Have you engaged a builder for your Knockdown Rebuild project or are you thinking of engaging one soon? Are your thoughts now turning to the garden?
One of the first questions you may be asking yourself is, "What should I budget for landscaping my new garden?"
With over 30 years experience in landscape design and construction, we can tell you the greatest challenge for a new garden project is always how to budget for something that has not yet been designed.
In this article we share our insights to help you start to piece together an approximate budget based on the key elements you wish to include in your new garden. So you can start to get some idea of costs, before you even engage a designer.
Let's start at the beginning.
Essentially most gardens consist of some fundamental elements such as a pool/spa, a deck, outdoor kitchen, alfresco dining area, some paving, lawn areas and planted areas, etc. Everyone then adds the custom features they really want like a pergola, verandah, pool house, louvred roof, maybe a basketball court or even a tennis court, etc
In this article we'll give you some options for your new garden along with their estimated costs so you can start to get an idea of what it might cost to include them. This will then help you establish an approximate budget to work with. (Now note we do say an APPROXIMATE budget because there are so many variables that apply to a garden, such as how steep the slope is or how difficult it is to access the site that can add 10% - 40% to the overall cost of some of these items.)
landscaping costs for your front garden
Adding a front fence for privacy
At least half of our clients will ask for a front fence to be included as part of their landscaping. These typically include automation for a driveway gate and a pedestrian entrance. An intercom may also be desired.
Here are some images of a few recent projects we have completed for clients, showing a variety of different front fences.
To get an idea of costs, picket fencing and steel blade fences tend to have similar costs of around $25,000 to $35,000.
Adding stone or brickwork to a fence typically increases the cost to a range of $30,000 to $45,000 as you need an engineer to specify the footings.
When you add custom designed gates and stone cladding the cost may now range from $50,000 to $70,000.
driveway COSTS
With some projects a new driveway or crossover may be required and even a new footpath. As a contingency for this, putting aside $10,000 would be prudent.
The most common driveway is an exposed aggregate concrete one.
The one shown here in this Malvern project reached down to the basement.
Typically you would allocate $10,000 - $30,000 for a concrete driveway.
Choosing to pave it would double or even triple the amount required.
pathS AND WALKWAYS
Having a paved path to your front door rather than making your guests walk up your driveway creates a more welcoming and elegant entrance to your home.
A simple straight path may cost from $10,000 to pave.
Adding steps to the path however can add considerable costs as they require much more thought and set-up in their foundations.
Laying pavers on steps is also a much more time-consuming task than laying them on a straight, flat path.
Depending on the slope of your land however, if steps are required, you may also need to build a retaining wall as part of the total path design. This adds another layer of cost.
Adding steps and retaining walls may increase the range from $20,000 to $40,000 depending on the complexity.
retaining walls
If you have a steeply sloping block, your new garden design may need to incorporate retaining walls, not just for aesthetic reasons as part of the design, but often for structural reasons to support decks, paved areas, paths and driveways, alfresco dining areas, even swimming pools. It can be very hard to estimate a retaining wall simply because they can vary so wildly in terms of size and construction methods used.
A simple retaining wall built from a few sleepers may cost you a few thousand dollars. However extensively engineered retaining walls such as those shown in this recent Balwyn project of ours, may start from $100,000 upwards.
As you can see these walls are built to both retain the land and act as a boundary fence.
This project required additional costs such as engineering, building permit, plumbers for drainage, and major excavation works.
Only you can tell how complex your retaining wall/s may be so hopefully this helps guide you somewhat.
FRONT GARDEN softscapes
"Softscapes" in landscaping parlance are the remaining elements of your front garden and include of course the plants, lawn, soil and mulch. But you may also require irrigation or sprinkler systems and lighting.
Depending on the size of your block setting aside between $20,000 - $40,000 should cover most common front garden softscape costs.
landscaping costs for your REAR GARDEN
paving
The best way to think about paving for your rear garden is to think about different paving "zones".
For example, if you are including a pool, you will most likely wish to pave the surrounding area.
Assigning $30,000 to $60,000 for this would be a good range to work with.
However variables such as the actual paver selection, sealing requirements, etc, can all affect the overall cost.
Alfresco paving:
You may have your builder include pouring a concrete foundation for the alfresco dining area which can reduce your landscaping costs.
Then to pave the area we would typically allow a range of $10,000 - $20,000.
Often the alfresco area of a new home is small and extended with paving.
Pathways linking to other areas of the garden naturally add additional paving costs. As does paving laid in among the garden itself.
You could allow $10,000 but it could rise to $50,000 or in between.
Decking
Generally speaking, decking is of a similar cost to paving. If you intend to incorporate decking into your garden design, use the figures above for paving to get an indicative cost.
Additional costs to consider when building a deck are steps (which of course need adding to paving costs as well).
Balustrading and handrails may also be required.
And of course, you will need a building permit, perhaps engineering or even a planning permit.
Building a Veranda/pergola
A pergola is an open structure that may have vines growing over it to create a relaxed retreat feel.
This open pergola was built for our client in Canterbury to create a shaded area beside the pool.
Typical costs for a pergola vary from $15,000 and up.
If they are under 20 sqm they usually do not require a permit.
You can paint your pergola like this or leave it to age to a more rustic feel.
A louvred roof over an alfresco dining area is popular these days due to its versatility. You can close it when it rains and open it when sunny, allowing you to cater for all seasons
Usually quite an expensive option it can range from $50,000- $100,000 for projects we have completed before.
Verandahs can vary from simple Polycarb roofing that start at $25,000, up to more elaborate structures which include heating and lighting.
In this Malvern project shown here there was extensive engineering required. You can expect to invest between $30,000 - $70,000 for a more complex structure like this.
DOWn the side of the house
Typically homes will tend to have either concrete on both sides of the house. Alternatively either one or both sides will have a small fence and/or gate with a path and perhaps a long narrow garden area.
As you can see in this Chadstone project, exposed aggregate concrete was poured for the side of this house. (Often this is a building code requirement.) Allow around $10,000 - $20,000 for concrete like this with a gate or fence.
More elaborate side fences, eg blade metal fence or batten fence, could add a few thousand dollars.
If metal privacy screens or artworks to be seen from windows are added, allow another $1,000 - $10,000.
Additional concrete may be needed for sheds or pool equipment, at further cost.
Softscapes FOR THE REAR GARDEN
As with the front garden, softscapes include the plants, lawn, soil, mulch etc plus any irrigation or lighting systems to be installed.
These costs can vary enormously but a budget of between $30,000 to $60,000 would be a reasonable figure to allow.
Retaining walls
Again, as with the front garden, retaining walls for the rear garden may vary enormously. This can depend on the slope or shape of the block, the orientation of the house, and even how close or far it is from the front or rear boundary.
You may have no need at all for any retaining walls to be added in which case there is no need to allocate any funds. Alternatively you may require something as simple as some sleeper walls costing $10,000. Or you may be on a steeply sloping site and require $40,000 of concrete block walls. You may then wish to have all those walls stone clad for a further $20,000. Or it can go even higher from there because retaining walls can be both a necessity and also a feature so their costs can vary enormously.
Basketball courts
We have seen a definite trend for installing basketball courts over the past few years.
This basketball court shown here was recently installed in a project we did for a client in Glen iris. It's not a full court of course just a place to practice dribbling, and shooting, but this is one of the larger sized ones we've completed. Some are half this size.
If basketball is your thing, then budget $15,000 - $25,000 for something like this.
ADDITIONAL GARDEN features
There can be many additional garden features that you may wish to incorporate into your new garden design. While some may be considered more of a luxury than a necessity, they all add their own additional costs.
In the images below you can see a simple water feature that might cost between $2,000 - $5,000.
A more elaborate water feature, incorporating steps and a pond could cost over $10,000.
An element like a small curved feature wall that acts as a step may add $5,000 or more.
Or you may wish to add a TV, heaters, fireplace, and stone-clad feature wall in your pergola and invest an additional $30,000 or more.
These are the kind of costs that can really only be more accurately estimated and allowed for once the garden has actually been designed.
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SWIMMING pools
The cost of a swimming pool can vary way too much to add any realistic estimates here. Size, shape, construction method, site access, etc can all vary so wildly from project to project that it would be very misleading to offer any ballpark figures here. We strongly recommend you go to some of the swimming pool companies' websites and use their online cost calculators to get some indicative price.
What we can tell you is that if you wish to add extra elements to your pool such as an inground pool cover you should allow at least $10,000. Pool fencing, which is a mandatory requirement, can range from $10,000 up to $30,000 and beyond.
outdoor kitchens
The cost for your outdoor kitchen can vary enormously depending on what you want. You can buy a simple one from BBQs Galore starting from say $5,000. Or you may wish to use someone like Limetree Afresco, who we use and recommend.
Their outdoor kitchens are fabulous and vary from a base of around $10,000 up to $30,000 or more for a typical kitchen. However don't forget to allow for additional plumbing and electrical works to be done which can vary greatly depending on the location of the kitchen, the features you wish to include and the state of your existing electrical and plumbing features in your home. These may add several thousand dollars more.
DON'T forget site preparation works
Whenever you are landscaping a new garden, there will always be site preparation works. On a new build site, there is usually excess builder's waste to remove as well as clay to clear away if the site is in Melbourne. Sometimes only minor clearing is required, but more often than not, there is no top soil left, so excavation and additional soil needs to be brought to the site.
This Daylesford property we worked on is a classic example of the level of excavation work that can sometimes be required. On this project we had to use the vacant block next door to access the site and remove up to 30 truckloads of waste. We literally had a team working full-time for two weeks to excavate and move all the earth.
When you get into a project of this scale, $30,000 could be a starting point for you to consider.
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summary of costs
Please note, the costings detailed within this article may be applicable to your project or they may not. We have tried to allow for costs that would be for a typical suburban Melbourne block. If your block is an acre or more down on the Mornington Peninsula, then of course that changes everything.
However, we hope that this article has helped you to start getting your head around some of the costs that can apply when creating a new garden.
Generally speaking budgets tend to start out rather wide and all encompassing before starting to be narrowed down through the design process until finally you settle on a fixed, contractable amount with your landscape designer and landscaper. By then you have real clarity on not only what your new garden will look like but also what it will cost you.
As well as the costs to construct the garden, don't forget that there will also be the preliminary costs to design the garden, obtain permits, etc. Some of these are mandatory and necessary, some may be optional depending on the final garden design.
- 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
We hope with all this information you can start to create a realistic budget that will allow you feel more in control of your Knockdown Rebuild project.
It's a very exciting time to be creating a whole new home and garden. We would love to part of your journey so if there is anything we can assist you with or answer any of your questions in more detail please feel free to contact us.
You might find our new FREE KNOCKDOWN REBUILD GARDEN GUIDE to be very helpful in answering some of your questions. To get your copy please click this link below:
You might also find some of these articles to be helpful in answering more of your questions:
What you need to know about landscaping when building a new home
