GARDEN DESIGN BUDGETS

On the whole, people tend to be surprised at how much a great garden costs. If you are looking at a total redesign, including layout, new hard landscaping, planting, lighting and accessories, things can really add up.

Generally speaking, a new garden costs around 5% of the value of your home. Of course this can be skewed slightly by area and the complexities of the site, But it is worth noting that, especially in London, the cost of your home increases dramatically when a garden is part of the property, even more so if it is well kept and instantly usable. 

If we compare the cost of a garden vs work on the dwelling:

A house extension costs approx £2500 per square meter.

A garden design & build costing approx £250 per square meter. 

The fee for a garden Designer is generally 10% of the cost of the final build. Each designer works differently, depending on their passions and scope. Choose a designer whose work you love, and who feels a good fit in terms of personality and understanding your needs. You will be working together for a long time so it’s worth finding someone you like. 

My Top Budget Tips for new Garden Designs

• Be open about your budget. Decide what you want to spend and share this with your designer. They will be able to help you use your budget wisely and give advice on what is possible with the funds available. 
• Create a must-have and a nice-to-have list. Being clear from the start the things you really want helps hone the design to cover your needs. Added extras can be included later.
• Divide & conquer. If you have a larger garden, dividing the project into sections helps spread the cost. Design the whole space at the start, and then plan sections to work on. Perhaps you work on the section closest to the house first. Or if home renovations are in the pipeline, work furthest away, leaving the nearest part until the house is complete and the builders have left. 
• Allow time. We spoke in the last post about timelines. A garden really is a lifetime project. Yes the bulk of the work happens in one go, but there will always be seasonal changes you’d like to make, and plants that have either not flourished or have outgrown their space.
• Factor in 10% contingency costs. As with many big projects, the unexpected often pops up. In the garden especially, once the digging begins we often find plenty of rubble, old patios, dodgy drains, man-holes and even Anderson shelters! These unexpected finds can often mean additional time, waste removal and specialist teams to help, adding to costs, so having an extra pot of money helps remove some of the worry. 
• Figure out what things you can do yourself. Some of my clients really enjoy gardening, but need help with the overall design, what plants work best and all the hard landscaping. Investing in a design can give you all the plans and tools you need, to get on and make it happen. If you are happy doing planting, laying turf, or clearing a space, that can all help bring your costs down.

For more advice on your garden budget book a discovery call with us via the Get In Touch page.