Landscape Design Fees: Hourly, Percentage, or Flat—What's Fair?

Starting designer. Architect friend says hourly. How to charge for plans only (no install)? Fees from client budget or separate? What's fair?

Fee Models

• Flat fee per project + hourly for scope creep. (Most common.)
• % of construction budget (6–10% for architects; landscape often 4–8%).
• Hourly only – hard to sell; clients fear open meter.

Budget Line Item

Design fee = separate line item in client's total budget. Not "part of" construction cost.

Real Numbers

• $45–75k residential job → design fee $2,500–4,000 (not $10k).
• $200k job → ~$4,800 over 8 months.
• $10k only for Hamptons estates / magazine features.

Protect Yourself

• Letter proposal: scope, deliverables, hourly overage rate.
• Define what you won't do (contractor management, furniture shopping).
• Call it "Opinion of Probable Cost"—not "estimate" (legal weight).

Construction Phase?

Your choice: hand off plans, or hourly construction admin. Most do both—hourly kicker saves you.

Process checklist: lepidoptera.com/landscape/process.htm – time each task, price your hours.