Is this a reasonable price for a garden remodel?

[Dimblebimble]

We've been quoted 10k for a garden remodel. We've struggled to get anyone out for a quote. The one company that has come round have been very professional and seem reliable.

The quote is more than we expected, but it is quite a big space and we need a tree, a bush, and pampas grass removed as well as hedges on two sides. We also need three fences out up, two existing areas ripped up and repatiod in sandstone and a short walk with two sets of two steps to the raised level of the garden. This is how the quote was broken down. Does this sound reasonable? Or are we being ripped off?

6 m by 4 m patio - £1,920
7 m back fence - £560
10,5 m side fence - £840
11 m side fence & removal of hedge - £1,250
1,5 by 5 patio - £600
3,6 by 1,3 patio - £375
2,4 by 1,3 path - £249
1,6 by 6,5 bottom patio - £832
6,5 m wall
Brickwork - £700
2 steps to be installed - £300
3,8 by 2,6 patio - £790
10 m aco drain - £300
Dispose of 2 trees,greenery & hedges - £800
Dispose of all waste
8 by 8 lawn - £1,300

Total Price = £10,816
Cash Price = £10,000

This quote includes all waste disposed of and no payment is needed until the job is fully completed

P.S. I can sketch out the rough layout of the garden and what we're having done in each area if that's more helpful, not sure of the exact dimensions of the garden though.

Does that include all the materials? Eg fence panels, bricks etc?

@katmarie, Yes that quote includes all materials. I assume it also includes turf. We haven't discussed them putting any other plants in.

My dear friend is a builder and he always says that the rough rule of thumb is that the labour is the same cost as the materials. Broadly speaking.

So you could start by working out how much the materials are, bearing in mind that he will likely be getting a trade discount for them.

I think it's expensive. Especially the disposal of waste/tree/hedge prices.

That’s a lot of work you’re having done and it actually sounds quite reasonable to me. When we got quotes a number of years ago for just a 6 x 4 m patio they were all £3-4K. More recently we had a quote for the patio again plus a small stretch of wall and it was £7k! Definitely worth getting more quotes but I shouldn’t be surprised if they are in the same ballpark. The only thing that sounds dodgy to me is asking for cash. £10k in cash is ridiculous!

Okay I've tried to sketch it out with what we're having done. As I said above they're also removing a tree, a shrub and pampas grass (notoriously tricky to remove) as well as the hedges, ripping up the old patio, and levelling the upper level a little.

I think the cash is optional. Tbh a lot of tradespeople round here seem to offer that as an option.

P.S. I've added in the dimensions based on measurements they gave in the quote. I appreciate that my diagram is totally out of proportion 😂

For context, this is our first home. We've lived here for 4 years now and have been renovating the inside, but the garden is a total state (crumbling diy patio, falling down wall, etc). We are planning to move in 4-5 years (we can't afford the area we want at the moment) so don't want to overspend but also really want to make it a pleasant space to be in for the years we have left here. It's really not a nice place to be at the moment, and it could hinder a future sale, so we feel it's reasonable to do a basic renovation without any 'frills'.

We do have the money to do this, it's more that we don't want to be totally ripped off and later regret it. The company we've spoken to has lots of good reviews online.

I think whether it's a decent price depends a lot on where you are. We spent [gulp] nearly 5 x that doing up our garden, but it's nearly half an acre altogether and that included the designers' fees and nearly 10k on plants. So £10k for everything seems like amazing value to me!

But get at least two more quotes. You can't move around us without tripping over a landscaper, but we're in a semi-rural area.

We had similar quotes for less, and also struggled to get anyone interested. I'm actually putting the job together myself now used 4 different people saving 50%

Sounds very reasonable. We had a complete remodel of our garden and it came to £8k which included artificial lawn

I'd snap their hands off for that price , it's a lot of work the price.

@Closetlibrarian we're in a large city but not London. There seem to be a few companies round here they just don't reply to messages. I can try them again but part of me thinks if they're unreliable and hard to get hold of now, do we want to hire them??

@anniehm I wish I had your energy 😂 I would know where to start. What types of people did you hire?

@Highlandspring1991 @bellsbuss it does seem okay to us, although we were expecting more around 8k. It's more the thought of going with the first quote that worries me - I like to shop around a bit normally

It’s reasonable. Just having decent paving adds up! One stop shop with the contractor is better too. Laying various patios is expensive and if that includes materials it’s ok. Just make sure it includes suitable prep for the patios! Grass is cheap - patios are not! Neither is decent fencing!

That seems good value to me! We are having a 7x7 m deck built (granted, our land out back is awkward and steep, hence the deck to give us a flat space for the children to play on), and the quote is nearly 13k.