What Goes Into Your Landscaping Costs?
Summary
Landscaping costs in Surrey vary depending on the size and condition of your garden, the preparation required and the materials and features you choose. As every project is different, a quotation based on your property will give you a much more accurate idea of cost than a general average.
Key Takeaways
- Landscaping costs in Surrey vary considerably depending on the scope of the project, not just the size of the garden.
- Ground preparation, access, and existing site conditions can have a major impact on the final cost.
- Material choices for paving, driveways, and other hard landscaping affect the overall budget.
- Larger or more complex gardens generally require more labour and materials, but small gardens can also be costly if the design is intricate.
- Planning the complete garden before work begins helps homeowners understand where their budget is being spent.
If you’re thinking about having your garden landscaped, one of the first things you’ll probably want to know is how much it’s going to cost. The difficulty is that there isn’t one figure that works for every garden.
At S&D Paving & Landscaping, we see this first-hand when planning projects across Surrey. The condition of the existing garden, the work needed to prepare it and what you want from the finished space all play a part in the final price.
In this guide, we’ll explain what goes into landscaping costs, why they can vary and what to consider when setting a realistic budget for your garden.
What Does Landscaping Cost Actually Cover?
When you look at a finished garden, you only see part of the work that went into it. A lot can happen before the new paving goes down or the lawn is laid, and that work needs to be allowed for in the quote.
Depending on your garden, this could include:
- Clearing and preparing the site: Existing paving, old landscaping or unwanted materials may need to come out first. From there, we can excavate and prepare the ground ready for the new garden.
- Sorting out levels and drainage: Not every garden gives us a level starting point. Slopes, uneven ground and drainage issues may need to be dealt with as part of the preparation.
- Building the garden: This is where much of the visible work comes in, whether that’s a new patio, paths, steps, a driveway or other hard landscaping.
- Adding the finishing touches: Depending on the design, the project might also involve new fencing, a lawn or other features around the garden.
- Getting everything on and off site: Access makes a difference too. We need to get materials and equipment into the garden and remove waste as the job progresses, which can take more time on properties with restricted access.
It’s worth looking at what has actually been included when you compare landscaping costs, rather than simply choosing the lowest figure. For example, one paving quote might look cheaper at first, but it may not include the same level of groundwork or drainage as another.
Comparing the work included gives you a much better idea of what you’re getting for your money.
Why Landscaping Costs Vary Between Gardens: Five Factors To Consider
Knowing what a landscaping quote can include is useful, but the amount you pay for each part will depend on your individual garden.
At S&D Paving & Landscaping, we look at the existing site, access and the work needed to prepare the garden before considering the materials and finished design. This gives us a much clearer picture of what the project will involve and where the budget needs to be spent.
These are some of the main reasons landscaping costs can vary between projects.
Garden Size and Layout
Garden size gives us a starting point, but it doesn’t tell us how much work will be involved. A large, fairly open garden can be relatively straightforward to work with, while a smaller garden may have difficult levels, lots of paving to remove or a layout that takes more time to get right.
Existing Site Conditions
Every job starts with what’s already there. Sometimes we’re working with a fairly clear garden; other times there’s old paving to take up or groundwork that needs attention before we can move on.
We came across this on our Swimming Pool Paving project in Caterham. The existing concrete base needed reinforcing, and the levels had to be corrected before we could lay the new porcelain. None of that is particularly noticeable in the finished photographs, but it was an important part of the job and had to be included in the cost.
Access to the Garden
Access is something homeowners don’t always think about when budgeting for landscaping costs. If there’s a good route into the garden, moving equipment and materials around is much easier. With a narrow side entrance, steps or no direct garden access, more of that work may have to be done by hand.
Your Choice of Materials
This is one area where you have quite a bit of control over the budget. Paving and other landscaping materials are available at different price points, so we can talk through the options and find something that works for your garden without choosing purely on price.
Appearance matters too. See our post Paving Colour & Texture: Choosing Garden Materials that Complement Your Home’s Style for useful advice to narrow down your options.
The Scale of the Project
There’s a clear difference between coming in to replace a patio and taking on a complete garden redesign. Once a project starts to cover several parts of the garden, there’s simply more work involved. That doesn’t mean you have to do everything at the same time.
If we know what you eventually want from the garden, we can take that into account from the start and look at which areas make sense to tackle first.
Landscaping Costs by Service: What’s Included?
What you’re planning to change will have a big say in the final cost. Replacing a patio is a very different job from starting again with the whole garden, so it helps to understand what goes into each type of project.
We offer a range of services across Surrey, each with their own landscaping costs, including:
Garden Design and Planning
For a larger project, it makes sense to get the garden design right before work starts. This is where we look at the garden as a whole, talk through what you want from the space and work out how the different areas should come together.
It also gives us a chance to work with your budget from the outset. You might want everything completed as one project, or you may prefer to tackle the garden over time. Either way, having the overall plan in place means decisions made now won’t get in the way of something you want to add later.
You can read more about how we approach this in our post, A Comprehensive Guide to Garden Design: From Consultation to Completion.
Patios and Paving
There’s more to pricing a new patio than measuring the area and choosing the paving. We first need to see what’s already there and what needs to happen before the new surface can go down. Sometimes an existing patio needs to be removed. In other gardens, more work may be needed to get the levels right or deal with drainage.
Once we know what the site needs, we can look at paving choices and how the proposed layout will affect the amount of material and installation time involved.
Driveways
With a driveway, a lot depends on the condition of the existing area. If we’re replacing an old surface, we need to establish what can stay and what needs to come out before we can properly price the work.
The surface you choose will then form another part of the budget. Different driveway materials have their own advantages and price points, which we cover in more detail in The Complete Guide to Driveway Paving: Materials, Styles & Costs.
Complete Garden Landscaping
A complete redesign is naturally a bigger undertaking because we’re looking beyond one individual feature. There may be areas to clear, layouts to change and several parts of the garden to build before everything comes together.
Our Cranleigh garden and driveway transformation gives you an idea of the scale some projects can reach. We worked across both the front and rear of the property rather than concentrating on a single area.
For projects like this, looking at the property as a whole also makes budgeting easier. We can see how the work fits together, what needs to happen first and where you’d prefer to put more of your budget.
How To Plan Your Garden Around Your Budget
Having an idea of what you’re comfortable spending makes it much easier to plan a garden that works for you. You don’t need to have every detail decided before speaking to us, but it helps to think about what matters most and where you’re happy to be flexible.
When you’re working out landscaping costst, these are a few useful things to consider:
- Start with what matters most: Think about the changes that will make the biggest difference to how you use your garden. This gives us a clear starting point when looking at the design and available budget.
- Talk about budget early: Being open about what you want to spend means we can suggest suitable options from the beginning, rather than designing something that later needs to be scaled back.
- Don’t judge materials on price alone: Spending more isn’t always necessary, and choosing the cheapest option isn’t always the best answer either. We can help you compare materials based on where they’re being used and what you want from the finished garden.
- Consider completing the garden in stages: If you don’t want to tackle everything at once, we can look at the garden as a whole and plan the work in a sensible order. This means anything completed later can work with what’s already in place.
Why Choose S&D Paving & Landscaping?
Good landscaping isn’t just about how the garden looks when the work is finished. The preparation underneath matters just as much, from getting the levels right to making sure drainage has been properly considered. These are the details that help your new garden, patio or driveway perform as it should for years to come.
S&D Paving & Landscaping has been designing and building outdoor spaces across Surrey since 2008. We manage the project from the initial design through to installation, so you have one team looking at how the different parts of your garden need to work together.
We’re also a Bradstone National Award Winner, and our work is fully insured and backed by a 7-year guarantee.
If you’re planning a landscaping project in Surrey, get in touch with our team. We can look at your garden, talk through what you want to achieve and provide a quotation based on the work your property actually needs.
Conclusion
There isn’t a standard for landscaping costs because every garden starts from a different point. The work required, your choice of materials and the overall scale of the project will all shape the final cost.
The best way to set a realistic budget is to start with your own garden. At S&D Paving & Landscaping, we can assess the site, discuss what you want to achieve and explain the work involved before providing a quotation.
Contact Us Today
If you’re considering a new garden, patio or driveway in Surrey, get in touch with our team to start planning your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does landscaping cost in Surrey?
Landscaping costs vary considerably depending on your garden and the work involved. The size of the area is only one factor; access, existing conditions, preparation and your chosen materials can all affect the price. A site-specific quotation is the best way to get an accurate figure for your project.
Can I landscape my garden in stages?
Yes. If completing everything at once doesn’t suit your budget, the garden can be planned as a whole and completed in stages. Having an overall plan from the beginning helps make sure the work you complete now won’t need to be changed when you move on to the next area.
What should be included in a landscaping quote?
This will depend on the project, but your quotation should make it clear what work is included rather than only giving you a final figure. This could cover preparation and removal of existing materials as well as installation, materials and waste removal. Check exactly what has been allowed for when comparing quotations from different companies.
