SITE DIAGNOSTIC
A Site Diagnostic is our assessment of your garden before anything is planned or built. We research your property, visit and test the site, analyse what we find, and send you a written report with an annotated site plan, what we found, what it means and the next step we recommend.
A recent Site Diagnostic
Woollahra
(2026)
A strata courtyard shaded by two large figs on the neighbouring property. The report covered deep shade, dry sandy soil turning alkaline near the trunks, and council’s protection of the neighbour’s trees, which limits digging near their roots
Who it’s for
Anyone with a Sydney garden can book a Site Diagnostic. It’s most useful when you’re about to spend money and aren’t sure what the site will allow: before a renovation, before getting quotes from landscapers, soon after buying a property, or when plants keep failing and nobody can say why. Strata committees use it to get an independent view of a shared garden before the owners vote on what to do. A Site Diagnostic costs from $550 for smaller gardens and $880 for most others, and every landscape project we take on starts with one.
If you’d rather talk through ideas or options with us, without a site assessment, book a Landscape Consultation instead.
What we look at
Every Site Diagnostic covers four areas. Which of them matters most changes from garden to garden, and the report follows what the site shows us.
Physical
levels and falls, existing structures and paving, access, services, and how the garden connects to the house
Environmental
sun and shade across the seasons, wind, and where water goes when it rains.
Ecological
soil texture and pH, the condition of existing trees and plants, and the wildlife the garden already supports.
Regulatory
council controls, tree protection rules, and any heritage or strata requirements that limit what can change.
The most useful findings often sit where these overlap. A shady corner can also be the place where the soil stays wet, and the tree you’d like removed can turn out to be protected.
What’s included
A Site Diagnostic is three pieces of work, not just a visit.
- Research before the visit. We look up the council controls, tree protection rules and any heritage listing for your property, check geological and soil mapping, determine if aerial photography is available, and study how the sun moves across the site through the year.
- The site visit (one to two hours). We measure levels and boundaries, take light readings, test the soil, note wind, drainage, trees and plants, and talk with you about how you use the space.
- Analysis and report (10 to 14 days). We bring the research and site readings together, work out what they mean for your garden, and set it out in a written report with an annotated site plan, sun and shade and wind studies, photographs and soil test results, the council controls that apply, and our findings, what they mean and the next step we recommend.
Most of that work happens away from your garden. Behind each Site Diagnostic is around 4 hours of work. It doesn’t include concept plans, planting plans or construction drawings. If you go ahead, those come next and are quoted in the Scope of Works.
For smaller, simpler sites, a Compact Site Diagnostic covers the same research with a visit of about an hour and a shorter report focused on the key findings and the next step. Soil is tested on site, without laboratory analysis.
The report is yours to keep, whether or not you go ahead with us.
Extracts from Site Diagnostic reports. ©2026 Jasper Green Designs. Extracts from Site Diagnostic reports. ©2026 Jasper Green Designs. 
Extracts from Site Diagnostic reports. ©2026 Jasper Green Designs. 
Extracts from Site Diagnostic reports. ©2026 Jasper Green Designs. 
Extracts from Site Diagnostic reports. ©2026 Jasper Green Designs. 
Extracts from Site Diagnostic reports. ©2026 Jasper Green Designs.
How it works
- Discovery Call (free, 30 minutes). Talk us through the garden and what you’d like to change. If a Site Diagnostic is the right place to start, we email you an information pack with a booking link.
- Booking. You choose a date and time for the visit, pay the fee and confirm the booking.
- Site visit (one to two hours). We measure, observe, photograph and test the soil, and talk with you about the space.
- Report (10 to 14 days). We work through what we recorded, check the council controls and prepare the report and site plan.
- Next step. We walk you through the report. If you decide to go ahead, the findings shape the Scope of Works for the next stage, which fixes its fee.
The whole sequence is set out on our process page.
Fees
A full Site Diagnostic starts from $880. For smaller, simpler sites, such as most front gardens, courtyards and balconies, a Compact Site Diagnostic is $550. We’ll tell you which suits your garden on the complimentary Discovery Call, and if your site is unusually large or complex, we quote the fee then, so you know it before you book.
If you go ahead with a project within six months of receiving your report, we credit the full Site Diagnostic fee against the next stage. That stage’s fee is set in a Scope of Works based on what the Site Diagnostic found. Our article on landscape design costs in Sydney explains what shapes those fees.
Where we work
We work across Sydney. Our focus is the Inner West, the Eastern Suburbs and the North Shore.
Who you’ll work with
Damian Norton founded Jasper Green on the view that good outcomes start with understanding people, places and the problems that connect them.
With a degree in design and a postgraduate certificate in garden design, he brings decades of experience in strategy and problem-solving to landscape work, based around careful investigation of each site and client needs.
Damian leads every Jasper Green project, from the first call to construction support, and brings in arborists, engineers and other specialists when a project or site needs them.
Frequently asked Site Diagnostic questions
How much does a Site Diagnostic cost?
A Site Diagnostic costs from $880 for most Sydney gardens, and a Compact Site Diagnostic for smaller, simpler sites such as front gardens is $550. Larger or more complex sites are quoted before booking. The fee covers the research before the visit, the site visit and soil testing, the analysis afterwards, and the written report with an annotated site plan. If you go ahead with a project within six months, the Site Diagniostic fee is credited against the next stage. The Discovery Call before it is free.
How long does a Site Diagnostic take?
Allow one to two hours on site; a front garden is often done in about an hour. You’ll have the written report 10 to 14 days after the visit, once we’ve worked through the measurements, soil results and council controls.
Is a Site Diagnostic the same as an arborist report or a soil test?
No. A Site Diagnostic looks at the whole garden: sun, water, soil, plants, trees, structures and council rules, and how they affect each other. If a site needs a specialist, such as an arborist for a protected tree or an engineer for a retaining wall, the report says so and explains why.
How is a Site Diagnostic different from a design consultation?
A design consultation is advice on the day: a designer walks the garden with you and talks through ideas. A Site Diagnostic is research before the visit, measurements and soil tests on site, and analysis afterwards, written up in a report with an annotated site plan that you keep. It tells you what your site will allow before anyone starts on ideas.
Do I have to go ahead with a landscape project afterwards?
No. A Site Diagnostic is a service in its own right, and the report is yours whether or not you continue. Some clients use it to plan their next step, some to brief a landscaper, and some to decide the work can wait.
Can a strata committee book a Site Diagnostic for a shared garden?
Yes. For a shared courtyard, rooftop or common garden, the report gives the committee an independent record of the site’s conditions and constraints, which helps owners agree on what to do before any money is committed.
Why does every Jasper Green project start with a Site Diagnostic?
Because the site decides what will work. Shade, soil, drainage, protected trees and council controls set the limits for any plan, and finding them first avoids paying for drawings that have to be redone. The findings become the starting point for the brief and the fee for the next stage.
Start with a conversation
If the front of your house doesn’t do it justice, a free 30-minute Discovery Call is the place to start.
Alternatively, you can book a Site Diagnostic directly.
