How much does garden landscaping cost in the UK?
A garden makeover typically costs £3,000 to £12,000 depending on how much hard landscaping is involved, while a single job like a patio, a new lawn or a fence is far less. Most garden work is priced by the square metre or by the linear metre, so the size of your plot matters as much as the finish. The table below compares the going rate for the main garden jobs.
| Job | From | Typical | Up to | Priced by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patio | £70 | £120 | £220 | per m² |
| Decking | £60 | £120 | £220 | per m² |
| Turfing | £10 | £18 | £30 | per m² |
| Artificial grass | £40 | £65 | £90 | per m² |
| Fencing | £60 | £90 | £140 | per metre |
What changes the price of landscaping a garden
Hard landscaping, a patio, decking, paths and walls, is where most of the money goes, because it involves groundwork, a sub-base and skilled labour. Soft landscaping, a new lawn or planting, is cheaper per square metre. The size and slope of the plot, access for materials and how much clearance and levelling is needed all move the price.
The cheapest way to control a garden budget is to phase the work and to be clear about what is groundwork and what is finish. A level, well-drained base costs the same under a cheap slab or an expensive porcelain one, so it is worth getting right once.
Explore each cost in detail
Common questions
A full garden makeover typically costs £3,000 to £12,000, and more for a large plot with a lot of hard landscaping, walls or level changes. A single element is much less: a patio, a stretch of decking, a new lawn or a run of fencing each have their own range, set out in the table above.
Hard landscaping, and groundwork in particular. A patio, driveway, retaining wall or set of steps needs digging out, a compacted sub-base and skilled laying, which is far more labour-intensive than laying turf or planting. If a garden slopes or needs a lot of levelling, the groundwork can cost more than the finish on top.
Per square metre, artificial grass and a patio are in a similar bracket once you include the sub-base artificial grass needs, and both cost more than real turf. Turf is the cheapest surface to lay but needs mowing and watering; artificial grass and a patio cost more upfront and save on upkeep. Compare all three in the table above.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing. The underlying figures are free to download as a CSV under a CC BY 4.0 licence.