This three day course for aspiring or practicing garden designers can be taken as a complete learning suite or as individual one-day experiences depending on which areas you would like to learn more about. Each information-rich and lively day will cover a series of topics that will give you new knowledge and, using many of the AWB Associates handy templates, help you streamline the administration and delivery of your projects, leaving more of your valuable time for creativity and client care.
Day 1
September 9th
Our first day focuses on how you present yourself to your potential clients and the various ways in which practicing garden designers operate their business. We also look at setting your stall out in terms of how and what you charge and how to engage a client. Through workshops, case studies and discussion we will look at:
- Establishing and describing the services you offer and your USP as a garden designer
- Tips on winning work and collaborating with architects
- Calculating your fees and setting out fee quotes
- Setting out the Terms and Conditions for your appointment as a designer
- Establishing a contract with your client
Day 2
September 10th
Our second day focuses on management techniques you can use to keep things running smoothly as you embark on one or more projects, as well as opportunities for additional income through plant sales. Through workshops, case studies using live AWB Associates projects and plenty of discussion we will be looking at:
- Setting up systems to manage your drawing sets and information storage across a number of projects
- How to establish how much your design will broadly cost to plant and build before it gets priced by a contractor
- Issuing a project to tender and appointing a contractor
- Selling plants to your client – suppliers, pricing, warranties and replacements.
Day 3
September 11th
Our third and final day is themed around managing the build and planting processes through to final completion. We will also look at how the Planning system affects garden designers and what it means to work in areas with a landscape designation. Using examples from the AWB Associates current and past portfolio we will explore:
- How to successfully manage a build project, keeping your client happy and the contractor on track
- The contractual processes of Practical Completion, Snagging and Full Completion
- What aspects of garden design projects require planning permission and how to go about it
- Working in Conservation Areas and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Each day we will give you really handy document templates, developed by AWB Associates over the years, for you to adapt and use to help you calculate your fees and run your projects.
Free tea and coffee will be available through the day in the teaching studio, and we ask that folks bring lunch with them each day or walk to one of the many nearby shops in Ripon to buy lunch.
We are limiting the class size to 12 on this course, to make sure all students get plenty of tutor feedback during practical exercises. We’re anticipating that this will be a popular course, so please book early to avoid disappointment. Payment in full is required to reserve your place on this course. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions here for information on cancellations and refunds.
Before booking on this course please check out our short course home page for our Learn and Save deals on two or more courses – the more you book the more you save!
If you would like to book accommodation nearby, please get in touch and we can send you some recommendations.