Gold Coast Landscape Design, Resolved Before You Build
Independent, design-only landscape designer: the plan is about your brief, not selling you a build · Fixed prices for suburban gardens, $2,200 to $6,600 inc GST · 5.0 from 66+ Google reviews
Your whole site worked out around how you live, in one clear plan, before a trade is paid. Designed by a horticulturist with a decade in the landscape industry.
Book a free 20‑minute call See a sample planConfidence before the build
“The concept design gives us so much confidence moving into the build phase.”
— Zoe Tsigolis
Clarity to move forward
“When he left we felt we had gained clarity in moving forward with our plans.”
— Lynn & Rob
Ideas you wouldn’t have found yourself
“I had a big project at home and was stuck for ideas and Kieran just blew my mind with what he came up with.”
— Peter Johnson
Not ready to book? See a sample plan · Call Kieran on 0473 959 882
Recent Landscape Designs on the Gold Coast
Getting it built? A decade of landscape industry and supplier know-how goes into your plan. I’ll introduce a landscaper I trust, or work with yours, and I take no fee from them. What each package includes
See What a Habitat Plan Looks Like
Click any sample to open the full PDF and see the kind of detail each package delivers. Samples are illustrative only. Your fee proposal lists exactly what’s included.
How Much Does Landscape Design Cost?
Where are you starting from?
- The structures are set (built, or on my builder’s or architect’s plans). I need the garden and planting worked out around them. → Landscape Plan
- The structures need designing, or I’m not sure the layout works. → Masterplan. Four stages you buy one at a time: start with a Design Consultation, stop whenever you have what you need.
- Only need a plan for approval of your own home or courtyard? For council conditions, a DA (development approval) or a building approval. For your estate’s rules or design review panel. → Landscape Plan for council, estate and body corporate. $1,800 inc GST.
- Acting for a body corporate, a builder, a developer or a business? → Commercial & Approvals
The Masterplan is $6,600 in total, paid one stage at a time: $800, $2,000, $1,900, $1,900. Stop after any stage and keep what you have: after the concept you’ve paid $2,800, after plants and materials $4,700.
See full pricing and what each package includes →
Not sure? Let’s talk. On a free 20-minute call I’ll recommend the package your project needs, not the biggest one. Design only: I draw the plans, you choose who builds.
Fixed prices for a standard suburban block, front and back designed together. Acreage, commercial projects and new designs for unit complexes are quoted individually. Only part of the garden? Ask and I’ll confirm what fits.
Landscape Plan
Structures already set? This is the garden around them.
- For
- Your own garden, structures in place or on your plans: plant it yourself or hand it to your landscaper.
Includes
- Layout plan with a key, one sheet. Your structures as the base, with beds, lawn, paths and steppers placed. Shown as intent (e.g. mulch, concrete steppers), not drawn to build from.
Planting
- The full planting plan and schedule, with bed-by-bed layouts and plant photos. Chosen by a horticulturist for your site and how you live.
Not included
- Designing new structures or ground heights: walls, steps, decks, paved areas, measured positions, drainage, a written materials list → Masterplan. A plan for an approval shows built elements as drawn on your builder’s or architect’s plans.
Have conditions to meet? Send them through and I’ll confirm the plan covers what they ask for before anything starts. Your planner has the final say.
For your own garden, the plan can work from a PDF. Tracing isn’t exact, so it is only as accurate as the plans you give me.
See what’s includedBook a free 20‑minute callPick a time that suits, by video. No pitch, no pressure. I’m an independent landscape designer: I draw the plans, you choose who builds. I can introduce local landscapers and take no fee from them. I look over your site before we talk.
Landscape Masterplan
Layout to design, or structures and ground heights to price?
Start with the Design Consultation, $800. Each stage stands alone: stop after any one.
It is stage 1 of the $6,600 and counts in full toward it.
Paid one stage at a time. Each stage is invoiced before it starts, and you approve it before the next begins.
~4 weeks for all four stages (estimate)- For
- A new layout, or you’re not sure the one you have works
- For
- Retaining walls, steps, terracing, decks, drainage or lighting that trades need to price
- For
- Steep, multi-level or complex sites
The four stages
- Design Consultation · $800You can stop here
- Concept · $2,000You can stop here
- Plants and materials · $1,900You can stop here
- Ready for your landscaper · $1,900
Not included
- Engineering or certification
Design only, no build quote. If we’re a fit, the $800 Design Consultation is your first stage. Only if you want it.
Every package runs remotely by default. You send site photos (including the view from the house), your site plan and your inspiration. We work through it by video.
Add what you need:
• On-site visit, $350 inc GST: an hour walking the garden together, with any package, Gold Coast metro. Outside it, including Northern NSW (Tweed) and the Scenic Rim, $350 plus travel, quoted per job.
Plans are design intent, marked not to scale.
How a Habitat Design Is Different
Most people come to me stuck: a new build with bare dirt, a yard that doesn’t work, or plenty of ideas and no idea what order to do them in. I design and you choose who builds, so the plan is about your brief, not selling you a build, and you come away with a plan you can act on.
Designed Around How You Live
Every project starts with a free 20-minute call. The Masterplan then starts with a Design Consultation with everyone who has a say. I get to know how you live, who the space is for and what isn’t working, and the design is built around that.
Practical Ideas, From Years on the Tools
A decade of hands-on work in the landscape industry, with design alongside, means creative ideas that are practical to build, with plant and materials schedules to hand to your landscaper.
Horticulturist, Not Just a Designer
NZQA Level 3 in Horticultural Science, so every plant is chosen for your site’s light, wind and conditions, from coastal sand and salt to hinterland basalt, and sized for how big it grows.
The Whole Site, in the Right Order
With the Masterplan you get a staging plan for the whole property: what to build first and why. Your contractor sets the construction programme and method.
From First Enquiry to Plan Delivered
Three steps. On the call I recommend the package your project actually needs — not the biggest one.
- Call with Kieran — 20 minutes by video, sharing screens. We look over your property on council mapping and satellite imagery, and you leave with a recommendation on the package that suits the brief.
- Design Consultation — Masterplan stage 1: one-on-one by video, worked from your photos and plans. A one-hour on-site visit can be added. We work through your site, priorities, plants, materials and constraints, and settle the decisions that anchor the design.
- Plan Delivered — plans and schedules delivered to your Drive folder, stage by stage on the Masterplan, with each stage approved before the next. What each package includes is set out on the pricing page.
Why Use a Landscape Designer
A landscaper builds. A designer resolves the decisions on paper first — around your existing trees, the fall of the land and how your family actually uses the yard — so whoever you choose to build has a plan to follow.
Kieran Morris — NZQA Level 3 Horticultural Science. 10+ years industry, on the Gold Coast since 2022. Design-only practice.
Gold Coast Landscape Design Reviews
I had a great experience working with Kieran. He helped me select plants suited to my garden’s area and conditions, creating a completely different look than I would have chosen myself, but I love the end result! Kieran was very generous with his time and I highly recommend his services.
Kieran was so worth engaging with by taking in our overall thoughts and complimenting them into his design he made the process so much easier. He really did take his time and listen to the overall brief and making some fabulous suggestions in the process. We would definitely recommend Kieran to anyone looking for direction and planning with their gardens.
Habitat Landscape and Design was a huge help in getting a landscape plan completed for Council DA. Their promptness in correspondence and problem solving to issues of concern was truly outstanding. A rare trait to find in today’s business world. I gladly recommend Kieran’s expertise! Thank you.
Landscape Plans for Council, Estate Covenants, Body Corporate & Commercial
Basic compliance documentation, prepared against your conditions. Multi-lot, complex and commercial work is scoped to your brief.
Landscape Plan for council, estate and body corporate
$1,800 inc GST
A layout plan with a key showing the built elements your conditions require as drawn on your builder’s or architect’s plans, and the plant schedule your conditions ask for, prepared against the conditions you’ve been given: DA conditions (development approval), council requirements, your estate's covenant or design review panel, a body corporate committee, or a building approval. A simple approval is $1,800 flat; multi-lot or complex DAs are quoted individually. Remote by default. Send them through and I’ll confirm the plan covers what they ask for before anything starts. Your planner has the final say.
Commercial & Approvals
From $1,800 + GST
For builders, developers, body corporates and businesses. A standard DA plan is from $1,800 + GST; everything else is quoted. See prices and terms.
Landscape Design FAQ
Do you do the landscaping construction?
No, I’m design-only: I don’t build, sell materials or quote on construction. I can introduce you to trusted local landscapers to quote and build, and you’re free to use anyone you choose. Your questions are answered at handover, so whoever builds starts with a clear brief.
How does a design help with the budget?
Changes are easier to make on paper than on site. A resolved design gives contractors a clearer brief to work to, which is intended to reduce guesswork and mid-build variations, and it helps you decide what to do now and what can wait. Your landscaper quotes on the final plan.
How do I choose between the packages?
Start with your layout. If it’s already set, existing or on your architect’s or builder’s plans, the Landscape Plan resolves the landscaping around it: plants, garden edging, stepping stones, mulch/pebbles and pots. If the layout is changing, or there’s no plan yet, the Landscape Masterplan gives you a new layout, worked out in four stages: a Design Consultation, the concept and mood board for your approval, then the planting plan and plant schedule with materials, then the levels, 3D model and quote support for contractors to quote from (with each trade measuring on site to confirm their price). You can stop after any stage. If the site is steep, multi-level, complex or high-value, go through to the final stage.
How long does the process take?
A Landscape Plan is delivered within 5 business days of payment and your site information. The Landscape Masterplan is about 4 weeks for all four stages, depending on how quickly each stage is approved. I’ll map out your specific timeline on the call.
What happens on the free 20-minute 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 a recommendation on the package that fits.
Can you work to an estate covenant or builder’s landscaping requirements?
Yes, with any package. Mention it on the call and add the covenant or requirements to your shared project folder, and I’ll take them into account in the design. Final approval sits with your estate or developer.
Do you work outside the Gold Coast?
Yes. Every package runs remotely by default, anywhere in Australia, New Zealand or overseas: you send site photos, your site plan and inspiration, and we work through it by video. In the Gold Coast metro area you can add a one-hour on-site visit for $350 inc GST; outside the metro, including Northern NSW (Tweed) and the Scenic Rim, it’s $350 plus travel, quoted per job.
Ready to Get Started?
Tell me about your project and what you’re hoping to achieve — about 20 minutes, no obligation.
Book a free 20‑minute callPrefer to write?
Fill in what you can — I’ll reply with times for your call.