We’re Habitat Landscape Design, a design-only landscape designer. We’re one of the five roles on this page. So we’ve set out when a different one is the right hire, including a landscape architect.
Kieran Morris runs Habitat: a decade in the landscape industry, NZQA Level 3 Horticultural Science, and 66 five-star Google reviews.
Looking for a landscape architect on the Gold Coast?
For a home garden, the usual hire is a landscape designer. The same goes for a landscape plan that a council, estate or body corporate condition asks for. A landscape architect leads large public or complex projects. If your approval conditions name a Registered Landscape Architect, hire one. Habitat is a landscape designer, not a landscape architect. Our plans have been drawn for City of Gold Coast and Scenic Rim Regional Council conditions.
How to choose
Start with what you need done.
- A plan for your home garden, or a council, estate or body corporate landscape plan. Layout, planting, materials, and something a landscaper can quote from. That’s a landscape designer, unless your conditions name a Registered Landscape Architect.
- A large public or complex project. Parks, precincts, heritage sites, rehabilitating degraded land, or a major project where engineers and architects need a lead consultant. That’s a landscape architect.
- Approval conditions that name a “Registered Landscape Architect”. Hire one. The conditions decide this, not the size of the job.
- Getting it built. Paving, walls, decks, turf and planting. That’s a landscaper.
- Keeping it looking good. Mowing, pruning, weeding and feeding. That’s a gardener.
- Plant advice. What will grow where, why something is struggling, what to plant. That’s a horticulturist.
Which sounds like you?
- Just built, and the estate or council wants a landscape plan. A landscape designer, unless your conditions name a Registered Landscape Architect.
- A yard you can’t use: sloped, overgrown, or a reno that stalled. A sloped or hard-to-use home block is still a home garden. That’s a landscape designer, then a landscaper to build it.
- Acreage you want worked out and done in stages. A landscape designer, with a plan for the order the work happens in.
- Conditions on a development or subdivision. Read who the conditions name. See “Do I need a landscape architect for council?” below.
The five roles
Gardener
Gardeners look after a garden that already exists: mowing, pruning, weeding, mulching and seasonal care. Many know their plants well. They don’t usually design new layouts or build structures. There’s no general licence for garden maintenance, but some spraying work can need a separate licence. If weed spraying is part of the job, ask about it.
Horticulturist
A horticulturist works with plants. They know what grows where, how to keep it healthy, and why something is failing. Some work in nurseries, councils or consulting. Others combine it with design or maintenance. “Horticulturist” isn’t a licensed title in Australia. The Australian Institute of Horticulture runs a voluntary Registered Horticulturist scheme. Ask what training they have.
Landscaper
A landscaper builds the garden: paving, retaining walls, decks, fences, pergolas, turf, irrigation and planting. In Queensland, structural landscaping work over $3,300 needs a QBCC structural landscaping licence. That covers decks, fences, pergolas, retaining walls and paving. Ask for the licence number, and check it on the QBCC register. Some landscapers draw simple plans as part of a build quote, but their main job is building.
Landscape designer
A landscape designer works out the garden before anyone builds it. That means the layout, levels (ground heights), planting, materials, and the order the work happens in. The result is a plan a landscaper can quote from. There’s no licence for design work itself, so ask about training and look at past projects.
You may also see landscape draftsperson or draftsman. A draftsperson draws up a plan to someone else’s instructions. A designer works out the design, then draws it. If your layout is already settled, a draftsperson can draw it up. If it still needs working out, that’s a designer.
Landscape architect
A landscape architect usually leads major public or complex work: parks, precincts, heritage sites and land rehabilitation. They often work alongside engineers and architects. “Landscape architect” isn’t a legally protected title in Australia, but “Registered Landscape Architect” is (it’s the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ title).
Do I need a landscape architect for council?
A landscape plan is needed when the planning scheme, or the conditions of your development approval, ask for one. Who can prepare it depends on the exact wording.
- If your conditions name a Registered Landscape Architect, you need one.
- If they ask for a plan but don’t say who prepares it, ask your planner or the council first.
- Estate covenants (the estate’s design rules) and body corporate rules set their own requirements. Check your lot’s documents too.
City of Gold Coast planning enquiries: 07 5582 8708.
Who do I hire first?
If you’re having work built, get the design settled first. Then every landscaper is quoting on the same plan, so their quotes compare like for like. Once it’s built, a gardener keeps it going.
Can one company design and build it?
Yes. Some landscapers offer design and build, so you deal with one business from start to finish. With a separate designer, you can take the same plan to several landscapers and compare their quotes like for like. Either works. It depends on whether you want one point of contact or a choice of builders. If you want one business, look for a QBCC-licensed landscaper who offers design.
How Habitat fits
Habitat is a landscape designer. We’re not landscape architects, and we don’t build or maintain gardens, so our advice isn’t tied to a build quote. Kieran holds NZQA Level 3 Horticultural Science. He has a decade of hands-on work in the landscape industry, with design work alongside it.
We’re based on the Gold Coast and design remotely from your plans and photos. Plants are chosen for this climate and your site first, then checked against what local nurseries realistically stock. The design starts from how you live outdoors here.
Our plans give your landscaper a design to quote from. We can introduce local landscapers if you need one. Plans are resolved to design intent and marked not to scale. For accurate setout (where everything sits, measured), a surveyed site plan is recommended. A council or quoting plan needs your DWG or DXF file (the CAD drawing file, not a PDF). That is the file your surveyor, draftsperson or architect works in, so ask them for it. A plan for your own garden can work from a PDF. It’s only as accurate as the plans you give us. If your approval conditions name a Registered Landscape Architect, we’ll flag it, so you can engage one.
That’s a flat fee for a single house: a council, estate covenant or body corporate approval. Multi-lot, multi-unit and complex development plans are quoted: see Commercial & Approvals. You can expect the plan within 5 business days once payment and your site information are in. One round of changes is included.
Want the whole garden designed, or a site worked out in stages? See the Landscape Masterplan, done in four stages.
“He listened carefully to our goals, offered great ideas and delivered a thoughtful, practical plan which gave us clear direction.”
Barbra F., Google review
Questions to ask whoever you hire
- What’s your licence number, if the work needs one? (QBCC for structural landscaping)
- Can I see projects like mine?
- What exactly will I get, and what’s not included?
- Who builds it, and who’s responsible if something isn’t right?
- For an approval plan: does it meet the wording of my conditions?