How much will it cost to get my new garden landscaped?
February 9th, 2024
5 min read
By Andrew Whyte
Are you thinking about engaging a landscape designer to create a new garden for your home in Melbourne or the Mornington Peninsula? Is this the first time you’ve ever done this?
If you have never used a landscape designer before, you might be asking yourself “How much is all this going to cost?”.
Don’t worry. We’ve been asked this question hundreds of times by our clients. And we’re glad to tell you we’ve been able to answer it for them most times.By the end of this article, we hope you will have a much clearer picture of what your new garden project might cost. (Remember disappointment only happens when expectations don’t meet reality.) So, it’s wise to set up the correct expectations at the beginning of the project to ensure your dream and vision come to life with excitement and realistic goals.
But first, let’s look at some of the typical inclusions in a landscaping project.
Typical features in a new landscaped garden
- Driveway
- Front Path
- Front fence/Side gates
- Other fencing & screens
- Deck, patio, paving
- Pool/Spa/Pool fence
- Pool surfacing (decking, concrete, grass, paving)
- Pergola
- Planting of garden/lawn
- Irrigation system
- Outdoor Lighting
- Outdoor Kitchen
- Veggie garden
- Basketball/tennis court
- Concrete/paving down the side of the house
- Water feature/pond
- Firepit/Outdoor BBQ
- Seating/seating areas
- Retaining walls
- Rendered/stone-clad walls
Not every new landscaped garden will include all these features, but many will include at least some of them.
Remember, of course, you may wish to include your own unique features such as a sauna, fountain, or other item.
Additional landscaping costs?
There are several additional costs that go into the process of planning for, designing, and constructing your new garden.
These will often include the following:
- Master Plan
- Construction drawings
- Planning Permit/s
- Building Surveyor/Permit
- Soil Report
- Engineer
- Boundary Survey
- Arborist Report
- Project Manager to coordinate
- Excavation/Soil Removal Costs
- Garage or Carport
- Modifications to the home eg windows, doors, walls, etc
Again, you may not incur all these costs but in many cases, you will incur at least some of them.
Setting a landscape design budget
If this is the first time you have engaged a landscape designer/architect for a project for your home, you might not have any idea of what to budget for.
Because most people don't really have any idea about the true costs of a typical landscaping budget, we actually don't recommend you start with a figure in your mind and think this is your budget. This is because it is most likely to be highly inaccurate. But once you get a figure stuck in your mind it can be very hard to shift it which can lead you to getting stuck on your project.
Rather than trying to set a budget for something that hasn’t yet been designed, we find it’s much better to set a “wish list” of all the things you would like to include in your garden project and then use the below ROUGH guide to pricing to add them all up to see if your project is likely to be feasible.
New garden features pricing guide
Note the following prices are for an average-sized suburban block and are a rough guide only. Severely sloping blocks or blocks with difficult access etc can easily double or triple some of the below costs.
- Excavation costs – these can vary wildly from between $5 - 35,000
- Concreting - exposed aggregate can range between $140-190/m2
- Paving on a concrete base – allow for $500-1000/m2 (not including pool coping or steps)
- Blade, masonry or picket front fence with automated gate - $20-60,000
- Decking – between $500-800/m2, not including steps, vertical faces, and balustrade
- Swimming pool – $50,000 min for fibreglass, $80,000 min for concrete
- Open roof Pergola – allow $10-20,000
- Roofed pergola – average $20-50,000
- Planting – for an average garden would be $25,000
- Irrigation system - between $5-12,000
- Lighting – ranges from $4–12,000
- Turf with steel edge - allow approx $100/m2
- Retaining walls have so many variables, but the average can be nothing or the wall can be up to $100,000 on sloping blocks
- Outdoor kitchen – depending on features chosen will range from $5-30,000
- Veggie garden - $2-10,000
- Basketball court $10-30,000
- Peripheral costs like bench, water feature, etc will all vary
If you'd like to go into much more detail about how to set a more accurate & realistic budget for landscaping please read this article "How to calculate an accurate budget for landscaping"
Allowing for additional landscaping costs in Melbourne
Please note, the costs listed above are just for the purchase and installation of the items. What is not covered is the additional costs for all the designing, planning, permits, reports, etc that may be required depending on the individual aspects of your garden design.
Some typical costs are listed below to help you calculate a realistic budget for your project and to give you some ideas so you are not taken by surprise when budgeting.
- The Master Plan (created by your garden designer) – averages between $4-10,000
- Construction drawings (depending on the complexity of the design) $1-5,000
- Planning Permit – average $1,000 (including designer’s time spent on organising them)
- Building surveyor/permits - approx $3,500 (including designer’s time spent on co-ordinating them)
- Soil report – usually around $1,000 (again including designer’s time)
- Engineer – minimum $3,000 (including designer’s time consulting with them)
- Boundary survey – expect around $3,000 (including designer’s time briefing it)
- Arborist report – probably $1,500 (including designer’s time liaising with them)
- Numerous other permits can add additional costs if they are required
As you can see from the above lists there are many things to consider when planning your dream garden.
But it’s important to make sure you don’t let the sheer amount of information overwhelm you.
How your new garden could change your life
Creating a fabulous new garden for your home can completely transform the lives of your family and friends, creating an ideal lifestyle for you all to enjoy.
Your garden will create many lifelong memories you will all treasure and wonderful experiences every day.
Just think of all the times you will spend around the pool. The bbqs. The family dinners. The parties with friends. Entertaining on warm summer nights. Relaxing, reading, sunbaking, dozing on lazy afternoons. Hearing the birds sing, watching gorgeous sunsets.
All of this will be possible in ways you never could with your existing garden.
So, all the work that goes into planning and creating your garden will reward you many times over.
Of course, choosing the wrong designer can cost you a lot more than just money and time. They can turn what should be an exciting process into a frustrating and upsetting experience.
That’s why at Whyte Gardens, we do everything we can to ensure that the design, planning, and creation of your new garden goes as smoothly as possible. Our team are highly experienced. We’ve been doing this for over 30 years!
We make sure that we take your vision, your ideas, your dream and create a custom-designed Master Plan that brings your new garden to life within your budget.
From the moment you see the design for your garden take shape in the real world, you will start to feel a sense of excitement that yes, your dreams for your garden could come true.
If you'd like to start your journey towards a new garden, you can start with a FREE no-obligation discussion with us where we are more than happy to talk through some options with you. We can answer more of your questions on budget and even help you develop an indicative budget for your project, all at no cost or obligation to you.
Click here to start your journey -Book a Whyte Gardens Discovery Call
You might also find these additional articles helpful in your journey towards a wonderful new garden.
Additional articles on aspects of Landscape Design and Construction in Melbourne...
What you need to know about landscaping when building a new home
