What a landscaper, designer and landscape architect each actually do
Three different jobs share the word "landscaping", and they charge, think and are regulated differently. Knowing which hat you are wearing at any moment is what stops you making a beginner mistake with a professional's confidence.
Four different jobs share the word “landscaping” in Perth. They charge differently, think differently and carry completely different legal exposure. On your own renovation you will play all four in sequence, plus a fifth role nobody warns you about — client.
The risk is not spread evenly. Most of what you are about to do is unregulated: you may design, dig, pave, plant and mulch your own block with no qualification whatsoever. A small part of it will get you prosecuted, uninsured, or killed. Knowing exactly where that line sits is this lesson.
The four roles
| Role | Paid to produce | Typical engagement | Registered in WA? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape architect | A documented design set for a complex or public site — site planning, levels, structures, specification, and often contract administration | Fee for a defined design stage, or a percentage of construction cost | No board registers landscape architects. Note that the plain title “architect” is protected under the Architects Act 2004 and controlled by the Architects Board of WA |
| Landscape designer | A resolved garden design — concept plan, planting plan, materials and finishes schedule | Fixed fee per design stage, or hourly | No. No qualification is required to use the title |
| Landscaper / landscape contractor | The built garden — the physical work, and the coordination of the trades in it | Fixed-price contract, or day rate plus materials | Only once building work needing a permit passes the value thresholds below |
| Horticulturist | Plant knowledge — species selection for your soil and aspect, plant health diagnosis, the maintenance regime | Hourly consultancy, or as part of a maintenance contract | No. The Registered Horticulturist credential is voluntary and peer-reviewed |
The practical consequence: three of these four titles can be used by anyone, today, with no training. A licence check will not save you. What saves you is asking to see three completed Perth jobs and one full documentation set.
What they charge in Perth
Fee structure tells you more than fee level.
- Design is sold in stages. Concept, then developed design, then documentation. Perth designers commonly quote roughly $1,500–$2,500 for a basic concept plan and $5,000–$8,000 for a full documentation package (indicative Perth figures from a referral site, not an independent authority — sanity-check, do not quote them at anyone).
- A rule of thumb I use: a design package you can actually build from tends to land somewhere between 5 and 10 per cent of the build cost. Below about $1,500 you are buying a picture, not a document, and the difference shows up as variations during the build.
- Landscapers price two ways. Fixed price against a defined scope, or day rate plus materials. Fixed price is only meaningful if the scope is documented — which is why Phase 6 exists.
- Horticultural advice is cheap and undervalued. An hour of consultancy before you order plants is the highest-return money in the project.
Get three written quotes on an identical scope. Consumer Protection lists what a quote must contain — contact details, ABN, licence number, description of work, material prices, labour, timeframe, call-out fees and terms.
The work you may not do yourself, at any skill level
Read this section twice.
Electrical. In WA all electrical work must be done by a person holding the relevant electrical licence, and it is illegal for an unlicensed person to carry out electrical work including modifications to fixed wiring. That covers garden lighting on mains, a shed sub-board, pump and pond circuits, and anything feeding a water feature. Electricity plus wet sand plus bare feet is the combination that kills people in gardens. Your electrical contractor must give you an electrical safety certificate within 28 days — collect it and file it. Check the licence prefix: EC is a contractor, EW is an electrician.
Plumbing. Potable water pipework from the meter assembly to the points of use is licensed plumbing work, as is sanitary work and underground drainage to sewer. A Kalgoorlie handyman was fined $1,500 plus $571 costs in May 2026 for exactly this. Where your retic ties into the supply — a new tap point, a cut into the supply line, a backflow device — ring Building and Energy on 1300 489 099 before you start rather than guessing.
Gasfitting. Regulated under the Gas Standards Act 1972. Relevant the moment your outdoor kitchen, fire pit or BBQ involves a fixed gas connection.
Verify any of the three in two minutes with the government’s licence search.
Where builder registration starts
Landscaping is mostly unregistered work. It stops being unregistered when you build something that needs a building permit and the value crosses a threshold.
| Situation | What is required |
|---|---|
| Permitted building work valued $20,000 or more | A registered building contractor, or owner-builder approval |
| Class 10a building (shed, carport, private garage) | Threshold is now $50,000 — raised from $20,000 on 1 July 2026 |
| Any residential building work over $20,000 | Home indemnity insurance |
| Fixed-price contract $7,500–$500,000 | Must be in writing and signed; deposit capped at 6.5% |
| Pool or spa holding water deeper than 30 cm | Building approval and a compliant barrier, re-inspected by council at least every four years |
The 1 July 2026 Class 10a change is recent and widely misquoted. A $35,000 carport that would have needed a registered builder in June 2026 does not need one now — but it still needs a building permit, and permits are unaffected. See structures and building permits.
Owner-builder approval has a sting: you generally cannot have held one in the previous six years, and selling within seven years of the permit without home indemnity insurance is an offence carrying a $10,000 penalty.
What a professional does at this stage
A good Perth landscaper does three things before quoting, and they are all about role boundaries.
- They decide which hat they are wearing, and price it separately. Design fee and build price are different transactions. A “free design” is a sales tool, and it buys you a plan you cannot take to another builder.
- They subcontract the licensed trades and keep the paperwork. Not “my mate does the sparky work”. The electrical safety certificate, the plumbing compliance, the building permit and the home indemnity certificate go in a folder, because that folder is what you hand over at completion and what a buyer’s conveyancer asks for in seven years.
- They price the hazard, not just the task. Cutting pavers, limestone and concrete releases respirable crystalline silica — cut wet, and wear a properly fitted P2. Trenches collapse. Working alone on a 40-degree February day is a genuine risk, not toughness.
Which hat this course puts you in
| Phase | Your role |
|---|---|
| 2 Brief, 3 Site analysis | Client, then site analyst |
| 4 Approvals | Applicant — dealing with your council |
| 5 Concept, 6 Documentation | Designer |
| 7 Costing | Estimator and client |
| 8 Build | Contractor and site supervisor |
| 9–11 Handover, maintenance, review | Horticulturist |
When to stop and hire someone
Write your own line now, before you are emotionally invested. Mine, for a suburban Perth renovation, is a hard stop at any of these:
- Anything electrical, plumbing or gas. No exceptions, no skill level.
- A retaining wall over about 500 mm, or any wall supporting a neighbour’s soil, a driveway or a structure. Engineer, then council — see retaining walls.
- Permitted building work over the thresholds above, unless you take on owner-builder approval with eyes open.
- Anything touching a pool barrier. A raised garden bed beside a pool fence can break compliance — see pools and pool fencing.
- Tree work above head height, or near power lines. Arborist.
- Asbestos in a pre-1990 fence or shed.
- Machinery you have not operated before, on a block with services in it.
Everything else on a normal Perth block is legally yours to do. The question becomes economic rather than legal, and DIY vs subcontract is where you answer it with numbers.
The next lesson lays out the full professional workflow end to end — the order these phases run in, and what each one hands to the next.
Checklist
- Name the three roles and what each is paid to produce
- List the WA trades that legally require a licence or registration
- Identify which role each phase of this course puts you in
- Write down the point at which you will stop and hire someone
Where to go deeper
Every link below was fetched and checked before it shipped. Nothing here is a guess.
- Freegovernment15 minPerth / WA
Builders' registration
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Why this oneThe regulator's own statement of when registration bites, and it draws the distinction most homeowners get wrong. A registered building practitioner is an individual who may act as a nominated supervisor but may not provide building services directly to another person; a registered building contractor is the entity that may contract with you. It also carries the current thresholds — $20,000 or more for most building work requiring a permit, and $50,000 or more where the work relates to a Class 10a building such as a private garage, shed or carport.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freegovernment20 minPerth / WA
Building or renovating your home
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Why this oneThe consumer-facing companion to the registration page, and the one that covers the contract rather than the builder. It sets out the Home Building Contracts Act rules — fixed-price contracts between $7,500 and $500,000 must be in writing and signed by both parties, and the deposit is capped at 6.5 per cent of the contract price — plus home indemnity insurance for permitted work over $20,000, covering loss of deposit to $40,000 and incomplete or defective work to $200,000. It also confirms the 1 July 2026 change for Class 10a buildings.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freegovernment10 minPerth / WA
Having electrical work done
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Why this oneShort, blunt and the page to read before you touch a single garden light. It states that WA law requires all electrical work to be carried out by a person holding the relevant electrical licence, that it is illegal for an unlicensed person to do electrical work including modifications to fixed wiring, and it gives you the two prefixes that let you check a business on the spot — EC for an electrical contractor's licence, EW for an electrician. It also names the piece of paper you must collect: an electrical safety certificate within 28 days.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freetool2 min per namePerth / WA
Find a licensed electrician, gas fitter or plumber
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Why this oneThe official verification search, not a marketing directory. It confirms whether a named individual or business actually holds a current electrical, gasfitting or plumbing licence, and it covers other occupational licences administered by the department as well. Two minutes here before you accept a quote is the cheapest risk control in the whole course.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freegovernment15 minPerth / WA
Owner-builder approval
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Why this oneIf your renovation includes a permitted structure over $20,000 and you do not want to engage a registered building contractor, this is the alternative and its conditions are strict. It confirms that a registered building contractor or owner-builder approval is needed once permitted building work exceeds $20,000, that you generally cannot have held an owner-builder permit in the previous six years, that all residential building work over $20,000 must carry home indemnity insurance, and that selling an owner-built dwelling within seven years of the permit without that insurance is an offence carrying a $10,000 penalty.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freegovernment10 minPerth / WA
Hiring tradespeople
Consumer Protection, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Why this oneThe regulator's checklist for what a quote must contain before you accept it — contact details, ABN, licence number, description of work, material prices, labour charges, timeframe, call-out fees and terms. It repeats the $20,000 builder registration threshold and reminds you that plumbing and electrical work legally require licensed professionals, and it flags the online-marketplace tradesperson as the case where licence checking matters most.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- FreedirectoryPerth / WA
Find a Professional
Landscape Industries Association WA (LIAWA)
Why this oneThe WA industry association's member directory, and useful precisely because it separates the roles the way the trade does: Landscape Designers (Residential), Landscape Builders (Residential), Landscape Gardeners (Residential), Commercial Landscapers, Pool Builders and suppliers. If you cannot tell from a business's website which of those it actually is, the category it lists itself under here tells you.
Change this for PerthMembership is a paid trade association membership, not a licence and not a competency test — the directory itself publishes no qualification or insurance requirement. Treat it as a shortlist generator, then verify licences separately through Building and Energy and ask for a current certificate of currency for public liability.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- FreedirectoryAustralian
Find a designer
Landscape Designers Institute
Why this oneA national directory of landscape designers filterable by state — including Western Australia — and by work required, which is the practical filter when you want a concept plan rather than a build. Landscape design is not a registered occupation anywhere in Australia, so an institute directory is one of the few structured ways to find someone whose work is peer-visible rather than just well marketed.
Change this for PerthInstitute membership carries no statutory weight. Ask any designer on this list for three completed Perth gardens you can look at, and for a documented job you can read — a plan you cannot build from is worth nothing at any price.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freedirectory10 minAustralian
Registered Horticulturist
Australian Institute of Horticulture
Why this oneExplains the one recognisable horticultural credential in Australia. Registered Horticulturist is a peer-reviewed certification for senior practising horticultural professionals, with mandatory continuing professional development to maintain it. It is a voluntary industry credential rather than a statutory registration, which is exactly the point — there is no horticulture licence to check, so the credential and the CPD requirement are the closest proxy you have.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Paid · Subsidised "low fee" course; South Metropolitan TAFE published $1,054.15 general or $575.35 concession for semester 1 2026, under an annual fee cap of $400 for 15–24 year olds and concession holders or $1,200 for otherscourse2 semesters full timePerth / WA
Certificate III in Horticulture (AHC30722)
Jobs and Skills WA / Department of Training and Workforce Development
Why this oneThe state government's course listing, which tells you who actually delivers the qualification in Perth — North Metropolitan TAFE at Joondalup and Midland, South Metropolitan TAFE at Murdoch — and confirms its subsidised status. This is the answer to "how do I stop guessing about plants": it is the qualification most competent Perth garden maintenance operators hold, and it is cheap by any standard.
Change this for PerthApplications for both 2026 semesters were closed when checked on 2 August 2026, so this is a plan for next year rather than next month. Confirm current fees and intake dates directly with the delivering TAFE.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freearticle15 minPerth / WA
Landscaping Cost Perth — 2026 price guide
Landscaping Perth
Why this oneOne of the few Perth-specific pages that separates design fees from build costs instead of quoting a single per-square-metre number. It publishes tiers — roughly $1,500 to $2,500 for a basic concept plan, $2,500 to $5,000 for a detailed design with a planting plan, and $5,000 to $8,000 for a full documentation package — alongside project bands from a $5,000 to $15,000 basic makeover up to $50,000-plus premium work, and Perth-specific items such as $1,500 to $3,000 for engineering certification of walls.
Change this for PerthThis is a lead-generation referral site, not an independent cost authority — it states outright that it does not perform landscaping work and refers enquiries to contractors, so the figures are marketing-adjacent and undated beyond the year. Use them to sanity-check the shape of a quote, never as evidence in a price negotiation. Three written quotes from Perth businesses on your own scope beat any published guide.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Paid · Domestic Estimator digital subscription AU$420 per year at the price listed on 2 August 2026, regular price AU$485; Commercial Estimator AU$600; Estimator Suite+ AU$1,200. Hardcopy handbook prices are not published on this page.bookAustralian
Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook and Domestic Estimator
Rawlinsons (Rawlhouse Publishing, Perth)
Why this oneThis is what quantity surveyors and estimators actually price from, and Rawlinsons is a Perth publisher with regional pricing built into its database of 22,000-plus items. If you reach the point of arguing with a builder about whether a rate is reasonable, this is the only source on this list with standing. It is overkill for one garden — the honest free alternative is three written quotes on an identical scope, which is what this course teaches in Phase 7.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
- Freegovernment10 minPerth / WA
Silica
WorkSafe WA
Why this oneThe hazard that turns a cheap DIY decision into a permanent one. Cutting pavers, limestone blocks, concrete and tiles releases respirable crystalline silica, and this is the WA regulator's hub for exposure control and for the engineered stone ban now in force in this state. Read it before you hire a brick saw, not after.
Link checked 2 Aug 2026
The rules, with sources
WA regulation changes. Each point below names its primary source and the date it was last checked — always confirm with your own council before you build.
Building work valued at $20,000 or more that requires a building permit must be carried out by a registered building contractor. Where the work relates to a Class 10a building such as a private garage, shed or carport, the threshold is $50,000 or more.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
From 1 July 2026 the builder registration threshold for Class 10a buildings such as sheds, carports and private garages increased from $20,000 to $50,000. Building permit requirements are unchanged.
Government of Western Australia media statement, 14 June 2026 ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
Fixed-price home building contracts between $7,500 and $500,000 must be in writing and signed by both parties, and the deposit taken before work starts is capped at 6.5 per cent of the contract price. Home indemnity insurance is required for residential building work requiring a permit and valued over $20,000.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
Owner-builder approval is generally unavailable if you were granted a building permit as an owner-builder within the last six years, and selling an owner-built dwelling within seven years of the date the building permit was granted is an offence carrying a $10,000 penalty unless home indemnity insurance is obtained.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
In Western Australia the law requires all electrical work to be carried out by a person who holds the relevant electrical licence. It is illegal for an unlicensed person to carry out electrical work, including modifications to fixed wiring. Except for maintenance and like-for-like replacement, your electrical contractor must give you an electrical safety certificate within 28 days.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
Licensed plumbing work in WA includes installation, alteration, extension, disconnection, repair or maintenance of pipes and fittings supplying potable water from the meter assembly to the points of use within a property, as well as sanitary work and underground drainage work carrying wastewater to a sewer or treatment apparatus.
Building and Energy — Plumbers scope of work ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
On 4 May 2026 a Kalgoorlie handyman was fined $1,500 plus $571 costs for carrying out sanitary plumbing work and alterations to water supply at a residential property without a plumbing licence, after defects including a hot and cold cross-connection were found.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
Private swimming pools, spa pools and portable pools containing water more than 30 cm deep must have a compliant safety barrier, all swimming pools and spas need building approval, and local governments must inspect at intervals of no more than four years with an initial inspection within 30 days of completion.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
Building permit application fees in WA are 0.19 per cent of the estimated value of work for a certified application for Class 1 and Class 10 buildings, or 0.32 per cent for an uncertified application, with a minimum fee of $121. The local government assesses the application.
Building and Energy, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026
The use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone slabs, panels and benchtops is banned in Western Australia, and businesses must manage workers' exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust.
WorkSafe WA ↗ · checked 2 Aug 2026