Contemporary Low Maintenance Garden “We spoke to a few garden designers and this felt like the best fit for us. Practical approach, easy to deal with, and no feeling of being pushed towards ideas that didn’t suit the space.” Sarah L The brief was to redesign the front & rear gardens of this bungalow property….
Split Level Garden Design “We had a rough idea of what we wanted but couldn’t quite pull it together. Gary helped turn it into an actual plan. The whole process felt straightforward and collaborative.” Helen C This redesign tackled the upper & lower patio areas in this garden, with a stylish set of steps, with our…
From Estimate to Fixed Quote: Protecting Your Landscaping Business Most landscaping businesses start out pricing work in a fairly informal way. A site visit.A rough breakdown.A figure sent over by email or WhatsApp. On smaller, straightforward jobs, that approach often works. But as projects increase in size and complexity, the difference between an estimate and…
When Should a Landscaping Contractor Use Construction Drawings? There’s a common assumption in domestic landscaping: “If it’s only a garden, we don’t need drawings.” For simple work, that may be true. A patio replacement at existing levels can often be priced and built from site measurements alone. But as projects become more involved, relying purely…
How Accurate Material Take-Offs Protect Profit in Landscaping Projects If you’ve been landscaping long enough, you’ll know this: Often profit isn’t lost on site.It’s lost before you even start. Under-measured quantities, forgotten edge restraints, miscalculated sub-base volumes, underestimated waste — small errors that compound once the job is live. When you’re pricing from a rough…
Understanding Drainage and Levels in Garden Design When people imagine a new garden, they often picture materials, planting schemes or seating areas. What they don’t usually picture is what happens underneath. Yet drainage and levels are two of the most important — and least visible — aspects of any successful landscaping project. When handled correctly,…
How to Choose the Right Landscaping Contractor With over 25yrs of in-house experience in domestic landscaping within Grounded Landscape Design, we feel we are very well placed to offer some nuggets of advice on choosing a suitable contractor. Once you have a design or a clear idea of what you want to build, the next…
Why Do Landscaping Quotes Vary So Much? (And What to Look For) If you’ve requested quotations for a landscaping project and received figures that differ significantly, you’re not alone. It is common for homeowners to see price variations of 20%, 30%, sometimes even more for what appears to be the same scope of work. The…
How Much Does a Garden Redesign Cost in the UK? If you are planning a garden redesign, understanding likely costs early on allows you to make clearer decisions about scope, materials and phasing. Across the UK, construction costs for residential garden projects vary considerably depending on scale, access, specification and ground conditions. A modest reconfiguration…
What Makes a Garden Design Buildable? Our past experience in the landscape sector has highlighted to us that unfortunately, not all designers are fully competent in creating a “buildable” garden design. That’s certainly not to cast aspersions against all Designers, there are some super-talented individuals that manage the practical side of things expertly. What we…
Patio Cost Per m² in Somerset, Devon & Dorset If you’re planning a new patio, one of the most common questions is straightforward: what does it cost per square metre? Across the UK in 2026, a professionally installed patio typically ranges between £90 and £200 per m², depending on material choice, ground conditions, access and…
How Much Does Garden Design Cost in Somerset? If you’re planning a garden project in Somerset, one of the first practical questions is simple: how much does garden design cost? Fees vary — but not arbitrarily. They reflect the scale of thinking, the technical consideration required, and the level of clarity you want before construction…
Garden Designer Business Owner Profile Hi, I’m Gary. How I Work Today I provide Full garden design services, covering Somerset, Devon & Dorset. My background allows me to approach design differently. I understand how gardens are actually built — how levels interact, how drainage behaves, how materials perform and where unnecessary complexity can inflate cost….