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.
Dover sits within our coverage for garden landscaping, as do neighbouring Folkestone, Deal and Canterbury. Before giving a price we want to see the property: the condition of what's there now, the access, and anything that might need extra work. The guide range for the South East is £6,700–£17,000 including VAT, and your written quote will spell out exactly what that covers.
- Guide price
- £6,700–£17,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- CT14, CT16 and CT17
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Kent
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Garden landscaping prices in Dover
The table below shows guide prices for garden landscaping in Dover. They are based on rates in the South East, which run about 12% above the national guide, giving an overall range of £6,700–£17,000. All figures include VAT and are firmed up after a free site survey.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Dover |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Your price depends mostly on:
- Ratio of hard landscaping to lawn and planting
- Levels, slopes, retaining walls and steps
- Drainage, soil quality and ground conditions
- Materials chosen for paving, walls and features
What do you get?
- 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
- Turf or artificial grass laid on a prepared base
- Planting, bark or gravel finishing and outdoor lighting where included
Local housing and garden landscaping
Kent's older buildings include oast houses, weatherboarded cottages, Wealden timber-framed houses and Kentish ragstone walls. Medway towns have long rows of Victorian terraces, Margate and Ramsgate have Regency and Victorian seafronts, and Ashford, Maidstone and Dartford have seen large new estates alongside interwar and post-war housing.
Victorian terraces suit loft rooms and rear extensions; weatherboarded and timber-framed buildings may need cladding repairs and lime work. Newer estate homes often take garage conversions, porches and landscaping.
That variety is why a guide price for garden landscaping in Dover is only a starting point; the survey shows what your particular property needs.
Do you need permission in Dover?
Planning law differs across the UK. For a home in Dover, 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.
The four stages
Free site survey
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for garden landscaping, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Quote in writing
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Dates and permissions
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 Dover property.
Finish and handover
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.
Why homeowners choose us
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
Who do I deal with during the job?
One point of contact manages your project from survey to handover. They schedule the trades working under our contract, keep you updated on progress, and are the person to call with any question. You don't need to coordinate builders, electricians or decorators separately, because that is part of what we do.
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 £6,700–£17,000. 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.
Near Dover
Coverage for Dover spans CT14, CT16 and CT17. Close by, Folkestone, Deal and Canterbury are covered too, and the rest of our UK-wide area follows the same survey-then-quote process from start to finish.