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 take on garden landscaping throughout Musselburgh and the surrounding EH21 postcodes, as well as in Bonnyrigg, Edinburgh and Penicuik. The guide range for this work in Scotland is £5,800–£14,500 including VAT; where your project falls depends on its size, the materials you pick and how easy the site is to reach. A free survey turns that range into a fixed figure.
- Guide price
- £5,800–£14,500 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- EH21
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Local area
- East Lothian
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does garden landscaping cost in Musselburgh?
Prices for garden landscaping vary from house to house, but in Musselburgh most projects fall within £5,800–£14,500 including VAT. That reflects costs in Scotland, about 4% below the national guide. Treat the table as a budgeting aid; the written figure follows a survey we carry out for free.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Musselburgh |
|---|---|---|
| Garden refresh | Clearance, new turf, edging, bark or gravel and some planting. | £1,450–£4,800 |
| Typical garden makeover | A new patio, lawn, borders, paths and planting in a typical rear garden. | £5,800–£14,500 |
| Full redesign | Levels, retaining walls, large patios, lighting and drainage for larger or sloping gardens. | £14,500–£33,500 |
What moves the price up or down:
- 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?
- Survey of size, levels, soil, drainage and access
- Layout plan agreed with you before work starts
- Site clearance and removal of old features and waste
- 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
Local housing and garden landscaping
Edinburgh's New Town is a planned Georgian sandstone townscape within a World Heritage Site, and districts such as Marchmont and Leith have Victorian tenements. Bungalows and villas fill the suburbs, Midlothian has former mining villages, Livingston was built as a new town, and East Lothian villages often have red pantile roofs.
Listed and conservation-area homes need careful window and stone repairs. Bungalows commonly suit loft conversions and dormers, and suburban semis take extensions and garage conversions.
Whatever era your Musselburgh home dates from, we plan garden landscaping around how it is actually built rather than a one-size-fits-all specification.
Do you need permission in Musselburgh?
Musselburgh is in Scotland, so the planning and building rules set out below are the ones that apply. We confirm the details with the council before we quote.
Most garden landscaping in Scotland needs no planning permission; protected trees and trees in conservation areas need the council’s consent or notice.
A building warrant is rarely needed for landscaping.
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?
We look at the job
Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.
Quote in writing
You get the price in writing, itemised so you can see where the money goes. As long as the specification stays the same, that is the price you pay for garden landscaping.
Dates and permissions
Preparation matters as much as the build. We agree access, parking and working hours with you, order materials in good time, and confirm any permissions so the job isn't held up once it starts.
On site to finish
Our trades complete garden landscaping while your point of contact keeps you updated. When everything is finished, we clear the site, take away waste and go through the result with you before handover.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
Can you combine garden landscaping with other work?
Yes. Because we manage several trades under one contract, we can plan garden landscaping alongside other work on your Musselburgh home, such as new windows with rendering, or a kitchen refit with an extension. Combining jobs can reduce repeat set-up such as scaffolding, skips and access, and every element is listed and priced in the same written quote.
How can I make my garden low maintenance?
A low-maintenance garden reduces mowing, weeding and watering. Paving or porcelain patios, gravel areas on a weed membrane, artificial grass and raised beds with hardy, slow-growing plants all help. Mulching borders with bark suppresses weeds and holds moisture. Some planting keeps the space feeling green and supports wildlife. We balance hard and soft areas to suit the time you want to spend.
How long does a garden makeover take?
A typical garden makeover takes around one to four weeks on site, depending on size and scope. Clearance and groundworks come first, then drainage, patios, paths and walls, followed by turf and planting. Larger or sloping gardens with retaining walls take longer. Weather can affect timings, especially for groundworks and laying turf. We give you a programme with your quote.
How much does garden landscaping cost?
Landscaping a typical 50–60m² rear garden with a patio, lawn, borders and planting costs £5,800–£14,500. As a guide, allow roughly £90–£220 per square metre of garden plus fixed costs for clearance and set-up, with gardens that are mostly lawn and planting at the lower end and those with large patios, walls and lighting at the top. Slopes and poor access add cost. We confirm a fixed price after the survey.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
Also covering areas around Musselburgh
Coverage for Musselburgh spans EH21. Close by, Bonnyrigg, Edinburgh and Penicuik are covered too, and the rest of our UK-wide area follows the same survey-then-quote process from start to finish.

