Garden landscaping is designing and building an outdoor space as a whole, combining hard landscaping such as patios, paths, walls and steps with soft landscaping such as lawns, planting and beds, plus drainage and lighting, so the garden works for how you live.
We arrange garden landscaping for homeowners in Thatcham and the wider Berkshire. The job is planned, priced and managed by us and carried out by tradespeople engaged under our contract, so there is one agreement and one contact. On a typical home the work takes 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope, and guide pricing in the South East is £6,700–£17,000, VAT included.
- Guide price
- £6,700–£17,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- RG19
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- West Berkshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for garden landscaping in Thatcham?
The costs listed here are typical for garden landscaping around Thatcham and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in the South East, about 12% above the national guide, giving a range of £6,700–£17,000. Exact pricing depends on your home, so we only fix it once a free site survey is done.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Thatcham |
|---|---|---|
| Garden refresh | Clearance, new turf, edging, bark or gravel and some planting. | £1,700–£5,600 |
| Typical garden makeover | A new patio, lawn, borders, paths and planting in a typical rear garden. | £6,700–£17,000 |
| Full redesign | Levels, retaining walls, large patios, lighting and drainage for larger or sloping gardens. | £17,000–£39,000 |
The main things that change the figure:
- Garden size, access and the amount of clearance needed
- Ratio of hard landscaping to lawn and planting
- Levels, slopes, retaining walls and steps
- Drainage, soil quality and ground conditions
What’s included?
- Layout plan agreed with you before work starts
- Groundworks, levelling and drainage
- Patios, paths, steps and edging laid on proper bases
- Raised beds, low walls or sleepers built to the agreed design
- Turf or artificial grass laid on a prepared base
- Planting, bark or gravel finishing and outdoor lighting where included
Homes in Berkshire
Reading's Victorian terraces often show the town's patterned red and silver-grey brickwork, while Windsor, Maidenhead and Newbury mix Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian houses. Bracknell grew as a post-war new town with planned estates, Slough has a great deal of interwar and post-war housing, and newer developments sit on the edge of most towns.
Much of the Thames Valley is low-lying, so flood risk and clay ground near the river can influence foundations and drainage for extensions.
With that background in mind, here is how we typically handle garden landscaping for homes in Thatcham, from the first visit to the finished result.
Permissions for garden landscaping in Thatcham
Planning law differs across the UK. For a home in Thatcham, it is the England rules below that count, and we check them with the council ahead of any quote.
Most garden landscaping in England needs no planning permission. Trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order, or trees in a conservation area, need the council’s consent or notice before work; outbuildings and raised platforms have their own limits.
Building Regulations rarely apply to landscaping, though new drainage and garden electrics must comply.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
What happens after you get in touch?
Free site survey
It starts with a survey at the property, free of charge. We check condition, access and services, ask how you want the finished result to look, and answer any questions you have about garden landscaping.
Your fixed price
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Plan and prepare
With the quote agreed, we book the work in and handle preparation: permissions where needed, building control notifications, material orders and access arrangements for your Thatcham property.
The work itself
The job proceeds in the order set out in the programme, with dust and debris kept under control. Finally we tidy away, inspect the work together and pass the finished project over to you with its paperwork.
Why homeowners choose us
Frequently asked questions
Do you cover Newbury, Basingstoke and Reading?
Yes. As well as Thatcham, we cover Newbury, Basingstoke and Reading and the rest of Berkshire. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
Can I stay at home during the work?
In most cases, yes. Most people can live at home throughout, and we plan the work to keep disruption down by protecting floors, agreeing working hours and keeping access routes clear. Bigger jobs affecting kitchens, bathrooms or heating may mean a short spell with reduced facilities, and we talk this through with you at the survey.
What time of year suits garden landscaping?
Hard landscaping such as patios, paths and walls can be built most of the year, though frost and heavy rain cause delays. Planting is usually most successful in autumn and spring, when plants can establish roots before summer. Turf can be laid in most months if the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. We plan the order of work around the season.
Do I need a garden designer?
You do not always need a separate garden designer. For many gardens, a clear layout plan agreed at the survey is enough to build from, covering patio size, paths, lawn and beds. Larger, sloping or complex gardens benefit from more detailed design, including levels and planting plans. We can work from an existing design or put together a practical layout with you.
Do I need planning permission for landscaping?
Most garden landscaping does not need planning permission, but it depends on the work, your home's location, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, and which UK nation you are in. Raised decking or patios, high walls and front garden paving can need permission, as can work affecting protected trees. We check the rules for your garden before quoting.
Near Thatcham
If your address falls within RG19, we cover it. The same goes for neighbouring Newbury, Basingstoke and Reading, which we include alongside Thatcham when arranging surveys and quotes.