Gold Coast Landscape Design, Resolved Before You Build
Design only: I draw the plans, you choose who builds · Fixed prices for your own garden, $2,200 to $6,600 inc GST (standard suburban block) · 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 landscape gardening.
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
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?
How much of your layout is changing?
- None of it. I need the planting around it. → Landscape Plan
- Some or all of it, or I’m not sure yet. → Landscape Concept Plan
- Some or all of it, and I want every trade quoting the same plan. → Landscape Masterplan
- I need a plan for an approval: DA conditions (development approval), council requirements, your estate’s covenant or design review panel, a body corporate committee, or a building approval. → Landscape Plan
Start with the Concept Plan and you can upgrade to the Masterplan later, paying only the difference.
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.
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
Layout staying, or need a plan for council?
- For
- An approval: DA conditions (development approval), council requirements, your estate’s covenant or design review panel, a body corporate committee, or a building approval. Builders and developers included for simple approvals.
- For
- Your own garden: plant it yourself or hand it to your landscaper.
Includes
- Layout plan with a key, one sheet
Planting, for your own garden
- 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
- A new layout or new structures (decks, patios, walls, fences) → Concept Plan; drainage → Masterplan
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 an approval, the plan is built on the DWG or DXF file (the CAD drawing file your surveyor, draughtsman or architect works in, not a PDF). For your own garden it can work from a PDF, but tracing isn’t exact, so the plan 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 Concept Plan
Not sure where to start?
- For
- Layout changing, or no plan yet, for all or part of the yard
- For
- Can’t tell if your layout still works? Start here.
Includes
- Design workshop by video, worked from your photos, plans and inspiration
- A 2D concept plan: the new layout, with ideas for surfaces and materials
- The planting plan and plant schedule, issued once you approve the concept: which plants, how many and where each goes
Not included
- Sizes for paving, walls and steps, levels, hardscape specification, where lights, watering and drainage should go, or a staging plan → Masterplan
Landscape Masterplan
Getting trades in to quote?
- For
- Layout changing, and you want the most certainty
- For
- Steep, multi-level or complex sites
Includes
Everything in the Concept Plan, plus:
- Sizes for paving, walls and steps, plus surfaces, materials and quantities. Trades measure on site before building.
- 3D model of the design, tied into what’s already there, with ground heights from your survey drawing
Not included
- Engineering or certification
Needs a contour and detail survey with levels, which you order from a local surveyor at your own cost, separate from the design fee. Fees vary with lot size and slope, so get a quote. Architect or builder plans as well are ideal, but don’t replace the survey. I’ll tell you exactly what to ask for after the call. Plans are design intent, marked not to scale.
See what’s includedBook a free 20‑minute callEvery package runs remotely by default: you send site photos (including the view from the house), your site plan and your inspiration, and 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. Concept Plans and Masterplans then have a workshop 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.
“He took time to understand our home before advising on the landscape design.” — Craig Brennan
Practical Ideas, From Years on the Tools
A decade in the landscape industry, mostly hands-on gardening with design alongside, means creative ideas that are practical to build, with plant and materials schedules to hand to your landscaper.
“He listened carefully to our goals, offered great ideas and delivered a thoughtful, practical plan which gave us clear direction.” — Barbra Filo
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.
“His knowledge of native plants to suit different areas was remarkable.” — Marcus Walker
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.
“When he left we felt we had gained clarity in moving forward with our plans.” — Lynn & Rob
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 Workshop — Concept Plan and Masterplan: 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. 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.
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 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, Multi-Res & Developer
Quoted individually
Multi-lot or complex DAs, commercial projects, and new designs for a complex’s common gardens, scoped to your project once we’ve talked through the brief.
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 and a concept is all you need, the Landscape Concept Plan gives you a new layout and inspiration boards for your approval, then the planting plan and plant schedule. If you want the most certainty, one comprehensive plan for contractors to quote from (with each trade measuring on site to confirm their price), or the site is steep, multi-level, complex or high-value, the Landscape Masterplan covers it.
How long does the process take?
A Landscape Plan is delivered within 5 business days of payment and your site information. The Landscape Concept Plan is typically 2–3 weeks, and the Landscape Masterplan about 4 weeks. 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.
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