Anyone had their entire garden redone/landscaped? Can I ask how much it cost?

[IHeartKingThistle]

We have a disaster of a garden that needs professional help! It is very wide and wraps around the house at both sides (detached house) but is also very shallow - less than 4 metres from back of house to hedge. The hedge is massive, made of various trees and bushes, and backs onto a lane so needs to stay. It is full of brambles and nettles.

There is a crappy old patio in a place that gets no sun, so that needs removing. There is a massive old compost heap. The lawn is sloping and mostly made of moss. There are fences on both sides - one is broken and one is covered in old creepers. There are tree stumps and random gravelled areas that the previous owners put in.

Told you it was bad!

We would like to level it, add a small patio and a large deck, restrain then hedge somehow with a mowing strip or low wall, and just generally make it look less of an embarrassment. It's going to be a big job!

I've been saving for this for a while but have no idea how much I might need. Does anyone have any experience of doing a job like this?

I don't think you should get disheartened KingThistle - a year ago I knew nothing about gardens (still total amateur status) and I went up north to visit a friend and he took me round all his friends gardens.....one had spend 250k on the works - seriously - and then we saw all variations down to spending very little. my favourite was an elderly friend of his who had been doing her garden for 40 years. it was magical, she'd never spent lots but planting all from young plants, saplings etc.
it sounds like you just need to get some muscle in to tackle your out of control hedge and throw a bit of cash at some sort of landscaped area. you dont need tens of thousands to get an amazing garden. but you do need time.

Thanks all. I've got a couple of people coming round to do quotes tomorrow and Monday . Will let you know what they say!

(Is it a bad sign if someone has time to come and quote so quickly?!)

Hello, slight update. 2 of 3 gardeners have been round so far. 1 sucked his teeth a lot and basically suggested decking the entire thing . No price yet. Number 2 said don't deck, it won't last, suggested patio areas where the garden gets the sun, raised beds and returfing but was vague about the hedge and what to do with the old sunless patio bit. He came in at 5,700 although I'm sure there would be extras to add to that. Also he was not a particularly lovely human being, though I guess that shouldn't have any impact on his gardening! That price sounds OK doesn't it?

So, interesting...

I find it quite interesting that neither had any ideas for what to do with the area that has the old patio on it. It's on the far right of the garden, not visible from the house, and gets no sun at any point in the day or year. Nothing will grow there and at the moment we've just stuck the trampoline there.

We're in the process of getting quotes to build an upstairs playroom/family room over the (attached) garage, which is right next to the old patio. BUT if that patio bit is so useless, what do you think of the idea of just building the family room on that instead? I'd much rather have a downstairs space than an upstairs space, and that end of the garden is never ever used, apart from the trampoline. The trampoline could go elsewhere fairly easily.

I know this is on a tangent but any thoughts?

Is Green Thumb in your area? They are a lawn service, they have made our hideous lawns beautiful in about 6 months. They come 4 times a year to do various things and add weedkillers etc. It cost us £25 each time (ie £100 a year) - a miracle!

As for the rest, i wouldnt get a garden designer at this stage - just get a £120 a day clearance guy to take it right back to basics. Keep the patio slabs if possible, fix the fences, maybe paint them?, cut the hedge right back to encourage nice new growth, lift the gravel, throw grass seed down.

I really need a garden designer for my back garden, just measured it and it's even smaller than I realised, 992 square foot or 0.02277 acres.
Is anyone able to have a rough guess how much such a small garden costs to design?

Just short of £3k for a smallish back garden in West Yorkshire. The guy (former neighbour) charges just labouring hourly rate, but has a very good eye and imagination and did a brilliant job. He used all pre-existing materials (paving, etc.). One brilliant thing he did was to cut all lower branches from a shrub that totally transformed it - the trunk is such an interesting shape. He loves his work. I think he undervalues himself, but probably has no qualifications.

Thanks WorldWild, think I will just get a design done and do the work ourselves.

I know a very reasonable landscape gardener in Croydon. He did my garden, including removing tree and asbestos garage, new gates and all the hard landscaping for £8k and I spent a further £1700 on plants.

Hello folks, have a level 3 Diploma in garden design and a level 2 in horticulture. Inbox me if any of you think I can help you with a job. Don't mind doing a design and handing it over initially for you to get your own landscapers.

I'm in London.

OP - one of the best pieces of advice I had (given to me by a famous TV landscape gardener!) is to have a look online for local landscapers whose work you like. Get in touch with them and ask if you can buy an hour or two of their time to discuss ideas. Explain that you don't have the money to do a commission, but that you're interested in picking their brains. They should be able to sketch you something very rough in a consultation of 2 hours that you can use as a basis for your own design. This should give you an excellent idea of how to use what sounds like quite a potentially awkward space.

I designed and built my own garden, doing most of the work myself including laying of circles and paths and steps (I did have a brickie build me a retaining wall, though). I had no previous experience of this type of work, and I am not a great DIYer or anything. It was surprisingly straightforward once I'd worked out how to do it!

Choosing plants is easy with a bit of research - and putting them in is a joy - I wouldn't let someone else have that pleasure for the world!

I have a very big space and the whole thing cost under £2k.

That sounds like a good plan shovetheholly. I'm just not sure I can find the time or the inclination!

SOOOO the third guy has been and he was great - some lovely ideas. He emailed me a plan and quote within a few hours. Quote for everything including planting and patio areas (no decking!) comes in at £6500 and something. That seems sort of OK, doesn't it? A lot of money, but OK?

6500 is low but not entirely realistic. Do check their qualifications and experience. Think of landscaping as outdoor architecture - there's a lot of training involved and ensure they understand the biology of plants so they don't just chuck in a few plants and hope for the best. And if they have all that knowledge, show them respect because it's a very undervalued profession.

:)

Shed on the dark bit?

Good thread I will reread but just chucking that thought out there before I get back to what I am supposed to be doing..

^^ what cottageinthecountry said. You can waste ££££ if you have plants that aren't suited to your aspect or soil. How up are you on your horticultural identification? Could you have a look at gardens in your area and make a list of what kinds of things grow well? It might be worth a trip to see local gardens of note, if you can spare the time and energy.

Also, think very carefully about how much maintenance you are prepared to do, and whether you can afford ongoing gardening help. (There is a vast difference between the labour and knowledge required for different kinds of borders. If you plant low-maintenance shrubs, you could get away with a couple of hours a month, whereas a cottage garden perennial border could be hours every week).

I am a bit soppy about my garden, but I do think planting is this intensely personal thing and that it is soooo rewarding when you are surrounded by flowers and shrubs that you adore and nurture. So it is worth a little bit of time upfront to get plants you really love.

I have found a local garden designer that has had work on show at the Chelsea Flower show.
She said you can choose various elements of design that I require whether it's the initial consultation or full design package.
The full package with 3D design etc is from £600 (inc planting plan)
Just a planting plan is from £300

The initial consultation costs £100, she wrote: I assess the site and offer design suggestions based on the completed clients brief. If you do not require scale drawings I can use this consultation to draw a rough, freehand design of a potentially suitable layout for your garden.

As my garden is only 92 sqm and I would be doing the work myself over time, I don't need a fancy 3D computerised design, I just want someone to tell me where to put a patio and shape, where to put borders and shapes etc. And how to make the most of a short, wide garden.
What do you all think about the initial consultation? Is it worth it do you think?

Bit of a long shot but have you considered approaching a local FE/higher education college. They might have students without gardens to practice/design for who may like the opportunity of something to get stuck into/ gain work experience. We've run out of cash on our renovation and have zero funds for the garden. I'm going to try the college.

Just a thought, good luck.

Yes, I have wondered about that. I'll have a look into that.

I have also had reply from another designer who charges £300 for a design or £30 for an hours consultation to point me in the right direction.

So at the moment it's £100 for a consultation with a rough freehand design or £30 for a consultation with I assume no design but a point in the right direction.

Any thoughts?

Hmm. ..so my quote might be too cheap? He did a design and emailed it to me the same day but I guess landscapers work differently? He's quite young - maybe I should ask to see previous work?

Landscapers see materials, paving, base layers and construction. Gardeners see plants, soil, aspect, growth, colour. Designers see all of this and put them together coherently and spend a long time learning how to do it well so that it works in the long term.

LL12 I think your designer is offering average prices, she sounds like she knows what she's doing.

TBH it's base layers and paving we need at the moment! There's very little planting we can do anyway due to enormous hedge on one side and lack of light on the other. He absolutely has taken account of where the light does come in his design though. My dad is a whizz with plants so I'm hoping he'll step in when the construction is done!

His website and FB page were only set up in January so I'm guessing it's a new company. I think I need to check! But otherwise I'm still quite tempted to go with him.

LL ours is short and wide too - pain in the neck!

I am doing mine myself returfing cutting all hedges and laying new patio and lots and lots of new plants which I will be buying from the market and supermarket in the spring ( nice and cheap) cant you do some yourself

I have spent days and days I will never get back trying to tame this garden and I admit defeat!

Why do I keep being told to do it myself? I would do a terrible job and I don't have time. Professionals exist for a reason!

V interesting thread. [makes notes]

IHeart, I would go with whoever has the qualifications and a fair amount of experience or who has worked with a firm for a good number of years.

You're right not to do it yourself, it would mean a lot of reading and researching, getting out there and doing, trial and error and what you end up with is a DIY look rather than a professional one. It took me 3 years to train (part time) so that's a lot of knowledge to catch up on.

Thanks cottage. I did have someone more experienced come to quote - unfortunately his ideas weren't great and he managed to be both racist and sexist in the 20 minutes he was here! Finding someone is not easy!