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Garden design proposals clients can picture

Lead with the finished garden. The plan, a mood board, marked-up site photos, staged pricing and the build schedule sit in one proposal the client signs and pays a deposit on.

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A garden design proposal in QuoteCloud is one interactive document: a cover photo, your concept plan as a PDF or image, a mood board gallery, site photos marked up in the image editor, a staged price table with optional extras, a Gantt build schedule, and an eSignature with a deposit paid through Stripe or PayPal.

Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team

Three pages of a sample garden design proposal from a fictional business, Larkspur Garden Co., for Priya and Sam Raman: a cover photo of a fire-pit terrace, a concept plan with numbered areas, and a price table grouped into design, hardscape and planting stages with optional extras.

Inside a garden design proposal, part by part

A sample courtyard garden from a fictional landscaper. Scroll the document: every part is a QuoteCloud content block, and the price table works.

  1. Open on the finished garden

    A full-width cover photo, the client's name, the project and a short brief, on your own branding. It's the first thing they see when they open the link.

    Quotes & proposals for landscapers
    Larkspur Garden Co.Garden design & build proposal LG-2431 Sample · fictional business
    A paved backyard patio with timber chairs around a fire pit and potted flowers

    Garden design & build proposal

    Courtyard & terrace garden

    Prepared for Priya & Sam Raman · 21 October · Valid 30 days

    A sheltered fire-pit terrace off the kitchen, a stepping-stone path through layered planting and a small lawn for the kids, built in three stages over seven weeks.

  2. Your concept plan, inside the proposal

    Drop the plan in as a PDF page or an image. Numbered areas match the legend, so the scope reads the same in the plan and in the price.

    Concept plan PDF · Rev C

    1. Timber terrace with fire pit
    2. Sandstone stepper path
    3. Buffalo turf lawn
    4. Layered planting beds
    5. Sleeper retaining wall
    6. Lilly pilly screen hedge

  3. A mood board that sets the feel

    Image gallery blocks hold photos with captions: materials, planting, lighting. Clients see the style of the garden before the line items.

    Image galleries: Starter and up

    Mood board

    • A paved backyard patio with timber chairs around a fire pit and potted flowers
      Fire-pit terrace, warm timber
    • A gardener preparing soil in a raised timber garden bed
      Raised beds for herbs
    • Warm garden lights among trees and mulch at night
      Soft light among the trees
    • A freshly mulched garden path framed by green foliage
      Mulched woodland path
    • A wide green lawn framed by shrubs and trees
      A small, soft lawn

  4. Mark up their site, then show what's possible

    Label a photo of the client's garden in the built-in image editor, then put before and after photos of a similar job you've built side by side.

    Image editor: Starter and up

    Photo & image editor

    Your site today, marked up

    Before: an overgrown backyard path through long grass
    1. Path becomes sandstone steppers
    2. Screen planting on the boundary
    3. Long grass out, new turf

    Before and after

    Before: an overgrown backyard path through long grass
    Before
    After: a brick garden path edged with flower beds and clipped shrubs
    After

  5. Staged pricing, with extras to tick

    Group lines by stage so clients see what design, hardscape and planting each cost. Optional extras are checkboxes: tick the fire pit or the screen and the total and deposit update.

    Price tables: Essentials and up

    Price tables & product catalogue

    Your garden, stage by stage

    ItemQtyRateAmount
    Stage 1 · Design$1,830
    Concept & detailed designTwo rounds of revisions
    		1 ea $1,450 $1,450.00
    Planting plan & scheduleSpecies, sizes and spacing
    		1 ea $380 $380.00
    Stage 2 · Hardscape$13,050
    Site clearingGreen waste removed
    		1 ea $1,280 $1,280.00
    Spotted gum terraceHardwood, oiled
    		22 m² $360 $7,920.00
    Sandstone steppers600 × 400 mm, set in mulch
    		14 ea $95 $1,330.00
    Sleeper retaining wallSteel posts, 450 mm high
    		9 lm $280 $2,520.00
    Stage 3 · Planting & irrigation$5,272
    Layered plantingNatives and grasses, 200 mm pots
    		46 ea $32 $1,472.00
    Crepe myrtle45 L, advanced
    		2 ea $260 $520.00
    Buffalo turfLaid and rolled
    		48 m² $26 $1,248.00
    Drip irrigation, 2 zonesWith a Wi-Fi controller
    		1 ea $1,640 $1,640.00
    Mulch, forest blend75 mm deep
    		4 m³ $98 $392.00
    Optional extras Tick to add
    		 1 ea $1,480 $1,480.00
    		1 ea $890 $890.00
    		6 lm $310 $1,860.00
    Subtotal
    $21,632.00
    Tax (10%)
    $2,163.20
    Total
    $23,795.20
    Deposit on signing (25%)
    $5,948.80

  6. A build schedule clients can follow

    Add a Gantt chart from design sign-off to the handover walkthrough, with optional work such as lighting shown as its own stage.

    Gantt charts: Business plan

    Build schedule

    StageW1W2W3W4W5W6W7
    Design signed off Week 1
    Site clearing Week 1 to 1
    Retaining wall Week 1 to 2
    Terrace build Week 2 to 4
    Stepper path Week 4 to 5
    Irrigation Week 5 to 5
    Planting & turf Week 5 to 7
    Lighting optional Week 6 to 7
    Handover walkthrough Week 7

  7. Notes and questions, in the document

    Designer's notes sit with the design. Clients comment on the proposal and you reply in the same place, so decisions don't get lost in email.

    Designer's notes

    • The old lemon tree stays: we prune it and build the terrace around it.
    • Steppers sit in mulch, so rain soaks straight in.
    • Grasses and lomandra on the sunny side; ferns in the shade of the fence.
    • Beds and lawn on separate drip zones.

    Priya RamanCould the fire pit sit a little further from the house?

    Noah, LarkspurYes, it's moved 1.5 m out on Rev C of the plan.

  8. Signed, with the deposit paid

    The client signs with a finger or a mouse and pays the deposit you set, by card through Stripe or with PayPal. You see each step as it happens.

    Payments: Essentials and up

    Sign, approve & get paid

    Accept, sign and pay

    Priya Raman · Client

    Signed online · 23 Oct, 8:15 pm

    Deposit on signing (25%)

    $5,948.80

    Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal

    Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached

    Activity

    1. Proposal openedPriya Raman
    2. Terrace lighting added+$1,628.00 inc tax
    3. Signed onlineCertificate of authenticity attached
    4. Deposit paidvia Stripe

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How to write a garden design proposal

Five steps from site visit to a signed design, in one document.

  1. Start from a template

    Open a landscaping template with your logo, colours, terms and standard stages already in place.

  2. Lead with the cover and brief

    Add a cover photo, the client's name and a short brief that says what the garden will feel like.

  3. Add the plan and photos

    Drop in the concept plan, a mood board gallery and a site photo marked up with what changes.

  4. Price it in stages

    Build the price table from your catalogue, grouped by stage, with lighting or a fire pit as optional extras.

  5. Schedule, sign and deposit

    Add the build schedule, then send the link. The client signs online and pays the deposit.

The concept plan

A design they can see, a price they can sign

Put the mood board, the concept plan and staged pricing in one proposal. Your client signs online and pays the deposit to lock in the build.

Larkspur Garden Co.Garden design & build proposal LG-2431 Sample · fictional business

Concept plan PDF · Rev C

  1. Timber terrace with fire pit
  2. Sandstone stepper path
  3. Buffalo turf lawn
  4. Layered planting beds
  5. Sleeper retaining wall
  6. Lilly pilly screen hedge

Start from a landscaping template

Real QuoteCloud templates for landscapers. Add your plan, photos and stages and it's a design proposal.

All landscaping templates Templates for landscaping & gardening

Garden design proposal questions

What should a garden design proposal include?

A cover with the client and project, a short brief, the concept plan, a mood board and site photos, an itemised price table grouped by stage, a build schedule, your terms and a place to sign. In QuoteCloud each of these is a content block in one online document, so the client reviews, signs and pays the deposit in one place.

Can I add my design plan to a QuoteCloud proposal?

Yes. Add the plan as an image or a PDF page next to the price table, so scope and price sit together. You can also mark up site photos in the built-in image editor with text and shapes to show what changes. Image blocks and the image editor are on the Starter plan and above.

Can clients choose optional extras in a garden design proposal?

Yes. Price tables support optional items, so you can offer lighting, a fire pit or a privacy screen as extras. The client ticks what they want and the total updates on the page. Group lines by stage to show what each part of the build costs. Price tables are on the Essentials plan and above.

Can I include a build timeline or Gantt chart?

Yes. Gantt charts are available on the Business plan. Add the build schedule to the proposal so clients can see each stage, from design sign-off and site clearing to planting and the handover walkthrough, alongside the price.

Can I show before and after photos in a proposal?

Yes. Add before and after photos of a similar job as image blocks side by side, or a gallery of gardens you've built, so clients can see the kind of change to expect. Image and gallery blocks are on the Starter plan and above.

Can clients pay a deposit when they accept the design?

Yes. Clients sign online on any device. With a Stripe or PayPal gateway connected, they can pay a deposit, set as a percentage or a fixed amount, right after signing. eSignatures are included on every plan; accepting payments is on Essentials and above.

More landscaping questions

More for landscaping businesses

After the build: care agreements, seasonal offers and everything else you send.

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