I charge a flat fee for small plans, by the hour and the scope of the work they want for anything larger.

My target market is the weekend gardener who wants a renovation plan with the phases in order of execution who will do most of the work themselves. Generally I look at the pictures they send me, have some e-mail or IM sessions to find out what's working for them and what they don't like, and how much they are willing to spend a month as they go on materials and contractors.

Then I do a site visit, talk to them and explain the simplest way to get from where they are to where they want to be. We talk and scribble on plans, I go away and send them the finished project outline, order the work should be done in, a list of plant materials and backup materials and where to get them.

The drawback to charging by project area is that it's harder to work up a small jewel of a landscape than a "back to nature" plan 10x the size.

Charging by the cost of the house seems to be a "soak the rich" method, unrelated to the cost of the work.

I charge by the hour but having done this for a long time, I have a pretty good idea of how many hours of my time will be involved in completing a design so typically offer a flat fee 'range' as well. Sometimes just quoting an hourly fee doesn't necessarily provide the client with a good sense of what a complete master plan design (or even something less extensive) will cost.

I think it should be obvious that the larger the property, the more time is involved in creating and preparing a design, therefore the larger the costs involved. There is a rule of thumb that states that creating a landscape from scratch should involve an investment of approximately 10% of the home's value, so there is some relationship between property values and landscaping costs but that investment involves the entire landscaping process, not just the design fees, which, when all is said and done, are typically one of the least expensive aspects of landscaping.

Another thing to consider is that you are working in a market for which the rules of economics, mainly supply and demand, come into play. What you can charge will depend on how much demand there is for your services, relative to all others who are offering similar services. In the beginning it will be about price. Later, a good reputation will allow one to demand a higher price. Demand grows as one's knowledge and skills (and therefore reputation) grows. But a reputation will only be a good as people's perceptions of it. Don't be afraid to charge less if you need to get your foot in some doors, but work on developing your reputation at the same time. A market for a given service in San Francisco cannot compare to a market in Missoula, Montana. The price one would charge in each is likely to be very different. It helps to know what the competition is doing. You might surreptitiously call your competition and inquire what it takes to obtain their services ... seeing if you could glean any clues as to what or how they charge.

First of all, are these clients all wanting and needing a design and willing to pay for it - separate from a design-build solution? After all, what they really want is the finished product. The design is only a tool to get them there.

I charge a flat fee based on a meeting with the prospect on site. I never quote pricing during an initial phone conversation. As a design-build contractor, my goal is to get the construction contract and not just do the design only. I ask what they want and determine how time consuming and difficult it will be to figure out elevation changes, etc. I may or may not offer to credit the design fee towards the construction costs depending on whether I sense hesitation once I propose the design fee.

I have a design agreement that spells out what they get for the design, the process and the fee. In that I state an hourly fee shall apply if they make excessive changes to the preliminary plan such as asking "what if the pool was placed on the other side of the yard?" I would simply say, well sure, at $50 per hour, I can certainly redraw the plan... to which they quickly agree that what I came up with would be superior. I avoid such statements because my preliminary plans are so well thought out, to me, they are essentially bullet proof, but I go through the motions and let them give me feedback, which is usually very minor since I have been doing this a long time.

Having contractor relationships are key because they ultimately need to get it built. Most all contractors either sub out their designs to freelance designers or have someone on staff or do it themselves as the owner (if they are good designers). You bring value to your design if you can follow through with the project to construction and perhaps get a bit more fee for supervision (depending on the contractor chosen).

The fee determination is also based on whether there is an existing site plan so I dont have to measure the property from scratch. If its a new build, its easier than having to measure a bunch of existing trees, curved walkways etc. which adds time. A flat lot is much easier than a hillside which can be twice as much time to figure grading and drainage issues. Also depends on whether the plan is a master plan that shows everything including hardscape, irrigation, lighting and some construction details or whether its a planting plan only. there fore, I have a range of design fees. My website goes into some of this discussion if you want to check it out. http://jsllandscape.com/designs.html

Thank you all for the helpful information. I really need to sit down and think about it.

I am doing what lazy_gardens is doing. It is the niche I am going in as well. I found that many people just need some help. They can DIY their yard on the weekend or hire their weekly maintenance guys to do the digging and hauling work. Selling design doesn't make much money, as gardengal48 says. I agree! But it is what I like to do. What can I say. Blame myself. :) And Yardvaark I need to remind myself your words, "Don't be afraid to charge less". I already scared couple people off. I am still in the beginning of my own business. I really should cut back a little in order to put my name out there faster I guess. JSL Exteriors Landscape Design/Build I will check out the website. I am a beginner as a freelance designer. It's scary to be on my own feet. I really appreciate any help and suggestion, or just online support!! People do pay for design because many people don't need a contractor, or they want to have one design for bids. I have few contractors I previously worked with. I sub contract the construction out if needed. But most of the time, the kind of clientele I have only needs design. (rolling my eyes)

After selling design only for a while, you may become frustrated and eventually not find it professionally rewarding. You could be a super-duper awesome designer who really gets wrapped up in your work. Then you turn the beautiful design over to someone who, while they have the best intentions, proceeds to muck it up something terrible. It's much like giving the best recipe to someone who doesn't know how to cook. They will screw it up! I think you would find greater reward in seeing your designs all the way through to the end and learn more from it, too.

Yardvaark makes a very good point! If you are focusing on creating designs for DIY'ers, once you turn over the design you release all ownership or control over the project and the end result may not be at all what you envisioned in your original design. If it even makes it to fruition! Hard to develop a decent portfolio with just these types of clients :-)

As mentioned previously, developing a relationship with a contractor who has the ability to implement any part or all of your design is an excellent way to expand what you are able to offer and who you are able to offer it to. Otherwise, you need to develop a pretty thick skin about your designs and just let it go.

Oh noooo! I've never thought about it!! I gave my clients the option of having me supervise the construction for an extra fee, and of course no one ever add that onto the proposal.

I have two questions here:

1. What would you recommend to deal with the "good design, bad DIY or whatever installation"? Should I add an hidden fee to "help" DIYer or their landscapers for free, as I tell them? :p

2. Should I tell potential clients that this is a design-only service and will recommend a contractor for them? Or should I shut up and just say I can take care of everything? I told them it's design only so they have more flexibility to do it anyway they want. But now I am not so sure...

Cindy

For my business, the easiest way to accommodate this conundrum is to offer both design-only services (for those dedicated DIY'ers) as well as full design implementation for those who are willing and able to pay for it. And I do have a contractor I work with almost exclusively to accommodate the second type of design request.

My business is about a 50-50 mix of the two. Surprisingly, a good portion of my design-only DIY'ers do a decent job of implementing my designs on their own. A good number of DIY'ers also tend to discover that some portions of the project are simply beyond their ability and often contract with my contractor to job out these portions.

FWIW, in 25 years of doing landscape design, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have been asked to show my portfolio. Since 95% of my business is generated by referrals, word of mouth seems to be a sufficient recommendation :-)

I have couple contractors I trust and they would like to partner with me (subcontractor). I will now need to think about how to put myself out and get more clients. You are right. I do not have before/after pictures. All I have is my drawings. It's hard to even set up a Facebook page for my business....

I can't thank enough to you for your kind and generous information. It is so nice to have people giving me directions. I have none around me!