How much should you expect to pay for a new garden?
If you’re considering investing in your garden, one of the first questions you’ll have is; How much is this going to cost me? Searching online for images of gardens as inspiration will show you amazing looking gardens from all over the world, but unfortunately give you no indication of costing. Sadly many garden make-over programs also give a false impression that gardens are quick and inexpensive to put together and do not discuss landscaping prices.
At First Light Landscaping, we feel it is important to give you as much information as possible to help you understand what a realistic investment might be to create the garden you always wanted.
Things to consider when deciding what to invest in your garden;
RAISING THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME
It is useful to consider your new garden as an investment cost - as with any other home improvements such as a new extension, kitchen or bathroom. A bespoke, attractively designed and practical garden has the potential to raise the value of your home by 5-12% - just as a new kitchen or extension would! Also, if the time ever comes when you decide to move house, it can make selling much easier, after all the garden can be the first thing people will see.
IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE
We feel that today we could all benefit from spending more time outdoors and investing in your garden will allow you to do just that. Creating a new garden gives you a beautiful outdoor space in which to relax and unwind. It also creates a space to dine and socialise with friends and family. For kids, a new garden can be their adventure playground and somewhere for you to spend all important quality time with the family.
MORE FREE TIME
Today, we are all busier than ever and a lot of our clients are looking to reduce the time they have to spend maintaining their gardens and increase the time they spend enjoying them! A well thought-out garden can save hours every week in maintenance time.
What factors can affect price?
- Complexity – A more complex project not only involves more work during the project, but also involves much more coordination and planning leading up to the commencement of the project
- Access – We use a JCB Micro Digger that is able to fit through relatively small spaces. If your garden’s only access is through the house or through a neighbour’s property, this will make the project much more labour intensive for our team.
- Materials – For example, concrete flags are far cheaper than sandstone paving. This may result in some savings, however we feel overall appearance of your garden may suffer a loss
- Distance – Our team is based in North Leeds so for most projects more than 40 minutes travel away for our base, we will need to factor this into our cost. (Please note: the furthest distance we are able to travel is 1 hour from our base)
- Bespoke Design – A huge selection of fencing and decking products are available, however when we are commissioned to produce bespoke woodwork, such as gates and storage units, much thought has to be put into design, materials and production.
- Waste Removal – Projects involving large amounts of excavation or complete remodelling of levels and heights make the project much more labour intensive and also increases the uses of transport or skip hire.
Based on the information above, we have selected a few of our recent projects to help you see what is possible in your garden within your budget. Please notice how the factors above affect the project cost.
Connect with your outdoor space
Over £50,000
If you’re considering incorporating high-specification, bespoke features into your garden such as outdoor kitchens with built-in cooking facilities, garden rooms, or you want to invest into using premium materials and finishes for your large garden then this would be a realistic investment.
£30,000–£50,000
If you garden is between 120-150m2, £20,000-£30,000 would be a realistic investment for a total garden transformation. Even for gardens larger than 150m2, an investment such as this could completely transform your garden, with a focus towards natural elements such as lawn and borders, and a few, key bespoke features.
£20,000–£30,000
This price range would allow us to design and build most medium-size gardens - between 60-80m2 - using premium quality materials and incorporating bespoke features into the garden.
For a large garden - between 100-120m2 - the whole garden could be redesigned with a simpler style.
For a very large garden - over 150m2 - several large areas of the garden could be transformed whilst incorporating existing elements of your garden.
£10,000–£20,000
This price range would allow us to design and build most medium-size gardens - between 60-80m2 - using premium quality materials and incorporating bespoke features into the garden.
For a large garden - between 100-120m2 - the whole garden could be redeisgned with a simpler style.
For a very large garden - over 150m2 - several large areas of the garden could be transformed whilst incorporating existing elements of your garden.
£5,000–£10,000
If your garden is 60m2 or less, an investment of £5,000-£10,000 could transform your entire garden into a unique space using premium quality products and incorporating bespoke features.
If you have a medium-sized garden, between 60-80m2, then the top-end of this price range would allow us to construct a simple garden layout and using standard quality products.
For a garden over 80m2, this budget would allow us to create a new aspect within your existing garden, such as a large composite decking area or patio area.
