Gabriela Hitchcock

The first step is to meet you, see your garden and hear all about what you want from it. There is no charge for this first meeting; it is purely a chance for us to get to know one another.

Once we have met I will write to you with a summary and an outline of what you want from the process. The letter will itemise and give a cost for each aspect of the design process we have spoken about. If you are happy that I have understood your brief, you like my ideas and the cost meets your budget then we move to Stage Two.

All projects are undertaken in an atmosphere of mutual trust and goodwill but it is important to understand what we should expect from each other and when. With this in mind I will produce a simple contract for us both to sign as your acceptance to proceed.

This starts with a full site survey of your garden and a second meeting to go into more detail about the design brief. I will then come back to your house with some draft proposals, sketches and ideas. Once we have agreed a way forward, I will fine tune your design and produce a scale master plan drawing which can be colour rendered. I will present this to you in your home and make any final adjustments.

At the same time I can present a separate detailed planting scheme that specifies plant types and quantities. This would also be to scale and can be fully priced to include delivery of the plants to your house.

Once the design is complete and agreed, it will be time to organise the work. You may wish to do this yourself, but if I am acting as project manager for you, I can recommend a trusted landscaper to carry out the work or even help you put the project out to tender. The appointment of the landscape company will be formalised with another contract to ensure that you get a beautifully finished garden, on budget and on time.