01 / Process

We start with the plot, not with a shopping list of plants

A countryside property rarely fails because of the wrong shrub. It fails because water, access and daily routines were decided after the ground was already shaped. Our process reverses that order.

Every project opens with a staged assessment: soil structure, slope, spring meltwater paths, existing trees worth keeping, and the width of the entrance that machinery can actually use. Those findings set the constraints. Only then do we assign zones, choose planting layers, and size the drainage that keeps the whole plan working through a wet autumn.

From there the work moves through design, itemized scope, and installation in a fixed sequence, so nothing on site is built twice. Estimates are broken down stage by stage and stay subject to on-site conditions, materials, access and season.

Book a site and drainage assessment

03 / Drainage timeline

When water movement is decided

Water behaviour is read before any planting or hardscape commitment. Each stage closes with a written deliverable you approve before the next one opens.

Next: scope and site conditions

  1. 01Late winter1 site visit

    Site and water read

    We walk the plot at the wettest point of the year: soil profile by hand auger, slope across the driveway court, water table depth, existing trees worth keeping.

    Deliverable Written site note with soil, levels and drainage constraints.

  2. 02Spring2 to 3 weeks

    Drainage sizing and design

    Swale lines, French drain runs and rain garden storage are sized to the catchment, not to habit. Fall percentages and outlet points are fixed on the drawing.

    Deliverable Drainage plan with run lengths, fall and storage depth.

  3. 03Spring5 working days

    Scope and itemised estimate

    One coordinated scope covering groundworks, hardscape, planting beds and maintenance access. Quantities are listed per stage so nothing arrives as a late surprise.

    Deliverable Stage-based estimate, valid for the stated season and access.

  4. 04Summer3 to 5 weeks

    Groundworks and installation

    Trenching, pipe laying, backfill and surface reinstatement run in a fixed order. Access width and material delivery dates are agreed before the first machine arrives.

    Deliverable Installed drainage with as-built run lengths and inspection notes.

  5. 05Early autumn1 to 2 weeks

    Planting and handover

    Species go in once water movement is proven, matched to the wet and dry zones the drainage created. You receive a maintenance calendar keyed to the first two seasons.

    Deliverable Planting key, seasonal maintenance calendar and a review date.

04 / Scope and Conditions

Estimate basis

Figures are itemized by stage: assessment, design, groundworks, planting, installation. Final numbers follow the site survey.

What the estimate covers, and what it does not

Every proposal carries the same three blocks, so you can compare line by line instead of trusting a lump sum.

Included

  • Site and drainage assessment with soil, slope and water table notes
  • Planting plan with species, sizes and quantities
  • Groundworks, drainage runs, edging and surface build-up
  • Delivery, planting, mulch and initial watering
  • Coordinated installation across all trades on one schedule

Not included

  • Structural work on buildings, retaining walls above 1 m, permits
  • Utility relocation or connection to mains water and power
  • Tree felling above 200 mm trunk diameter
  • Maintenance visits after the handover walk-through
  • Rock excavation found below the surveyed depth
Access width
Under 2.5 m for machinery adds a manual handling allowance, quoted per load.
Season
Winter groundworks need frost protection and can shift planting to spring.
Materials
Paving and stone priced on survey date; changes confirmed in writing before order.
Water
Drainage sizing follows the assessment; unrecorded springs are treated as a variation.

Estimates hold for 30 days. Anything found once ground is open is documented and re-priced before work continues. Request a scoped estimate or return to the installation sequence.

05 / Next step

Begin with the site and drainage assessment

Nothing is planted and no hardscape is ordered until we have walked the plot, read the soil and traced where water moves in spring. The assessment is the first paid stage and it produces the drawing set the rest of the work follows.

  • Bring plot dimensions or a cadastral extract, the access width for machinery, and photos of any standing water.
  • Expect a single visit, a written constraint summary, and a staged estimate by the end of that week.
Book an assessment Review scope conditions

Estimates are itemized by stage and remain subject to on-site conditions, materials, access and season.