Design Consultation

    Paid 3D Landscape Design: Built for Real Buyers

    Three tiered packages, starting at $2,500. 3D renderings, material schedules, real cost estimates. Fee credited to your construction contract.

    Book a Discovery CallSee the Tiers

    How We Work

    Design is a Service. We Charge for It.

    Whether you're planning a custom backyard design, a full backyard resort with pool, kitchen, and shade structures, or a phased estate build, it starts the same way, with a plan you actually own. Most Phoenix landscape companies offer "free 3D design consultations." We did too, for years. We stopped because the math doesn't work for anyone.

    When design is free, the cost gets buried somewhere in the construction bid, the designer's real job is to close the sale, and the homeowner walks away with a plan they don't really own. That's why so many luxury projects in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and North Phoenix get built twice: once by the first contractor, then again, properly, by the second.

    We follow the standard set by senior Phoenix design firms like Lavender Landscape, who publish design fees starting at $7,500, and design-collective shops who run tiered packages. We do the same thing: the homeowner pays for the design, owns the design, and the design is good enough to bid against multiple builders.

    You hire a designer, not a salesperson

    When a designer is paid for the design, their job is the design: getting it right, fighting for details, refining materials. When design is free, the only way to recover that cost is to sell you the build, fast. The incentives change the work.

    The plan is yours to keep

    Free designs are usually tied to the bid: if you don't sign, you don't keep the work. Our paid design files belong to you. Build with us, build with another qualified Arizona contractor, or shelf the project for two years and come back to it.

    You see real cost before real commitment

    A 3D rendering with a vague price range is a sales tool. A paid design includes a defensible, line-item cost estimate, so you know if the project you want is the project you can fund before you negotiate a construction contract.

    It filters the room

    Honest answer: paid design is also how we make sure both sides take the relationship seriously. Homeowners who invest in design tend to be ready to build. Designers who get paid to design tend to do better work.

    Design Packages

    Three Tiers. Pick the One That Fits the Scope.

    Every tier credits 100% of the design fee back to your construction contract if you build with State48 within 12 months. Pricing reflects the size and complexity of the project being designed, not the customer.

    Concept Plan

    $2,500

    Projects $50K to $100K

    A focused planning package for homeowners who already know their direction and need a buildable scope, plant palette, and realistic budget bracket before committing capital.

    • On-site discovery walk (60 to 90 min) with one of our senior designers
    • Scaled 2D site plan of the project area
    • Curated mood board and material direction (hardscape, plants, lighting)
    • Plant palette tuned to your microclimate and HOA constraints
    • Initial construction cost range (good / better / best)
    • One round of revisions
    • PDF deliverable, emailed within 10 business days

    Fee credited to your construction contract if you build with State48 within 12 months.

    Start with Concept Plan

    Most Common

    Design Package

    $7,500

    Projects $100K to $250K

    Our most-requested tier. Full 3D rendering, material specification, and a walkthrough animation, enough fidelity to bid the work confidently with any qualified Arizona builder.

    • Everything in Concept Plan
    • Full 3D rendering of the proposed design (overhead + key sightlines)
    • Short 3D walkthrough animation (60 to 90 seconds, MP4)
    • Detailed material schedule: pavers, stone, plants, lighting, water features
    • Lighting plan with fixture spec and approximate fixture counts
    • Construction-grade cost estimate with line-item ranges
    • Two rounds of revisions
    • One follow-up design review meeting (virtual or in-person)
    • Print-ready PDF presentation, delivered within 3 weeks

    Fee credited to your construction contract if you build with State48 within 12 months.

    Start with Design Package

    Estate Concierge

    $15,000

    Projects $250K+

    For estate-scale projects on luxury lots in Paradise Valley, Silverleaf, DC Ranch, Estancia, and Troon. Multiple design directions, drone-overlay context, and design-side coordination with your architect or builder.

    • Everything in Design Package
    • Two distinct design concepts to compare before committing to a direction
    • Drone aerial photography + design overlay on your actual lot
    • Two in-person design review sessions on-site
    • Architect / GC / pool builder coordination during the design phase
    • Phasing plan if the build will execute in stages
    • Three rounds of revisions
    • Printed, bound presentation book (in addition to digital files)
    • Priority scheduling: design delivered within 4 weeks

    Fee credited to your construction contract if you build with State48 within 12 months.

    Start with Estate Concierge

    Pricing reflects industry-standard ranges for senior landscape design in metro Phoenix. Fees are reviewed annually and may be adjusted at booking. Your quote will be confirmed in writing before any work begins.

    The Design Phase

    What Happens After You Book

    01

    Discovery Call

    30-minute call to align on scope, lot, budget, and timeline. We confirm the right tier before we ask for a credit card.

    02

    Site Walk

    Senior designer visits your property. Measurements, photos, light study, drainage notes, HOA constraints, lifestyle interview.

    03

    Design Build

    We draft, render, refine. You see a working draft, give notes, we revise. Revisions included scale with your tier.

    04

    Final Delivery

    PDF presentation, 3D files, walkthrough video, material schedule, and a construction-grade cost estimate. The design is yours.

    Honest Answers

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why don't you offer free landscape design like other Phoenix companies?
    We used to. We stopped because free design has a hidden cost: it gets recovered in the construction bid, the design quality suffers because the designer is really a salesperson, and the homeowner often walks away with a plan they can't take anywhere else. Charging for design lets us put senior designers on every project and produce work the homeowner actually owns. Lavender Landscape (Phoenix), Berghoff Design, and most established luxury landscape design firms in Arizona price design separately for the same reasons.
    What if I don't end up building with State48?
    The design files are yours. Drawings, 3D renderings, plant palette, material schedule, cost estimate, all delivered to you in formats any qualified Arizona contractor can bid from. We'd obviously love to build it. We're not going to hold the design hostage if the chemistry isn't right.
    Can I use the design with another builder?
    Yes. You purchased the design. You can hand it to any licensed Arizona landscape contractor for bid. We'll even walk a competing builder through the plan if it helps you get apples-to-apples pricing. The fee is only credited toward construction if you build with State48 within 12 months.
    How is a paid design different from a free estimate?
    A free estimate is a ballpark price for a project you've described. A paid design is a documented plan: site survey, scaled drawings, 3D rendering, material schedule, plant palette, lighting plan, and a real cost estimate built off that plan. You're paying for a deliverable, not a sales meeting.
    Which tier should I start with?
    If your project budget is under $100K, the Concept Plan ($2,500) is almost always the right entry point. Between $100K and $250K (pool, kitchen, hardscape and softscape), the Design Package ($7,500) is the one most homeowners need. The Estate Concierge tier ($15,000) is for projects above $250K, multi-phase estates, or builds where we're coordinating with an architect or pool builder during design. If you're not sure, book a discovery call and we'll recommend the tier that fits the scope.
    How long does the design process take?
    Concept Plan: about 10 business days from the site walk to PDF delivery. Design Package: about 3 weeks. Estate Concierge: about 4 weeks, with priority scheduling. Timelines assume reasonable turnaround on revisions from your side.
    Do I need to know exactly what I want before the design starts?
    No. The design phase exists to figure that out. We start with reference imagery, lifestyle questions (do you cook outside, do you swim laps, do you entertain, are kids in the picture), and a site walk. By the time you see a rendering, the direction has already been refined through several conversations.
    Is the design fee refundable if I cancel mid-process?
    The fee covers the designer's time, software, renderings, and site visits, so it's not refundable once we've started. If you cancel before the on-site discovery, we refund 100%. After the site walk but before renderings begin, we refund 50%. Once 3D work begins, the fee is fully earned. This is standard practice for paid design across the industry.
    Do you work with my architect or pool builder?
    Yes. Estate Concierge tier includes direct design-phase coordination with your architect, GC, or pool builder. For the lower tiers we can still loop them in via shared files; it just isn't included as a coordinated touchpoint.
    Is the construction quote in the design package the final price?
    No. It's a construction-grade estimate, accurate enough to make a build/don't-build decision, but it's not a signed bid. Final construction pricing is locked when we move from design to a construction contract. The estimate built into your design package is what you take to other builders if you want competing bids.

    Ready to See Your Project Designed Properly?

    Book a 30-minute discovery call. We'll confirm the right tier, scope the timeline, and answer anything we haven't covered above.

    Book a Discovery Call