What Happens at a Landscape Consultation? A Step-by-Step Guide
By Paul V. Mascarinas · July 11, 2026
Every MEG consultation starts with a free ocular site visit — no fee is charged until a scope is understood and a paid tier is confirmed. From there, one of three paid tiers applies (₱10,000 / ₱18,000 / ₱30,000), scaled mainly by site size, and that fee is credited toward your project if you decide to move forward. This guide walks through exactly what happens at each step, so there are no surprises going in.
Step 1: The free ocular site visit
Before anything is priced, someone visits the actual site. This isn’t a sales call — it’s a technical assessment covering:
- Site area and boundaries
- Soil condition — drainage, compaction, existing amendments needed
- Sun and shade exposure across the space
- Existing vegetation worth keeping versus removing
- Access constraints — delivery routes, gate widths, podium or high-rise restrictions
- Rough scope direction — softscape only, or softscape plus hardscape and irrigation (see Softscape vs. Hardscape for that distinction)
This visit is free and doesn’t obligate you to anything. Its purpose is to give both sides — you and MEG — enough real information to scope the project honestly, rather than pricing off assumptions.
Step 2: The consultation tier is confirmed
After the ocular visit, MEG confirms which of three consultation tiers fits your project. Tier is driven mainly by site area and secondarily by scope complexity:
| Tier | Fee | Typically suits |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | ₱10,000 | Smaller residential sites, simpler scope |
| Tier 2 | ₱18,000 | Larger residential or small commercial sites, moderate complexity |
| Tier 3 | ₱30,000 | Larger or multi-zone sites, higher design/technical complexity |
MEG qualifies the enquiry and recommends the tier — you’re not asked to guess which one applies before the site visit. See the full breakdown of what each tier includes on the consultations page.
Step 3: The paid consultation itself
The paid tier is where the actual design and technical work happens — translating the site assessment into a concept, planting direction, and (depending on tier and scope) a preliminary budget or master plan direction. This is also where questions about timeline (see our project timeline guide) and contractor approach get answered concretely, against your real site, rather than generically.
Step 4: The fee is credited toward your project
If you decide to proceed to a signed project after the consultation, the consultation fee is credited toward your project cost — it is not an additional charge on top of your final contract. This is a deliberate structure: it means the consultation is priced to reflect real design and technical work, without penalizing clients who move forward with MEG afterward.
Why pay for a consultation at all?
A free consultation with no technical depth behind it can only give you a rough guess. A paid, scoped consultation gets you an actual site assessment, a real design direction, and (depending on tier) a working budget range you can plan against — output you can use even if you ultimately choose a different contractor. Combined with the free ocular visit up front, the structure is designed so you’re never paying before you know roughly what you’re getting into.
How this fits into planning your project
The consultation is the natural first step after you’ve decided landscaping is something you want to move on — before design, before procurement, before any contract. For the fuller planning picture (cost drivers, timeline, how to choose a contractor), see the Landscaping in the Philippines: Cost & Planning Guide. To get a rough number before booking, try the budget calculator first.
Book your free ocular visit to get started, or reach us directly at inquiry@meglandscaping.com / +63 928 551 0587.
Frequently asked questions
Is the first landscape consultation free?
Yes. Every engagement starts with a free ocular site visit, before any paid tier is confirmed. This is where site conditions are assessed and your project is scoped.
How much does a landscape consultation cost?
There are three paid tiers, priced by site area and scope complexity: Tier 1 at ₱10,000, Tier 2 at ₱18,000, and Tier 3 at ₱30,000. The tier is confirmed after the free ocular visit, once the scope is understood.
Does the consultation fee count toward the project cost?
Yes. The consultation fee is credited toward your project if you proceed to a signed contract — it isn't an added cost on top of your project budget.
What's the difference between the three consultation tiers?
The tiers scale with site size and project complexity — a small residential garden typically qualifies for Tier 1, while larger or more complex sites (bigger area, more site conditions to assess, multi-zone scope) move into Tier 2 or Tier 3.
Do I need to have a design idea before booking a consultation?
No. Many clients come in with only a rough sense of what they want. Part of the consultation's purpose is to help translate that into a workable design direction and realistic budget.
What should I prepare before a landscape consultation?
A site plan or lot dimensions if you have them, any inspiration references, a rough budget range, and access to the actual site for the ocular visit. None of this is mandatory — the visit itself will surface what's needed.
Planning a project?
Get a realistic budget for your site, or request a visit from our team.