How Much Does a Garden Design Transformation Cost?

Small garden costing approx. £30k

Medium garden costing approx. £40k

UPDATED JULY 2022

When a potential new client gets in touch with me I ask a few basic questions about their garden - What is current garden like, what they would like to do to the garden and how much they would be comfortable spending on the transformation. Simple things to ask but the budget question can be a difficult one for them to answer.  Creating your ideal garden takes design expertise and knowledge, a skilled workforce and a whole host of materials, so it's not a cheap undertaking. It's important to think about how much you are happy to spend and what is feasible with the funds you have available.  We feel that is important to understand what the client is comfortable spending so we don't design something they can't afford.

There are a few things to consider when you're thinking about budgets for a garden project:

How big is your garden?  The size of space to be transformed has a huge effect on the overall costs. Large gardens take considerable time to design, landscape and plant plus there will be large quantities of all the materials needed where as small gardens can be much less costly overall. A small garden can be expensive however, if the client has a long wish list of requirements....

Medium garden costing approx. £50k

Medium garden costing approx. £60k

Medium garden costing approx. £90k

Large garden costing approx. £100k+

What features would you like?    A client's wish list can be short and sweet - seating area, pergola, planting.... or it can be as long as your arm!  The more items on a clients wish list the higher the design fees and installation costs.

What is access to the site like and how does the land lie?
Straight forward flat sites with wide easy access are a landscapers dream, there are fewer hours spent to-ing and fro-ing and fewer issues with moving materials around the sight. Bear in mind that sites with awkward access, sloping ground or minimal space to work in will cost more to transform.

What style of garden do you dream of?
Traditional country style gardens can be less expensive to transform as there is a good balance between high cost hard landscaping and lower cost planting and lawn. If your ideal space involves wall to wall hard materials than expect the price of the transformation to be high. 
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​So what should you budget for?
To the left are images and links to a few projects in my portfolio with approximate costs for design, installation and planting to give you an idea of what can be achieved in each price bracket.

You'll see that the lowest project cost is in the region of £30k. This was a small rear and front garden project including Design, Landscaping and Planting. The site was level with good access and there was minimal landscaping to be removed before the transformation could begin. Economical Indian Sandstone paving was used, along with bespoke treated softwood screens and a small lawn and planting beds were installed.  Had the site been more difficult to work in or had the client chosen more expensive materials then the project would have cost significantly more to complete.  Check out the £30k project  for more info The Outdoor Entertaining Garden

It is very rare for one of our 'Design, Install and Planting' projects to cost less than £30k to complete. The majority of that cost goes towards the hard landscaping elements such as paving, pergolas, fencing, screens etc. 

In the £40k region, a medium sized gardens can be transformed, providing multiple seating areas, paved pathways, bespoke pergolas etc, if the site is easy to access and the wish list is moderate. Small gardens with tricky access can be in this price region too.  The £40k example shows a medium sized plot with sleeper clad retaining wall, two seating area, a small lawn and plenty of planting. If the clients had opted for hardwood cladding or more expensive paving then the price would have increased significantly. Check out the £40k project for more info The Contemporary Country Garden - West Leake

For around £50k we can look to transform a medium sized site and include more wish list items such as a bespoke water feature, sawn sandstone paving and timber arches, as shown on our example project for £50k.  Check out the £50k project for more info The Contemporary Country Garden - Stanford

​When the property has a front and rear garden to transform then the costs rise accordingly. In our £60k example above, the medium sized quirky site, was transformed from an uneven building site, to include several seating areas, a lawn and plenty of planting in the rear, a small tarmac driveway to the side and a formal front garden with pathways, metal railings and traditional planting. All of the fencing and timber work was constructed onsite using treated softwood, and the paving was economical Indian Sandstone. Hardwood and alternative paving materials would have cost much more.  Check out the £60k project for more info The Contemporary Cottage Garden - Loughborough

The garden needn't be large to involve a grand budget. A medium sized garden with a long wish list of features to incorporate into the design can result in a high cost. Our £90k example above needed to include an outdoor garden studio, bespoke pergolas, Kitchen Garden, Bespoke Greenhouse, cold frames, compost bins, bespoke fencing, a small meadow and limited planting. All of this fitted into a compact space, albeit on a flat plot. Beautiful Clay Pavers where used for the pathways and patios which cost more than standard block pavers.  Check out the £90k project out for more info The Wheelchair Accessible Garden - Loughborough

Finally our £100k+ example above shows what can be achieved on a large site of 1 Acre. The clients were looking for a large lawn with a traditional formal planting bed, an extension to the existing patio, an base for the Garden Studio and Storage shed, a  Kitchen Garden and a wilder area of loose grassland with trees.  The size of the plot meant that there were huge quantities of materials required to install the features, plus a brick faced retaining a wall to provide the level area close to the house. Economical materials such as Indian Sandstone and treated softwood were used to keep costs down. The £100k figure excludes the Summerhouse purchased by the clients for approx.. £30k.  The design for this project was fairly simple as the wish list was short, had the clients wanted to include further features, divide the space further or include more expensive materials then the project could easily have cost 50% more. Check out the £100k+ project out for more info The Rural Acre Garden - Sutton Bonington

How much does it cost to have a garden designed?
The overall cost of a project outlined above takes into consideration the design fees, hard landscaping, soil prep and the planting.  The actual design element is only a small proportion of the full cost of a transformation.  The fees associated with a project depend on the size and scope of the garden and the list of requirements. The larger and more complex a project, the longer it will take to design and the more detail will be required. All of our Garden Design Packages contain digital CAD 2d and 3d plans and 3D Garden Visuals, Scope of Works, Setting Out Plans, supporting documents etc. Typically fees for a Garden Design Package start from £2000+vat for a small garden design project. Medium/Larger projects cost from £3000+vat.  ​Planting Design Packages start from £850+vat for small gardens, from £1500+vat for medium - larger gardens and there is a minimum size of 50 sq/m for planting projects. 
Want to know what's included in a design package? Take a look at these articles for more info: Garden Design Package   Planting Design Package 
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In conclusion, When it comes to transforming a site into the garden of your dreams, we advise clients to budget for £30k+ for design, installation and planting for a small garden. Medium sized gardens can range from £40-90k+ depending on the access around the site, site conditions, the wish list and the materials selected for the project. If you are lucky enough to have a larger garden then be prepared to spend from £100k and above to achieve a wow factor garden with the features you require. 

UPDATED JULY 2022 to take into consideration material price increases following Brexit and Covid 19.

Author: Bel Grierson of Bel Grierson Garden Design Limited

Expert Plantswoman,  Garden and Planting Designer with 21+ years experience in horticulture.  Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small.​

Bel Grierson offers Garden and Planting Design in Loughborough, Leicestershire and beyond. Bel is an experienced Garden and Planting Designer and Plantswoman with 21+ years experience in the industry. A fully qualified horticulturalist and designer, Bel’s expertise enables her to design, create, rejuvenate and manage beautiful gardens for clients, listening to their needs and desires for the space. Bel offers a flexible service tailored to suit each project and the client requirements. Services offered by Bel Grierson Garden Design include: 2D Garden Design Plans, 3D Garden Design Visuals, Scope of works for landscapers, Setting Out Plans for landscapers, Planting Plans, Maintenance Schedules, Plant sourcing, Planting services.

Bel Grierson Garden Design Ltd is based in the East Midlands and offers services to clients in Loughborough, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicester and across ​Leicestershire, South Derbyshire & South Nottinghamshire.

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