The plans are yours to do what you like with them. What sort of plans did you get? Did you get: a. a pretty sketch of the finished areas? ie not drawn to scale? or b. a scaled plan of the areas or c. a scaled plan of the areas plus details of the hard landscaping ie exactly what type of paving, pavers, sizes etc or d. c plus technical drawings of the drives, edgings etc detailing how much hardcore etc would be laid, how the edgings were fixed etc. or e. d + planting plans detailing exact plants and how many.
If it was an 'award winning garden designer' then for £1200 I would only expect to get a. If you got anything more than that, then you are quids in. But they should have created something within your budget. This is the bit that worries me 'When we first called, we went through some basic details and were told to expect a cost of around 15k. '. Did the designer visit the site? Did you sit down with him/her and discuss fully what you wanted? Did you reiterate your budget of £25000? Did he/she point out that some of your ideas were not possible for that budget???
So far, I think you have got what you paid for. If you have not done the 'due diligence' bit by writing down what you expected and your budget, then it is really your problem.
If you did receive b,c,d or e, then there is nothing to stop you taking those drawings and getting quotes from other landscapers.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
It all depends on what you discussed at your initial meeting, what you subsequently asked for that was above and beyond that and whether you stated a maximum budget. As you said though it's only a quote so you don't have to accept it. Get a comparison quote from another company or maybe get a QS to price up the work and see what they think it should cost. The materials would be pretty simple to quantify I imagine and then it's just an estimate of labour costs on top. Building work is currently very expensive and good builders are booked up several projects in advance despite this.
It is very hard for designers to predict costs at the early stages of a project. I get asked at initial meetings (house designs) for a rough idea of how much the project will cost and it's an impossible question to answer with any accuracy. Having said that if you had discussed an initial price based on a firm brief and a budget had been set then any increases should have been discussed during the design stage otherwise it's a bit unprofessional of them to design above budget.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
We asked why the 15k we had been told over the phone had jumped to 70k and he said materials make up 50% of the cost and labour makes up the other 50%.
But they must have known all that when they gave the initial estimate??? Find somebody else (young, keen and hungry!). Write off the £1200 if necessary.
We asked how much for a new drive and simple garden design at the front and a new patio and simple design at the back. We were told to expect to pay approx. 15k which we were fine with. We have 3d drawings to scale, with measurements in colour with labels of materials. I'm happy with the drawings and have no issue with the cost of them. I'm just shocked at the quote of the work being 70k. Has anyone paid a pro landscaper/designer to create their garden? How much did you pay and what did you get for your money? (sorry that's a forward question but I would be grateful if you could share your experience)
Ilya, at the initial meeting(s) did you get an agreement, verbal or in writing that they thought the could do the job for around 15k? Did they say yes? 15k was their estimate, based on their work. If they agreed they could do the work for that budget, surely they have broken a contract.
If you've paid for the plans then the plans are yours to use as you like. Copyright would only be applicable if you hadn't paid or a contract was in place to say otherwise. If the firm charge for the drawings up front then they will be aware of this. In the worst case you have drawings you're happy with and can get someone else to do the work. You've done the right thing by explaining your case to the firm and if they can't meet your budget then it's their problem.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Posts
a. a pretty sketch of the finished areas? ie not drawn to scale?
or b. a scaled plan of the areas
or c. a scaled plan of the areas plus details of the hard landscaping ie exactly what type of paving, pavers, sizes etc
or d. c plus technical drawings of the drives, edgings etc detailing how much hardcore etc would be laid, how the edgings were fixed etc.
or e. d + planting plans detailing exact plants and how many.
If it was an 'award winning garden designer' then for £1200 I would only expect to get a. If you got anything more than that, then you are quids in. But they should have created something within your budget.
This is the bit that worries me 'When we first called, we went through some basic details and were told to expect a cost of around 15k. '. Did the designer visit the site? Did you sit down with him/her and discuss fully what you wanted? Did you reiterate your budget of £25000? Did he/she point out that some of your ideas were not possible for that budget???
So far, I think you have got what you paid for. If you have not done the 'due diligence' bit by writing down what you expected and your budget, then it is really your problem.
If you did receive b,c,d or e, then there is nothing to stop you taking those drawings and getting quotes from other landscapers.
It is very hard for designers to predict costs at the early stages of a project. I get asked at initial meetings (house designs) for a rough idea of how much the project will cost and it's an impossible question to answer with any accuracy. Having said that if you had discussed an initial price based on a firm brief and a budget had been set then any increases should have been discussed during the design stage otherwise it's a bit unprofessional of them to design above budget.