design is refined, you might decide to extend an area, adjust how you step out from the house, or incorporate an additional feature, all of which affect quantities and costs.

It’s also important to remember that during the design phase, only indicative cost ranges can be provided. Detailed costing is typically the role of a landscape estimator once the design is resolved.

The reality is that no one can accurately price something that doesn’t yet exist. A concept must first be created before meaningful cost guidance can be given.

Landscaping is a creative process built around your goals and wishlist. However, having a realistic understanding of what various elements cost will help ensure your brief aligns with your budget. Ultimately, either the wishlist or the budget may need to be adjusted and clarity around that from the beginning makes for a far smoother experience.

10. Taking one specialist's advice on another's speciality

A major landscaping project involves a wide range of specialists and trades. From concreters and carpenters to electricians, plumbers, pool installers and horticulturists, each plays a specific role in bringing a new garden to life.

All of these trades must be carefully coordinated on site. This is best managed by an experienced site coordinator or project manager who understands how each specialist contributes to the overall build and how their work impacts others.

When projects aren’t managed this way, costly mistakes can occur, particularly if you attempt to project manage the build yourself. It’s important to seek advice from the right professional in the right area. A horticulturist shouldn’t be advising on driveway paving. A plumber isn’t the authority on pool lighting design. And a decking contractor shouldn’t be determining your planting plan.

We’ve even encountered situations where a pool installer suggested they could install the pool first and the landscaper could “work around it later.” What they didn’t understand were the structural considerations (including retaining walls and surrounding concrete works) that needed to be carefully staged. Had we not coordinated the sequence of works, the result could have been a poorly installed pool with paving prone to movement and cracking, leading to ongoing repairs for years to come.

The takeaway is simple: every specialist has their area of expertise. Ensuring the right professional is guiding each aspect of the project is critical to achieving a durable, high-quality outcome.

The golden rule of any building site is that experience matters. Sound judgement comes from years of hands-on involvement and that makes a significant difference to the final result.

As mentioned at the beginning, these are some of the most common mistakes people make when engaging a landscape designer or landscaper. By understanding them upfront, you can avoid unnecessary stress, delays and expense.

If you have any questions about the topics covered here, we welcome you to get in touch. We’re always happy to help guide you in the right direction.