The Short Answer
On our estimates, landscaping a small back garden (a new patio, lawn, some planting and edging) costs about £2,000 to £8,000. A bigger makeover of 100 to 200m² is £8,000 to £20,000. Landscapers charge about £150 to £340 a day, and a typical job takes two to four days; a full makeover is the sum of its parts.
Hard landscaping (paving, walls, decking) is where the money goes, at £100 to £160 per m². Planting is far cheaper (£30 to £60 per m²). On a budget, I'd spend on a well-built patio and edges and do the planting yourself.
What each part costs
| Element | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Patio, porcelain (per m²) | £90 to £150 |
| Patio, sandstone (per m²) | £85 to £140 |
| Turf (per m²) | £12 to £25 |
| Artificial grass (per m²) | £55 to £90 |
| Softwood decking (per m²) | £70 to £110 |
| Closeboard fencing (per metre) | £90 to £130 |
| Planting beds (per m²) | £30 to £60 |
| Levelling a sloping garden (per m²) | £20 to £60 |
| Garden design (full plan) | £1,500 to £5,000 |
Keeping it in budget
- Get a plan first. Getting the design right up front saves expensive changes later, especially on sloping or awkward plots. See garden designer costs.
- Keep levels where they are if you can: moving soil and building retaining walls add a lot. That's my view, and the levelling and retaining wall prices show why.
- Phase it: hard landscaping this year, planting next.
- Compare like with like: ask for a written schedule with quantities, so quotes can be checked line by line.
When a garden needs permission
Most garden work doesn't need planning permission, but four things catch people out on a full makeover:
- In a front garden, new paving over 5m² must be porous or drain onto your own land, or it needs planning permission. See driveway planning.
- A deck or patio more than 30cm above the ground counts as a raised platform, which needs planning permission. See decking.
- Fences, walls and gates can be up to 2m high without planning permission, or 1m next to a road used by vehicles; anything at a listed building needs consent. More on our fencing page.
- Trees with a preservation order need the council's consent before work, and in a conservation area you must give 6 weeks' notice. See protected trees.
I'd settle these before the design is final, so the plan you get priced is one you can build.
Other prices you may see
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Frequently asked questions
How much does landscaping cost in the UK?
On our estimates, about £2,000 to £8,000 for a small back garden and £8,000 to £20,000 for a 100 to 200m² makeover, depending on how much hard landscaping is involved.
What is the most expensive part of landscaping?
Hard landscaping: patios, walls, steps and moving levels, at £100 to £160 per m² on our estimates. Planting and turf are much cheaper per square metre.
What is the cheapest way to landscape a garden?
Keep the existing levels, choose turf (£12 to £25 per m²) or gravel over paving, and do the planting yourself. I'd still pay for a properly built base under any paving.
How much does a landscaper charge per day?
About £150 to £340 per day per landscaper, on our estimates.
Do I need planning permission for landscaping?
Not usually. Exceptions include raised platforms and decks over 30cm, walls and fences over 2m (1m next to a road), and front garden paving over 5m² that drains to the road.
How we priced thisView sources (7, 4 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- OfficialThe Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1, legislation.gov.uk. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialThe Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 2 (gates, fences, walls; means of access), legislation.gov.uk. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialTree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, GOV.UK. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialGuidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens (September 2008), Department for Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK). Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideGarden landscaping cost, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideGarden design consultation fees, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideGardener prices, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
