Priced as we draw: what an Opinion of Probable Cost covers

Most landscape budgets are tested for the first time at tender, once the drawings are finished and the quotes arrive. By then the design is set, and the only way to meet a figure is to start taking things out.

We work the other way around. Every Forge concept is priced as it is drawn. The Opinion of Probable Cost is an itemised estimate, presented with the concept plan, of what the landscape is likely to cost to build. It is set out element by element, so you can see where the money sits and what each decision is worth.

It is an opinion and not a quotation. It draws on current rates and our experience of comparable projects, and the builders' prices at tender remain the final word. Its purpose is to make the budget part of the design conversation from the first presentation, while changes cost nothing more than a revised line on a plan.

The estimate is updated once the design is finalised, so the landscape you take to tender is one you already know you can build.