Online garden design: layout plans, planting plans and build packs
You know how you want to use your garden. We'll design it for a fraction of designer fees.
Send photos from every corner, rough measurements and a wish list. We turn them into a scaled layout plan, a planting plan and a build pack your landscaper can price from, or you can build it yourself. One fixed price, no site visit.
- No site visit needed
- Plants picked for your soil and sun
- Free tweaks until you're happy
Pay for the service your garden needs
Garden designers are worth it for ambitious gardens. Most back gardens need less.
A complete design for a typical small to medium back garden, compared side by side.
Full design package, small to medium garden
£900–£2,500 typical range
- Original design ideas from an experienced designer
- Site visits, soil checks and design meetings
- Can run the tender and oversee the build, usually for 10–15% of build cost on top
- The right choice for large, sloping or showpiece gardens
Layout plan, planting plan and build pack, garden up to 200m²
£445 fixed price
- One fixed price agreed before we start
- Designed from your photos and measurements: no site visit to pay for
- Layout, planting and build details included
- You hire your own landscaper, or build it yourself
Only need a layout plan? From £195. See all prices
Fixed prices
| Service | Typical UK price | The Plan Pal |
|---|---|---|
| Layout plan (masterplan)Scaled plan of patio, lawn, beds, paths and features | £400–£900 | £195 |
| Planting planEvery plant placed, with a plant list and quantities | £300–£800 | £145 |
| Front garden & driveway planParking, paths, bins and planting, with drainage checked | £400–£900 | £195 |
| Complete design: up to 200m²Layout plan, planting plan and build pack | £900–£2,500 | £445 |
| Complete design: 200–600m²Layout plan, planting plan and build pack | £2,500–£5,000 | £895 |
| 3D visualsViews of the finished garden, added to any design | £200–£600 | £95 |
| Build pack onlySetting-out, levels, materials and construction details | Usually within full design fees | £245 |
| Garden room, decking or fence drawings for planningFrom our extensions service | £300–£800 | from £295 |
Typical prices are ranges from published 2026 UK cost guides for garden designers. Plants, materials, landscaping labour and any engineer's fee are extra and paid directly by you.
Planning and gardens
Most gardens don't need planning permission. A few features do.
Lawns, beds, low walls and ground-level patios are usually fine. We flag anything in your design that needs checking, and draw it for planning through our extensions service.
Usually no permission needed
MOST GARDENS- Planting, lawns, borders and ponds
- Ground-level patios and paths in back gardens
- Fences and walls up to 2m, or 1m next to a road
- Sheds and garden rooms within permitted development limits
Check before you build
WE FLAG THESE- Raised decking or platforms more than 30cm above ground
- Front gardens paved over 5m² with a surface that doesn't drain
- Trees with a preservation order, or in a conservation area
- Garden rooms above the size or height limits, and new dropped kerbs
Planning drawings from £295 via extension drawings
Permitted development rights don't apply to flats and maisonettes, and can be restricted in conservation areas, national parks or by an Article 4 direction. The planning rules on this page are for England.
Is it right for your garden?
We're not a replacement for a garden designer. We're for the everyday gardens.
Garden designers and landscape architects bring creative vision and experience of difficult plots. Ours is a lower-cost route for ordinary gardens where you know roughly what you want. If yours suits a designer better, we'll tell you before you pay anything.
A good fit for The Plan Pal
- Back and front gardens on an ordinary house
- Mostly level plots, or gentle slopes
- New-build gardens that are just turf and a fence
- You know what you want: somewhere to eat, play, grow or relax
Better with a garden designer
- Steep slopes, big level changes or tricky drainage
- Large country gardens and estates
- Listed buildings and historic settings
- Showpiece gardens, or where you want someone to run the build
We're happy to point you to local designers we trust.
Self-serve, all online
We do the design. You choose who builds it, and keep the savings.
Send us your garden
Photos from every corner and an upstairs window, rough measurements or your property plan, which way it faces, and a wish list.
Fixed quote
We reply with a fixed price for the whole design within 2 working days.
Layout plan, reviewed online
A scaled plan of patio, lawn, beds, paths and features. You comment online until it works for how you live.
Planting plan
Plants chosen for your soil, sun and shade and how much time you want to spend gardening, with a full plant list.
Build pack
Setting-out dimensions, levels, materials and construction details for patios, steps, edging and walls.
Landscaper-ready
Hand the pack to landscapers for like-for-like quotes, or build it yourself a weekend at a time.
Retaining walls and level changes
Retaining walls holding back more than about a metre of soil, or near a house or boundary, should be designed by a structural engineer. Use your own or one we suggest; we add their details to your build pack. The engineer's fee is paid directly to them.
Beyond the layout
Planting plans and 3D visuals
Available on their own or with a full design.
Planting plan
A scaled plan of your beds with every plant placed, chosen for your soil, sun and the look you like.
- Plant list with quantities and pot sizes, ready to order
- Colour and interest through all four seasons
- Low-maintenance, wildlife, cottage or modern styles
From £145
3D visuals
Views of your finished garden from the house and the far end, so you can check sizes before anything is dug.
- Two views of your design, with materials shown
- One round of changes included
- Handy for agreeing the plan with your household
From £95
What we design
Back gardens
layout from £195
Patios, lawns, borders and seating areas for everyday family gardens.
New-build gardens
layout from £195
Turning turf and a fence panel into a garden with shape, privacy and planting.
Front gardens & driveways
layout from £195
Parking, paths, bins and planting, with permeable surfaces where needed.
Small & courtyard gardens
layout from £145
Terraced and townhouse gardens where every metre has to work hard.
Family & play gardens
layout from £195
Space for children now, designed to change as they grow.
Wildlife & low-maintenance
layout from £195
Gardens that look after themselves and bring in birds and bees.
Guides and samples
- Front garden & driveway designPaving rules, dropped kerbs and a sample plan
- Sample garden design pack (PDF)Four A3 sheets: survey, masterplan, planting and build pack
- All sample drawingsExtensions, gardens and interiors
For landscapers & garden builders
Offer your customers design and build in one package.
Open a trade account and we'll be your design office. Quote your customers for the whole job and win more work without waiting on a designer.
- Trade rates agreed with you, reflecting the work we do together
- Priority in our drawing queue
- Your logo alongside ours on the drawings, if you'd like it
- Monthly invoicing and one point of contact
A partnership, not a price list
Every trade partner works differently, so we don't publish trade rates. We get to know your business and how often you'll need us, then agree pricing that works for both of us.
Everyday back and front gardens, not estates, steep sites or listed settings.
FAQ
Straight answers
Do I need planning permission for my garden?
Usually not. Planting, lawns, ground-level patios in back gardens and fences up to 2m are normally fine. Raised decking over 30cm, large garden rooms, paving a front garden with a surface that doesn't drain, and work to protected trees can need permission or notice. We flag anything like this, and can draw it for planning.
Do you visit the garden?
No. Everything is designed from what you send us, which is how we keep the price down. If anything is unclear, we email you for more photos or measurements.
What do I need to send?
Photos from each corner of the garden and from an upstairs window, rough measurements or your property plan, which way the garden faces, your soil type if you know it, and a wish list. We send a checklist with your quote.
Who builds it?
You choose. Hand the build pack to two or three landscapers so they all price the same thing, or build it yourself in stages. We don't run the build, which is a big part of why we cost less.
Will the plants suit my garden?
We choose plants for your soil type, how much sun each bed gets and how much time you want to spend on upkeep. Tell us about plants you love, hate or already have.
Are you garden designers?
We design gardens, but we're not a traditional design studio or a firm of chartered landscape architects. We bring practical building and planning experience, strong CAD skills and automated processes that keep prices low, and we refer gardens that need a designer.
What does the fixed price include?
The plans for your chosen package, one round of free changes at each stage, and the build pack if it's in your package. Plants, materials, landscaping labour and any engineer's fee are separate.
Free, no obligation
Send us what you've got. Get a fixed price within 2 working days.
Photos, a property plan, a sketch on the back of an envelope: it all helps. Everything is handled by email, with no sales calls.
Or email hello@theplanpal.co.uk