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.
Whatever prompted you to look into garden landscaping, whether wear and tear, a growing family or plans to move, we can survey your St Albans home and give you a price in writing. Homes in the East of England typically come in at £6,300–£16,000, VAT included, for this kind of work. We also cover Harpenden, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead, and the same steps apply wherever you are in Hertfordshire.
- Guide price
- £6,300–£16,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- AL1 and AL2
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Hertfordshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Garden landscaping prices in St Albans
To help you plan, we show what garden landscaping typically costs in St Albans instead of holding figures back for a sales call. The range is £6,300–£16,000 with VAT, using rates in the East of England that are about 5% above the national guide. A free survey then fixes your actual price.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| Garden refresh | Clearance, new turf, edging, bark or gravel and some planting. | £1,600–£5,200 |
| Typical garden makeover | A new patio, lawn, borders, paths and planting in a typical rear garden. | £6,300–£16,000 |
| Full redesign | Levels, retaining walls, large patios, lighting and drainage for larger or sloping gardens. | £16,000–£37,000 |
The main things that change the figure:
- Garden size, access and the amount of clearance needed
- Ratio of hard landscaping to lawn and planting
- Drainage, soil quality and ground conditions
- Materials chosen for paving, walls and features
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
- Groundworks, levelling and drainage
- Turf or artificial grass laid on a prepared base
- Planting, bark or gravel finishing and outdoor lighting where included
Homes in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is home to the first garden cities, Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City, and the post-war new towns of Stevenage, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead. Watford and St Albans have Victorian terraces and Georgian streets, interwar semis line the commuter suburbs, and brick-and-flint cottages appear in Chiltern villages to the west.
New-town and garden-city homes often suit extensions, window replacement and roofline renewal, though some garden-city estates have their own design guidance. Victorian terraces commonly take loft rooms and side-return extensions.
For garden landscaping in St Albans, this means checking things like wall construction, roof structure and existing services before we put a figure on paper.
Do you need permission in St Albans?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and St Albans is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
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.
Written quote
After the survey we send a quote for garden landscaping that fixes the price for the scope we've agreed. If you want to change materials or scope, we revise it in writing before anything is booked.
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 St Albans property.
Finish and handover
During the work we protect the areas around it and tidy up at the end of each day. Once complete, we check the finish, remove our materials and hand over paperwork such as building control sign-off where it applies.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
How long will garden landscaping take?
On a typical home, allow 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope. Larger projects, older buildings and extra work found once things are opened up can extend that, while simpler jobs may be shorter. Your quote includes an estimate of time on site, and your point of contact keeps you updated on the programme as the work progresses.
Do you cover Harpenden, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead?
Yes. As well as St Albans, we cover Harpenden, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead and the rest of Hertfordshire. 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.
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.
Nearby towns
If your address falls within AL1 and AL2, we cover it. The same goes for neighbouring Harpenden, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead, which we include alongside St Albans when arranging surveys and quotes.