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Original poster

Quote for garden - do you think this is expensive?

14 replies

lawlie · 12/04/2017 20:33

I've just had a quote for just under £8k (which includes VAT) all in to re-do my roughly 5 x 10m garden including supply. That's to half pave it with Indian sandstone and half with artificial grass, some raised beds, and get rid of a small patch of knotweed that's creeping through from the neighbours.

Any idea if that's expensive?

Cheers

OP posts:
JimWithTwoNoses · 12/04/2017 20:35

Which part of the country are you in? How many days do they think it will take, and are you getting anymore quotes?

Emphasise · 12/04/2017 20:36

That's what we paid for ours which is bigger but no artificial turf. How long do they expect the job to take?

Original poster
lawlie · 12/04/2017 20:36

Thanks - about 3 days. I'm in London, so add the London tax...

OP posts:
Emphasise · 12/04/2017 20:37

Oh, mine took one man 2 months! We're SE but not London

Original poster
lawlie · 12/04/2017 20:45

I'm planning on going out to one other company to benchmark it. Anyone else have any idea?

OP posts:
Canyousewcushions · 12/04/2017 20:49

What are they doing about the knotweed? Assuming it's the nasty stuff, it counts as contaminated waste and an environmental hazard, so depending on how they are dealing with it, this might explain the cost. It can either be sprayed repeatedly over a prolonged period, removed and disposed of as contaminated waste (not many places will take it and those that do charge a lot) or buried several metres deep. They may also need to put some kind of barrier in to stop it reappearing?

Canyousewcushions · 12/04/2017 20:52

If they are including materials it might be worth asking them to break the quote down into material and labour costs too, it means if the indian sandstone is really expensive you'll know how much its costing you and can look at alternatives if it would bring the cost down.

WetDogLovesHubert · 12/04/2017 20:55

Getting rid of the knotweed involves digging it out for about 6m and a huge width around the patch. If they're doing it properly that will account for a lot of the cost. This quote seems reasonable to me.

Original poster
lawlie · 12/04/2017 21:11

Yes they're putting in a barrier to make sure the neighbours knotweed won't come through to my garden. I think they're injecting the knotweed with some sort of specialist poison. Atm there's about 3 bits on my side of the fence coming through from next door - they have more on their side of the fence so I think they are going to inject poison into the neighbours as well.

Yeah the supply cost is separate and seems reasonable actually - for the grass and sandstone about £1k.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 12/04/2017 22:18

Why are you paying for the knotweed treatment? If it is coming through from next door, it's there responsibility to deal with it.

Canyousewcushions · 12/04/2017 23:24

A quick google indicates that a knotweed barrier needs to be dug 3m deep into the ground to stop the roots coming through. That's a big hole and would need an excavator and, if they're doing it properly, propping in the hole to make sure it was safe to work in. Plus they should be taking precautions to make sure they don't proactively spread the knotweed while working- if it's coming into your garden then the root system will be present in your soil already. As PP has said, they should be giving the plant itself a wide berth so they don't touch it. Unless they have plans to dig it out and dispose of it or bury it really deep. (On construction sites it gets fenced off so no one can get near it with a digger by accident!)

Even injecting herbicide as a one off is unlikely to permanently get rid of it- it generally takes several years of regular pesticide application to win the battle against it.

Worth getting an extra quote, may also be worthwhile to look into knotweed prevention a bit with some help from google, ring the contractor up and say that the quote was higher than you were expecting and please could they explain in more detail what they will be doing. If they are genuine they should happy to discuss it with you, and if you have some basic knowledge of knotweed treatment you'll be able to gauge whether their propoals are what you'd expect to deal with it properly.

It's certainly worth doing it right- otherwise it'll be popping up in your lovely new garden in no time!

Original poster
lawlie · 13/04/2017 10:51

Thanks. I'm getting such mixed feedback - the people who quoted seemed to know what they were talking about but didn't really think it was that big a deal (it's not covering a big area at all), but when you google it's like the stuff of nightmares...

Currently speaking with my neighbour to see if he's willing to split the cost of getting it all treated.

OP posts:
Shadowboy · 13/04/2017 10:57

Japanese knotweed can make a house unmortgageable as it's so tough. So it's really worth your neighbours helping in the financial investment to get rid of it all. If they are injecting it with glyphosate then this is the perfect time of year to do it! Good luck!!

shovetheholly · 13/04/2017 11:01

Get another couple of quotes for the same work, and then you'll have peace of mind.

It doesn't sound extortionate, especially for London.

I would think twice about the artificial grass (but I hate the stuff) Grin

Have a look at this thread from the gardening forum: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2800914-The-Landscapers-are-here-it-is-better-than-the-arrival-of-Santa

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