A Garden Redesign Can Cost £2,500 or £25,000 for Reasons That Have Nothing to Do With Size

Those figures come from other companies' price guides, not from us. We have not put Aspen Rose prices on this page: a garden can only be priced from its size, ground, access and the design you actually want, not from a bracket on someone else's website.

The useful questions are what is in the project, which parts cost most, and how to split it so you are not paying for everything at once.

What do published guides say landscaping costs in total?

Fantastic Services gives the clearest bands by scope, and says its prices include VAT where applicable and reflect 2026 market rates.

Two other publishers describe the range differently. Marshalls, a paving manufacturer, says homeowners can expect £1,000 to £15,000 or more (published June 2024). BookABuilderUK, a platform that connects homeowners with tradespeople, gives totals by garden size: £3,000 to £7,000 for 30 m², £6,000 to £15,000 for 60 m² and £10,000 to £30,000+ for 100 m² and over. BookABuilderUK adds that London and the South East run about 10% to 25% higher, while Fantastic Services says 20% to 40%. A 15-point gap between two guides both claiming to describe the same London premium is a sign these are rough multipliers, not measurements, and worth treating that way.

Is soft landscaping cheaper than hard landscaping?

Generally, yes. Soft landscaping is the living part of a garden, such as lawns, planting and trees. Hard landscaping is built: patios, paths, walls and decking. Fantastic Services says materials alone can make up 40% to 60% of the total on a paved or built-up scheme, and its 2026 installed prices show the gap:

The page does not say how big the area is for each line, so these are indicative totals, not rates. MyJobQuote (updated 27 August 2026) adds tree planting at £150 to £450 per tree, and £600 to £1,500+ for a semi-mature tree of 6 metres or more.

Why do the per-square-metre figures disagree?

They disagree because they do not describe the same job. For turf, the two guides that give a rate are far apart:

For a patio the same pattern holds: MyJobQuote gives £80 to £120 per m², and BookABuilderUK gives £90 to £140 for concrete slabs and £140 to £220 for porcelain, with a prepared sub-base. The likeliest reason is scope: BookABuilderUK's lines list topsoil, levelling or a sub-base, while MyJobQuote's do not say what is included. A patio quote that stays silent on sub-base and groundwork usually isn't actually cheaper, it just surfaces the gap halfway through the job instead of before it, so ask any quote to state what groundwork is in it. BookABuilderUK also says limited access can add £20 to £40 per m² to a £120 per m² job, and clay, chalk, rubble or tree roots can add £10 to £30 per m² or more.

What else is added on top?

The guides list the same items as usually not in a landscaper's headline price:

• Design. Fantastic Services gives a concept and planting plan for a small garden at £600 to £1,500 (£900 to £2,000 in London and the South East), and a full design package at £1,500 to £4,500 (£2,500 to £5,000+ there). MyJobQuote gives £600 to £4,500 and notes some landscapers include basic design in the project quote, so ask.
• Waste and spoil. Fantastic Services lists waste removal and skip hire as extra. BookABuilderUK's example breakdown puts £500 to £1,000 of a £10,000 job on waste.
• Drainage, lighting and electrics. Priced separately in both Fantastic Services and BookABuilderUK.
• Contingency. MyJobQuote recommends 10% to 15% for groundwork surprises such as drainage, waterlogging or tree roots.

Contingency is the line most quotes leave out entirely. Assume that 10% to 15% is missing from any total you're given until a contractor confirms otherwise.

Garden designers, landscapers and gardeners overlap, and the difference between a gardener and a landscaper matters when you decide who quotes for what.

Do you need planning permission or building regulations?

For most soft landscaping, no, but hard landscaping can trigger rules. The Planning Portal sets out two common ones:

• Paving a front garden. Permeable surfacing, such as gravel or porous block paving, needs no permission whatever the size. An impermeable surface over 5 m² does, unless the rainwater drains to a lawn or border.
• Decking. It usually needs no permission if it is no more than 30 cm above the ground, covers no more than 50% of the garden together with extensions and outbuildings, and is not in front of the house's principal elevation.

Stricter limits apply in some designated areas and for listed buildings. Your local planning authority can confirm, and MyJobQuote gives about £528 as a typical application fee where one is needed.

How can you phase a landscaping project?

Plan the whole design first, then buy it in stages. Marshalls advises planning the full design before starting to avoid costly mistakes and using cheaper surfaces such as gravel or wood chippings, and notes that some gardeners offer a fixed price on large projects. MyJobQuote says it is cheaper to run lighting cables before paving, decking or water features go in. Spring and autumn are the times Marshalls suggests for landscaping in the UK, and MyJobQuote notes that peak demand is spring and summer and that frost can delay turf and groundwork.

In practice that tends to mean doing the groundworks and anything buried (drainage, cables) together, then spreading planting and secondary areas over later seasons. That is our reading of the guides, not a rule.

How do you compare landscaping quotes?

1. 1Same drawing, same scope. Give every contractor the same plan or a clear list of elements.
2. 2Itemise. Ask for materials, labour, groundworks, waste and any design fee on separate lines.
3. 3Check what the rates cover. Per-m² figures might include topsoil, sub-base and waste or might not.
4. 4Ask about VAT, because the guides differ.
5. 5Ask for a fixed price, or build in a contingency, on larger jobs.

Our soft landscaping service and planting and design service start with a free visit and a written quote. Patios, decking and walls are hard landscaping, a different trade from planting and lawns, so ask any contractor exactly what their quote covers. You can ask for a free visit.

Sources

• Fantastic Services: How much does a landscape gardener cost?
• MyJobQuote: Garden landscaping cost
• BookABuilderUK: Garden landscaping cost per square metre 2026
• Marshalls: How much does it cost to landscape a garden?
• Planning Portal: Paving your front garden
• Planning Portal: Decking

This article sets out Aspen Rose's own reading of the published guides above, useful background, not a quote, and not professional, legal or planning advice. Costs and permission requirements depend on your garden and your council, so get written quotes and check with your local planning authority before deciding. Request a free, no-obligation quote and we'll price your project properly.