Landscape Design for New Builds & Renovations Gold Coast
Landscape design for Gold Coast new builds and renovations. Clear plans, trusted landscaper referrals, and a result that reflects the investment you’ve made.
Know what you’re spending, compare quotes fairly, and get the outdoor space right from the start.
Book a Discovery Call View SamplesFrom First Enquiry to Plan Delivered
Three steps. Each one a deliverable in its own right.
- Discovery Call — 20 minutes, screen-share. We walk your property using council mapping and satellite imagery: boundaries, easements, contours, overlays. You leave with a clearer read of your site, plus a straight call on which package fits and which scope to drop. No pitch, no obligation.
- Strategy Workshop — one-on-one with me on-site (or video for remote). We work through site context, household priorities, plant palette, materials, and the constraints that shape the design. Brainstorming, sketching, options weighed and resolved. The decisions that anchor the entire design happen here — with the people who’ll live with the outcome.
- Plan Delivered — concept layout, annotated 2D plan, materials and plant palette, planting schedule with species and quantities, site overlays mapped. Optional Master Plan adds 3D model, quantified materials schedule, drainage / irrigation / lighting documentation. Detailed enough that contractors can quote on the same scope — less guessing, fewer variations.
Typical lead time: 1 week standalone Plant Plan · 2 weeks Concept + Planting · 3 weeks Concept + Master Plan.
How a Habitat Design Is Different
Most landscape designers come at it from architecture — geometry first, plants squeezed in last. I come at it the other way around. The plants drive the plan; the geometry serves the planting.
Plant-First Design
Every species on the plan is specified for your soil, your light, your wind exposure. Mature size, root depth, water tolerance, salt tolerance — all factored before the plant lands on paper.
Hyperlocal Gold Coast Knowledge
Bushfire and flood overlays mapped before the workshop. Hinterland basalt versus coastal sand; canal-front salt exposure versus hinterland wind shear. City Plan overlays surfaced upfront so the design works with the constraints, not around them.
Design-Only Practice
I don’t build, sell materials, or quote on construction. After the plan is delivered, I’m available to talk through it with whoever you choose to build — questions on intent, plant substitutions, layout queries — so the brief doesn’t get lost in translation.
Apples-to-Apples Quotes
A specification detailed enough that contractors can quote on the same scope rather than their own interpretation. Less guesswork, tighter spread, fewer variations once the build starts. Optional City Plan references included where relevant.
How Much Does Landscape Design Cost?
A clear design means everyone’s working from the same vision — you get comparable quotes, confident decisions, and a result that looks like it was always meant to be there.
Most clients start with Concept + Planting. Opt for Concept + Master Plan when the build needs full setout, materials schedule, services intent and 3D renders.
Concept + Planting Design
- Design strategy workshop — lock in the vision on-site
- Concept layout (2D) — see the design intent before you build
- Materials & plant palette
Concept + Master Plan
- Everything in Concept + Planting, plus:
- 3D site model — spatial planning tool
- Quantified materials schedule
Plant Plan
- Video consultation (no site visit)
- Zone-by-zone planting schedule
- Layout illustratives
Remote Concept + Planting Design — $3,190 inc GST. Same deliverables as the on-site package, with a video consultation replacing the workshop. ~2 week turnaround.
Why Use a Landscape Designer
A landscaper builds. A designer captures your vision, weighs the options, and turns it into a plan that whoever you choose to build it can follow — with the design decisions resolved before tools come out.
- Mid-build changes are where budgets blow out. Decisions made on site under time pressure cost more than the same decisions made on paper. A clear plan moves those decisions upfront — quotes come back closer together, surprises are fewer, and the result matches what you signed off on.
- A landscaper builds what’s easiest for them. I design around what’s right for your block — existing trees, the fall of the land, how your family actually uses the yard. Those decisions don’t happen inside a build-quote.
- Plant knowledge, council overlays, technical documentation. Concept + Master Plan can reference applicable City Plan codes for your block on request. Plant choices specified to your micro-climate, your soil, your light.
Kieran Morris — NZQA Level 3 Horticultural Science. 10+ years industry, on the Gold Coast since 2022. Design-only practice.
Sample Projects From Real Plans
A snapshot of what each Habitat package looks like in practice. Click through for the full sample plans, costs and what’s included.
Landscape Design FAQ
Do you do the landscaping construction?
I regularly introduce clients to trusted local Gold Coast landscapers to estimate, quote and build — but I choose to remain independent. My job is to capture your vision, get it right on paper, and make sure whoever builds it delivers what you signed off on. My advice is always in your interest.
How does a design save me money?
Mid-build changes are one of the biggest causes of budget blowouts in landscaping. A detailed design means every quote is apples to apples, you avoid costly variations, and you get exactly what you envisioned. Most clients save more than the design fee by avoiding scope creep alone.
How do I choose between the packages?
Most clients choose Concept + Planting Design — it covers the spatial layout and the planting, which is what most residential projects need. If your site is complex or you want contractors quoting on an identical specification, Concept + Master Plan gives the full detail. If you already have a layout and just need planting, a standalone Plant Plan covers that remotely.
How long does the process take?
Concept + Planting Design is typically 2 weeks. Concept + Master Plan is typically 3 weeks. A standalone Plant Plan is 5–7 days. We’ll map out your specific timeline on the Discovery Call.
What happens on a Discovery Call?
It’s a 20-minute conversation about your project — what you’re hoping to achieve, what matters most, and what’s realistic. I look into your property beforehand so I can give you informed feedback on scope, budget, and next steps. No obligation, no pitch, no pressure.
Do you work outside the Gold Coast?
Sometimes. Remote Concept + Planting ($3,190) and Plant Plan ($1,200) suit projects where an on-site workshop isn’t practical — out-of-area properties, or pre-construction sites (vacant land, off-the-plan) where there’s nothing meaningful to walk yet. A short fit-check call confirms remote delivery suits the project before engagement. For local Gold Coast properties already built, on-site Concept + Planting is the better fit.
Not Sure Where to Start? Find Your Style in 2 Minutes.
Rate 7 curated design photos — you’ll see the palette, textures and planting that resonate, and we’ll have a head start for your Discovery Call.
Free · no signup · 2 minutes
Ready to Get Started?
Tell me about your project and what you’re hoping to achieve — 20 minutes, no obligation.
Book a Discovery CallBook Your Discovery Call
Book a 20-minute Discovery Call. We’ll share screens as I walk you through your property digitally using Queensland Globe — boundaries, easements, contours, infrastructure. Bring any photos, plans, or real estate docs you have. You’ll leave with a clearer picture of your site before we talk next steps.