Anonymous wrote:I am PP who has her own successful landscape design (only) practice. It sounds like most of those responding won't be your customers and do not understand the business.
I probably don't have a typical fee but my entree is about $6500-$8500 for the design and then I charge hourly to supervise the installation and make at least that again. My highest design fee was $85,000 for the original design and I have been back for tweaks nearly every year since. I design everything from decks, porches, swimming pools, driveways, drainage, walls, gardens - and work with architects on new homes or rework established gardens. I find the right landscape contractors (and bring them enough work that I am a priority for them so my clients get on their schedules when I need them to be.) I don't want to grow bigger and stay mostly part time. I hire extra help as needed and there are enough landscape architects/sometimes I even hire just architects around who just don't have the go it alone personality.
I only design/install container gardens for about a dozen of my clients but people pay me $1000's of dollars to do and then come back again year after to year to update.
Those suggesting you work for an established company have no idea you'll be lucky to make $15/hr. If you have the background that you mentioned - you'll do well on your own.
There's a difference between paying someone with clear skills, certifications, and a professional body of work between $4,000 - $8,000 for the plans and supervision of the new landscaping versus someone who just picked up the profession and decided they can do it. OP is a mom with a hobby who wants $500 for a day of doing something I could ask the home depot teller clerk about.
If I asked you about drainage issues or sediment values or the possibility of putting a koi pond versus a hot tub in I'm sure you'll have information on what I'm seeking, excellent partners I can work with and potentially experience doing exactly what I wanted. I would be willing to pay what you're worth and I actually plan to in the next year but I'm not going to hire someone who is only able to half-ass it and still be out a couple hundred bucks.