Overview
Garden design is a paid service, and the drawing is the product
Garden design is the trade that creates the plan, not the planting. The customer is paying for a designer to walk the plot, understand how the family uses it, draw a scaled garden layout with hard landscaping, planting beds, lighting, and any water features, and produce a planting schedule the contractor will work from later. The design itself is the deliverable, separate from any installation work. A flat 'design fee, $1,200' quote that doesn't show the survey visits, the concept rounds, the planting schedule, and the implementation drawings gives the customer no way to compare against three other designers charging different rates for very different deliverables.
QuoteGenio gives garden designers a quoting shape that suits paid design work. Initial site visit and brief as the first line, concept design with one or two rounds of revisions, detailed scaled drawings and planting plans, materials and plant schedule, site visits during build if the designer is supervising, and a final design pack the customer keeps. Send via WhatsApp or email to the customer with renders attached, take a deposit at brief stage, raise progress invoices at concept and detail stages, and the final invoice releases the planting schedule for the installer. The customer pays for a designer's time and the documents they can hand any landscaper.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of garden design and landscape design business.
The problem
The quoting headaches every garden designer knows
Design work is intellectual property delivered before any plant is in the ground. If your quote does not separate design from install, clients shop your concept around for a cheaper installer.
Free design used to win install
You spend two weeks on a concept, hand it over, and the client takes it to a cheaper installer. Without a quoted design fee, you have done the work for free.
Design and install in one number
If your quote bundles design with install, the client cannot tell what they pay for the drawing versus the planting. Then they argue the install price as if the design was free.
Slow concept-to-quote loses jobs
Clients want a feel for cost on the first walk-through. If you take three weeks to send a quote, the high-end client has gone to the designer who could.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A workflow built around the way design and landscape work is sold, with phased quotes and clear line items for design, supply, and install.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for garden designers
Line items for site analysis, concept, planting plan, hardscape design, supply, and install. Everything a design quote needs, nothing it does not.
Works from your phone
Quote at the end of a site visit while the client is still on the porch. No going home to write it up next week.
Quote in under 2 minutes
Save your design packages as templates (small, mid, full landscape). Pick one, tweak the area, send. Done before the client closes the gate.
Phased payments tracked
Take 50 percent on design, balance on plan delivery, then a separate quote for install. See which phases are paid and which are open without a spreadsheet.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how garden designers actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Garden Designers choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Garden Designers build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Garden Designers job pricing
A rough guide to what garden designers charge. Design fees vary with garden size, complexity, and how detailed the planting plan needs to be. Supply and install vary with plant grade and access. Use these as a sanity check when building your own rates, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Initial site consultation (90 minutes) | R2,479 - R5,784 |
| Concept design (small garden, under 200 m²) | R7,933 - R19,832 |
| Full planting plan (mid garden, 200 to 600 m²) | R19,832 - R57,845 |
| Full landscape design (large garden, over 600 m²) | R57,845 - R198,324 |
| Plant supply (per m² of bed, mid range) | R578 - R1,570 |
| Install labour (per m² of bed) | R364 - R909 |
| Site supervision (per visit during install) | R3,636 - R7,933 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A consultation fee of R2,479 to R5,784 covers your first site visit, including site analysis and a brief discussion. Most designers credit it against the design fee if the project goes ahead. List it on the quote so tyre-kicker enquiries respect your time and expertise.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use fixed pricing for design phases (concept, planting plan, full landscape). Use per m² for plant supply and install labour. Use hourly (R1,405 to R2,727 per hour) for revisions and ad-hoc consultation outside the agreed scope. Always cap revisions at 2 to 3 rounds in the quote.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here is what a clean garden design and install quote looks like. Notice how design, supply, install, and supervision all show as their own lines. Clients accept this kind of quote faster because they understand what they pay for the design IP versus the planting on the ground.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Mid garden design and install, 350 m² indigenous garden
Site analysis and brief consultation
Concept design and mood board (2 revisions)
Full planting plan with plant schedule
Plant supply (350 m² indigenous, mid grade)
Install labour (350 m², soil prep, plant, mulch)
Site supervision (3 half-day visits)
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site analysis and brief consultation | 1 | R4,628 | R4,628 |
| Concept design and mood board (2 revisions) | 1 | R15,701 | R15,701 |
| Full planting plan with plant schedule | 1 | R27,270 | R27,270 |
| Plant supply (350 m² indigenous, mid grade) | 350 | R793 | R277,654 |
| Install labour (350 m², soil prep, plant, mulch) | 350 | R529 | R185,102 |
| Site supervision (3 half-day visits) | 3 | R5,289 | R15,866 |
| Subtotal | R526,220 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R52,622 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R578,842 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Site analysis hours, plan revision rounds, plant schedule write-up, mulch and compost top-up, plant guarantee replacements (typically 90 days on hardy stock), site supervision visits, and the post-install walk-through. Add these as standard lines on your design template so you stop absorbing them out of your margin.
Peer snapshot
How Garden Designers actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Garden Designers on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
20
Quotes sent per month
50%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R578,842
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Garden Designer jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of garden designers. The same pricing and scoping mistakes come up again and again. Fixing these will protect your design IP, your margin, and your time.
Mistake: Bundling design fee into install price
Better: Always quote design and install as separate phases. Get the design fee paid before you draw. If the client uses a different installer, you have still been paid for the IP.
Mistake: Unlimited revisions
Better: State on the quote that the design fee includes 2 revisions. Beyond that bills at hourly rate. Otherwise the client redesigns 8 times and your margin disappears.
Mistake: Quoting plants without grading
Better: State plant grade (juvenile, established, mature) on the quote with bag size where relevant. A 4L indigenous shrub is not the same as a 20L. Vague specs cause arguments at delivery.
Mistake: No guarantee terms on plants
Better: State plant guarantee terms on the quote (typically 90 days on hardy stock with regular watering). Clients expect dead plants to be replaced free; clarity protects you from open-ended liability.
Mistake: Forgetting site supervision visits
Better: Quote site supervision as a per-visit line during install. Without it, you absorb every site visit during the install phase and the install crew misses the design intent.
Mistake: Skipping the soil prep line
Better: New beds need compost, drainage adjustment, and weed clearance. List soil prep per m² as its own line. Never assume the client knows it is part of the install.
Mistake: No phased payment schedule
Better: Set 50 percent on design start, balance on plan delivery, 50 percent of install on acceptance, balance on completion. State all four payments on the quote so the client agrees in writing.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote garden design jobs
Use the first site visit for site analysis, not price. Measure bed and lawn area in square metres, note orientation and sun hours, test soil drainage, photograph mature trees, walls, views, and service lines. Ask the client about style references, maintenance appetite, water-wise preference, planting palette, and budget brackets before you scope. Decide whether the project needs concept only, a full planting plan, or a full landscape with hardscape detail. These decisions set which package you quote: small concept at $ 480 to $ 1,200, mid planting plan at $ 1,200 to $ 3,500, or full landscape at $ 3,500 to $ 12,000. Stating deliverables on the quote protects you when a client asks for free extras later.
Itemise design separately from install in phased sections. Line items for initial site consultation, concept design and mood board (with revision count), full planting plan with plant schedule, hardscape detail drawings where relevant, plant supply per m squared of bed with plant grade (juvenile, established, mature) and bag size stated, install labour per m squared, and site supervision per half-day visit during install. State plant guarantee terms (typically 90 days on hardy indigenous stock with agreed watering). Cap design revisions at 2 rounds with additional revisions at your hourly rate of $ 85 to $ 165 per hour. Charge the consultation fee upfront; credit it against the design fee only if you choose to.
Use 30 day validity on design fees. For combined design and install quotes that include plant supply, drop to 14 day validity because plant prices move seasonally and on shipments. Set phased payments clearly on the quote: 50 percent on design start, balance on plan delivery, 50 percent of install on acceptance, balance on completion. State that the plan is licensed for one site only to protect your IP if the client takes the concept to a cheaper installer. On mature plant packages, take a supply deposit to cover nursery orders since specimen plants are ordered weeks ahead.
Send a phased quote on WhatsApp at the end of the consultation while the client is still on the porch. Design clients decide on the first professional document in their inbox, so build on your phone during the walk-through, share the branded link from the garden, and follow up in 3 to 5 days with a short message referencing the specific design brief. When the client expands scope (add a hardscape deck, change plant palette, add site supervision visits), send a variation quote covering just the delta so the phased payment schedule still holds.
FAQ
Common questions from garden designers
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Build one quote with design, supply, and install as separate sections, or build two separate quotes (design first, install after design is signed off). Both work and both are commonly used.
Yes. Once your quote is ready, share it as a link directly via WhatsApp. Your client gets a professional branded document instantly, before you have driven home from the consultation.
Each line item has its own description, quantity, and price. Add one line per design deliverable (concept, planting plan, hardscape detail) plus one line per install component (supply, labour, supervision). The client sees exactly what they pay for at each stage.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client can open it on their phone and accept it online. No signup required.
Yes. Convert the accepted quote into a deposit invoice for 50 percent of the design fee, then invoice the balance on plan delivery. Both invoices link back to the original quote so there is no double entry.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Either by garden size or by hours. Per garden size is easier for the client and lands at R7,933 to R19,832 for small concept work, R19,832 to R57,845 for a full planting plan on a mid garden, and R57,845 to R198,324 for a full landscape on a large garden. Per hour (R1,405 to R2,727) suits revisions and consultancy outside the original scope. Always state the deliverables (concept, planting plan, hardscape detail, plant schedule) on the quote.
It is a marketing decision. Crediting it makes the design feel risk-free and converts more install jobs but trains clients to expect free design. Most established designers do not credit; they price design for what it is worth and let install stand on its own. New designers often credit to win the install. Pick a position and state it clearly on the quote.
Get the design fee paid before plan delivery and state on the quote that the plan is licensed for one site only. Add a watermark or supervised release if you are concerned. Most clients respect the IP once they have paid for it. The risk is highest when design is bundled into install and the client never sees a design-fee invoice.
Standard is 90 days on hardy indigenous stock with the client following an agreed watering schedule. Exclude tropical and water-sensitive species, exclude drought and frost damage, and exclude pet damage. State the conditions on the quote. Clients respect a clear guarantee far more than an open-ended promise that everything will live forever.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Guides
Guides for Garden Designers
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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