How much does Landscaping Cost?

You know the saying: “how long is a piece of string?”. And so it is with building a patio or deck or indeed any type of landscaping in your garden. It all depends on what you want done, what materials you want used, how well you want it constructed, how accessible is the site, how big is the garden – you get the drift!

Just take a look at the photo above. It’s a small back garden but even so there are lots of elements to consider and it isn’t possible to take a look at the picture and price the job. It all depends on a lot of things.  For example, what is the pathway made of – is it block paving? If so what sort?  How is the wall at the end constructed?  And the steps – what are they made of?  What about the woodwork and the fence – is it cheap wood or quality wood and has it been treated? And the railing on the steps – is it metal or composite? Did it need painting?

So you can begin to see that it’s not as simple as stating what you want and the size of your garden – there’s a lot more that goes into drawing up a quote than is apparent at first sight. And that’s why it’s not possible to give prices that have any meaning on a website. We could say “from £1,000 to £10,000” for example and be talking about the same work on the same plot. But the difference could lie in the materials that are used.

The only way to get a proper quote is to get an experienced garden landscaper or deck builder around to take a look and give you a proper considered quote. It’s not a five-minute job because the landscaper will want to know exactly what you want built and what materials you want to use. On top of that they will consider the access and whether they can get appropriate machinery on to the site or whether some of it needs to be done by hand. They’ll ask all sorts of questions to determine your expectations and sometimes your budget may not be sufficient to get exactly what you’d like, so compromises have to be made.

Sort this all out before work starts and have a clear vision of what you want. Visit builders’ yards to look at slabs or bricks and timber yards to choose the type of fencing and gates you want. If you leave it to the builder you may be disappointed if their idea of a finished patio is different to your own!

The key is research. Landscape gardening is a costly investment so be sure you and your landscaper are on the same wavelength before work begins.