Fernline 05 6 min read Guide
How a Fernline design and construct actually runs
What happens at the design visit, what you sign off on, and the stages from drawing to a finished garden. The drawing is the garden, not a suggestion.
Short answer: the drawing comes first. On paper, costed, signed off. Then we build to it. The drawing is the contract, not a hint.
Stage 1: the design visit
We walk your block with you for 60 to 90 minutes. We measure it, photograph it, test the soil, mark where the water goes.
Then we ask the questions that change the brief. How do you live in it now? How do you want to live in it? What is the band you can spend? What cannot move (a tree, a view, a dog's path)?
You leave with a written brief and a fee for the design stage. The fee runs $1,500 to $4,500. Half of it comes off the build cost if you build with us.
Stage 2: drawings, plant list, fixed quote
Two to six weeks after the visit, you see the first set:
- A site plan, to scale
- A planting plan with every species named
- Footing details for any wall or deck
- A list of materials, named (not "hardwood")
We walk through it with you. You red-pen it. We revise once. You sign off.
Then we issue the fixed quote: every line costed, every stage on a date, every OK listed. You sign that. You pay 10% down. We lodge the OKs.
Stage 3: build to the drawing
We build in stages on a Gantt you can read:
- Site prep and drainage
- Walls, decks, pergolas
- Paving, paths, steps
- Soil and watering lines
- Plants, mulch, finish
You pay by stage, not by the week. A foreman is on site each day. You get a photo report every Friday.
At handover, you get the plant list, the warranty paper, and the 12-week start plan, all in writing. Book a design visit to start.
Common questions
What happens at the design visit?
We spend 60 to 90 minutes on your block: walking it, measuring it, photographing it, asking how you actually live in it (and how you want to). We talk budget honestly, scope which approval path applies, and either confirm we are the right fit or tell you straight. You leave with a written brief and a fee proposal for the design stage. Nothing is committed until you sign the design agreement.
What do I actually get on paper before construction starts?
A site plan to scale with levels and drainage, a planting plan with every species named by species and pot size, structural detail drawings for any wall or deck, a materials schedule (the actual timber, stone and paving named, not "hardwood" and "pavers"), and an itemised fixed-price construction proposal. Everything we will build, costed line by line, before a sod is turned.
How long does the whole process take?
Design phase: 4 to 8 weeks for a typical residential garden, 8 to 14 weeks for full design and construct with approvals. Construction phase: 4 to 12 weeks for a refresh, 8 to 20 weeks for a full build, depending on scope and weather. We give you a written Gantt at the start of construction so you know what is happening each week.