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PracticeBMEL Design
SheetHow design is priced & credited
BasisFixed fee, inc GST
Sheet02 / 03
Pricing

How design is priced, and what comes back

Design is a paid engagement here, not a sketch thrown in with the quote. Three fixed tiers, each quoted in writing before any work starts, each credited in part against your build. We price your project after the site consultation, once we have actually walked it.

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The Schedule

Three tiers, fixed before we start

You are quoted a number before any work begins, and that is the number you pay. If the scope genuinely changes — you buy the neighbouring block, the survey finds a metre of fall nobody knew about — we requote rather than invoice a surprise.

StepEngagementCredited
01Site consultationAbout two hours on the ground. No drawings.In full
02Concept designFixed fee. Measured plan, levels strategy, concept, materials, budget.In part
03Construction documentationFixed fee, scaled to the site. Full set, schedules and a quantity take-off.In part

Credits apply against a BMEL build contract and appear as a line item before the deposit is calculated. The exact amounts are in your written design quote. What each tier contains is set out on the design overview.

Credit Policy

Why we credit part and not all

The usual industry offer is that the design fee disappears entirely if you build with the designer. It sounds generous and it is corrosive. A design that becomes free the moment you sign is not a design you are free to reject — it quietly becomes a sales instrument, and everybody involved can feel it. It also means the design work is subsidised by the build, which is precisely how design ends up done at nine o'clock at night.

Zero credit is the other failure. It asks you to pay twice for the same decision and it costs conversion for no good reason.

Partial credit is the honest middle. The consultation credits in full because it is a qualifying step for both of us. Half the concept credits, because concept work has enduring value to you whoever builds it. A quarter of the documentation credits, because that set is genuinely the most expensive thing we produce and the most useful thing you will own. And if you walk away, we have still been paid for the work.

Fee Drivers

What moves the fee

✦Level change across the site. Flat sites document quickly. A metre of fall means retaining, steps, drainage and a levels strategy that has to resolve at every boundary.
✦Number of separate structures. A deck, a pergola and a retaining wall are three detail sets, not one.
✦Whether a feature and level survey exists. If you have one, we work off it. If not, we either commission one or spend the hours establishing levels ourselves.
✦Overlays and significant trees. Heritage, neighbourhood character and vegetation protection overlays all add documentation and council liaison.
✦Site area and number of zones. A courtyard is one drawing. A 900m² property with a front garden, a side run, a rear terrace and a pool surround is four.
✦Access. It changes the build price and therefore the construction methodology we have to draw.
Exclusions

What the fee does not include

Named here rather than discovered later. Where a project needs one of these we say so at the consultation, tell you who does it, and get you a price before anyone starts.

✦Feature and level survey by a licensed surveyor
✦Soil classification or geotechnical testing
✦Arborist reports and tree protection plans
✦Structural engineering design and certification
✦Documentation prepared for a building permit by a registered building designer
✦Council application fees, permit fees and planning applications
Why those last two sit outside

Byron holds degrees in civil engineering and architecture from Monash University. He is not a registered architect or a registered landscape architect, and BMEL does not use either title. Preparing plans or documentation for a building permit requires registration as a building designer, so where a project needs that — or needs certified structural design — we engage Solid Structural Engineering and a registered building designer, and their fee is quoted to you separately.

Concept design, levels strategy, paving setout, drainage, planting, material specification and construction detailing for permit-exempt work are ours, and that is the overwhelming majority of a landscape package.

Renders

We don't sell pictures

Photorealistic renders are not part of the standard package, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a limitation. A render is a picture of an intention. What you actually need in order to commit a serious sum is a dimensioned plan, a material you can hold in your hand, and a number you can rely on — and rendering time competes directly with the hours that produce those.

You will get plans, sections, levels, a physical material palette and a costed schedule. If a render would genuinely help you decide, ask and we will price it separately rather than folding it into everybody else's fee.

Terms

How it is papered

✦50% on signing, 50% on issue of the drawings. No progress claims in between.
✦A separate written design agreement. Engaging us to design does not commit you to engaging us to build, and the agreement says so.
✦The drawings are yours to build from — on that property, with whichever builder you choose. We keep copyright so the design is not rebuilt on someone else's block; you keep every practical right you need.
✦Credits are honoured for twelve months from the date the drawings are issued.
✦Build contracts are separate — 20% deposit to hold a start date, progress payments on larger projects, balance on completion. Same as always.
This Section

The rest of the set

Sheet 01Design overview → Sheet 02How we price design Sheet 03What a documentation set contains →
What the build costs Garden design & planting Book a consultation →
FAQ

Fee questions

How much does landscape design cost in Melbourne?
We quote it rather than publishing a rate card. Design runs as three fixed-fee tiers — a site consultation, a concept design, and construction documentation — and each is quoted in writing before any work starts, so the number you are given is the number you pay. What it comes to depends on the things that actually drive the work: how much the site falls, how many separate structures are involved, whether a feature and level survey already exists, and whether any overlays apply. We set it after the consultation, once we have walked the property.
Are your design fees GST inclusive?
Yes. Every design fee we quote includes GST, and the fee you are quoted is the fee you pay. Build quotes are itemised separately and also shown inclusive of GST.
How does the build credit actually work?
The credits appear as a line item on your build contract, deducted before the deposit is calculated. The site consultation credits in full, and a set share of the concept design fee and of the documentation fee credits as well. The exact amounts are written into your design quote, so you know what comes back before you commit to anything.
Why not credit the full design fee against the build?
Because full credit makes the design free the moment you sign, and a design that is free on signing is not really yours to walk away from. It quietly turns the drawings into a sales pitch, which is exactly what we are trying not to produce. Partial credit means the design stands on its own if you build with someone else, and still rewards you properly for building with us.
What is not included in the design fee?
Feature and level survey by a licensed surveyor, soil classification or geotechnical testing, arborist reports, structural engineering certification, documentation prepared for a building permit by a registered building designer, and council application or permit fees. Where a project needs any of these we say so at the consultation, name who does it, and get you a price before the work starts.
Do I get 3D renders?
Not as standard, and deliberately so. A render is a picture of an intention. What you need in order to commit money is a dimensioned plan, a material you can hold in your hand and a number you can rely on, and that is what the fee buys. If a render would genuinely help you decide, ask and we will price it separately rather than folding it into everyone else's fee.
What are the payment terms for design?
Fifty percent on signing the design agreement and fifty percent on issue of the drawings. The design agreement is separate from any build contract, so engaging us to design does not commit you to engaging us to build.
Start Here

Find out what your site allows before you spend anything

The consultation is a fixed fee, quoted up front, and credits back in full against whatever you do next. If the honest answer is that your project does not need a design package, we will tell you that too.

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