What Goes Into Small Garden Landscaping Costs?
Summary
The cost of landscaping a small garden depends on much more than the amount of space available. The existing garden, access, groundwork, materials and what you want to include can all change the scale of the project. Understanding these factors is the best place to start when planning your budget.
Key Takeaways
- A smaller garden doesn’t necessarily mean a smaller landscaping project.
- The condition of the existing garden can have a significant impact on the work required.
- Patios, paths, walls and other hard landscaping can account for a large part of the budget.
- Material choices affect both the initial cost and how the garden performs over time.
- Limited access can increase the amount of manual work involved.
- Professional design can help you make decisions about the space and budget before construction begins.
There is no standard price for landscaping a small garden because no two projects require exactly the same work. One garden might need a new patio and planting, while another of a similar size could require excavation, drainage, retaining walls, fencing and a completely new layout.
At Mammoth Landscaping, we design and build gardens across Buckinghamshire, working with everything from compact outdoor spaces to complete garden transformations. With more than 20 years of landscaping experience, we know that the best way to understand the potential cost is to look at the garden itself and what you want to achieve with it.
In this post, we are sharing some of the main factors that influence small garden landscaping costs and what you should expect ahead of your project.
What Affects the Cost of Landscaping a Small Garden?
Small garden landscaping costs will vary depending on the work needed to create the finished space. From the condition of the existing garden to access, materials and the features you want to include, several factors can shape the overall budget, such as:
1. The Existing Garden and Groundwork Required
One of the first things to consider is how much of the existing garden needs to change. Updating a patio and introducing new planting will involve very different small garden landscaping costs from removing the existing landscaping and starting again with a completely new garden design.
Before anything new can be installed, old paving, fencing or walls may need to be removed. The ground itself may then require excavation, levelling, drainage or new foundations, particularly if you’re changing the layout or working with a sloping garden.
These costs can be easy to overlook because much of the preparation is hidden once the project is complete. However, every new patio, path, lawn or built feature needs the right preparation beneath it, so groundwork and labour can account for a significant part of the overall budget even in a small garden.
At Mammoth Landscaping, we can manage every stage of your garden transformation, rather than leaving you to coordinate different contractors. From clearing the existing garden and completing the necessary groundwork to paving and fencing, our team can take care of the complete project.
To learn more about how we plan a garden from the outset, read What Can a Professional Garden Designer Do for You?
2. Access to Your Garden
How easy it is to reach your garden can have a direct impact on small garden landscaping costs. If we can bring machinery and materials straight onto the site, jobs such as excavation and moving aggregates can be completed much more efficiently.
With a small rear garden, access may be limited to a narrow side passage or even through the house. This can mean using smaller equipment or completing more of the work by hand. Materials may take longer to bring in and excavated soil and waste take longer to remove, increasing the labour involved.
This is why two small gardens requiring similar work can still have different small garden landscaping costs simply because one is easier to access than the other.
3. Hard Landscaping and Material Choices
Hard landscaping can account for a significant part of your budget because you’re paying for both the materials themselves and the skilled work required to install them. The more paving, paths, steps or retaining walls included in the design, the greater this part of the project is likely to be.
The materials you choose will also affect small garden landscaping costs. Mammoth works with porcelain, sandstone, limestone, granite and other natural stone, giving you options at different price points and for different styles of garden.
To learn more about these materials and how they work within garden design, see our post How To Combine Garden Design With Hardscaping: A Guide For Buckinghamshire Gardens.
You can compare many of these materials at our Amersham showroom, where we have paving, stone, timber, gravel, brick and fencing samples on display. Seeing them in person can make it easier to decide where you’d like to invest more and which options best suit your overall budget.
4. Additional Features and Landscaping Services
The cost of your small garden will also depend on what you want Mammoth to include beyond the main patio and planting. Fencing, garden lighting, outdoor entertaining areas and garden rooms can all form part of a wider garden transformation.
Each addition brings its own costs. New fencing requires materials and installation, lighting involves electrical work, while a garden room is a much larger investment that requires its own preparation and construction.
Because Mammoth offers a complete landscaping service, these different elements can be considered together when the garden is designed. This gives you a clearer idea of what you want to prioritise and how each feature contributes to the overall small garden landscaping costs before work begins.
5. How Detailed Your Design Is
The more detailed the design, the more you can expect it to influence the overall small garden landscaping costs. Bespoke elements often require additional materials, more installation time and a greater amount of skilled labour.
For example, a straightforward paved area will usually cost less to install than one with intricate laying patterns, contrasting borders, detailed edging or bespoke steps. The same applies to retaining walls, raised beds and garden rooms, where the complexity of the design can increase both material and labour costs.
This doesn’t mean you need to keep the entire garden simple. Choosing where you’d like to invest in more detailed or bespoke features can help you create impact while keeping the wider project within your planned budget.
For some real-life examples of what’s possible, see our projects page.
Where Should You Spend Your Small Garden Budget?
You don’t necessarily need to spend the same amount on every part of the garden. Deciding what matters most to you can help determine where investing more will make the greatest difference.
A few things worth considering are:
- Get the groundwork right: Preparation, drainage and foundations support everything installed above them.
- Prioritise the areas you’ll use most: If outdoor dining is important, you may decide to invest more in the patio and surrounding area.
- Compare your material options: Different paving and finishes come with different costs, appearances and maintenance requirements.
- Think about longevity: An initially cheaper material isn’t always the best value if it needs greater maintenance or earlier replacement.
- Plan features together: Lighting, fencing, planting and structures are easier to incorporate into the budget when they’re considered from the outset.
- Leave room for the garden to develop: Planting doesn’t necessarily need to provide its full impact on day one.
Why Choose Mammoth Landscaping for Your Small Garden?
At Mammoth Landscaping, we plan the design and build together from the outset. This means we can consider your budget alongside the layout, materials, groundwork and features you want to include, rather than treating each part of the project separately.
Our 3D garden visualisations allow you to see how the proposed design will work before landscaping begins, while our Amersham showroom gives you the opportunity to compare paving and other materials in person. With our designers and landscapers working together in-house, we can then manage the project from the initial design and preparation through to construction, planting and the finishing details.
Ultimately, the cost of landscaping a small garden depends on much more than its size. Understanding what the space needs and making those decisions early gives you a much clearer idea of where your budget is going.
With more than 20 years of experience designing and building gardens across Buckinghamshire, Mammoth can help you create a small garden that makes use of both the space available and your budget. If you’re planning a garden project in Amersham or the surrounding areas, get in touch with our team to arrange a consultation.
Conclusion
There isn’t a standard figure for landscaping a small garden costs because the size of the space is only one part of the project. The existing garden, access, groundwork, materials, design details and features you choose can all influence the final cost.
The best place to start is by deciding what you want from the finished garden and which elements matter most to you. From there, a well-planned design can help you understand the work involved, make informed choices about where to invest and establish a realistic budget before landscaping begins.
Contact Us Today
Visit our Amersham showroom to discuss your ideas and look at materials in person, or get in touch with our team to arrange a consultation for your garden.
FAQs
Does a small garden cost less to landscape?
Not necessarily. A smaller garden may require fewer materials, but groundwork, access, drainage, changes in level and the features you choose can all have a significant effect on the final cost.
What is usually the most expensive part of landscaping a garden?
It depends on the project. Extensive groundwork and hard landscaping can account for a substantial part of the budget because they involve preparation, materials and skilled installation. An assessment of your individual garden is needed to understand where the main costs will lie.
Can Mammoth Landscaping design and build my whole garden?
Yes. Mammoth provides an in-house garden design and landscaping service, taking projects from the initial consultation and design through to construction and completion.
