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.
In London, we price garden landscaping against our guide for London, £7,800–£19,500 including VAT, then adjust it once we have surveyed your home. We work across Brent, Islington, Westminster and Bexley and the rest of the county or region. Planning and building control requirements follow the rules for England, and we look into your property's position before a written quote is sent.
- Guide price
- £7,800–£19,500 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–4 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Planning rules
- England
- Price level
- About 30% above the national guide
- Towns listed
- 90
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Garden landscaping prices in London
Prices for garden landscaping vary from house to house, but in London most projects fall within £7,800–£19,500 including VAT. That reflects costs in London, about 30% above 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 London |
|---|---|---|
| Garden refresh | Clearance, new turf, edging, bark or gravel and some planting. | £1,950–£6,500 |
| Typical garden makeover | A new patio, lawn, borders, paths and planting in a typical rear garden. | £7,800–£19,500 |
| Full redesign | Levels, retaining walls, large patios, lighting and drainage for larger or sloping gardens. | £19,500–£45,500 |
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 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
- Groundworks, levelling and drainage
- Raised beds, low walls or sleepers built to the agreed design
- Turf or artificial grass laid on a prepared base
Homes in London
London's housing is dominated by Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often in yellow London stock brick, with Georgian terraces in central districts and mansion blocks across many inner areas. Outer boroughs have large belts of interwar semis, and there are extensive post-war council estates. Many houses have been split into flats, and conservation areas are widespread.
Terraces suit side-return extensions and rear dormer loft conversions; interwar semis commonly take hip-to-gable lofts. Shared party walls, restricted parking and conservation rules often shape the plans and the programme.
London Clay shrinks and swells with the seasons, and street trees close to houses can contribute to movement, which affects foundation design.
Planning and building rules in London
As London is in England, read the following with that system of planning and building control in mind. We check what applies to your house with the council before you receive a 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
A visit to your home
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price garden landscaping properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Price and scope agreed
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.
Booking the work
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
Build and hand over
Work goes ahead as scheduled and you deal with one contact throughout. When the last trade leaves, we clear and clean the site, talk you through what has been done and pass on any certificates and care instructions.
What you can expect from us
Questions about garden landscaping in London
Do I need planning permission in London?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. London is in England, so England's rules apply. Many smaller jobs need no planning application, but some still need building control approval. We check what applies to your address before quoting.
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 London 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.
What can be done about a waterlogged garden?
A waterlogged garden is usually caused by heavy clay soil, compacted ground or water running off from hard surfaces. Solutions include French drains, soakaways, improving soil with organic matter, and making new paving permeable or directing its run-off to drains. Raised beds help plants in wet areas. We look at the cause during the survey and include drainage in the design.
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.
Towns in London
Our coverage for garden landscaping in London includes the towns listed here. Each page explains guide costs, typical timings and the neighbouring places we also serve.
- Acton
- Archway
- Barking
- Barnes
- Barnet
- Battersea
- Beckenham
- Becontree
- Bexley
- Blackheath
- Blackwall
- Bow
- Brent
- Brixton
- Camden Town
- Canary Wharf
- Canning Town
- Carshalton
- Catford
- Chalk Farm
- Chelsea
- Chessington
- Chingford
- Chiswick
- Coulsdon
- Cricklewood
- Croydon
- Dagenham
- East Barnet
- Edmonton
- Eltham
- Enfield Town
- Feltham
- Finchley
- Fulham
- Golders Green
- Greenford
- Greenwich
- Hadley Wood
- Hampton
- Hanworth
- Harrow
- Hayes
- Heston
- Highbury
- Holloway
- Hook
- Hornchurch
- Hounslow
- Ilford
- Isleworth
- Islington
- Kilburn
- Leytonstone
- Mitcham
- Morden
- Muswell Hill
- New Malden
- Northolt
- Notting Hill
- Peckham
- Pimlico
- Pinner
- Purley
- Putney
- Richmond
- Romford
- Ruislip
- Shepherds Bush
- Soho
- South Croydon
- Southall
- Stamford Hill
- Stratford
- Streatham
- Surbiton
- Sutton
- Thamesmead
- Tottenham
- Uxbridge
- Wallington
- Walthamstow
- Wealdstone
- Welling
- Wembley
- Westminster
- Willesden
- Wimbledon
- Wood Green
- Woodford Green