ᐅ Affordable landscaping for a new build – what is the best approach?
Created on: 9 Apr 2022 11:16
M
MarkoW.
Good morning everyone,
As some of you may have heard, we are building a semi-detached house as a prefabricated home. As is common with most suppliers, the exterior landscaping is not included in the price. So, we have to take care of that ourselves.
I have read up extensively on the topic but unfortunately keep finding very conflicting prices and cost estimates.
Just a few days ago, there was a thread where someone wanted to spend six figures on their garden—I nearly fell off my chair.
So, about our garden: The area behind the house is roughly 230 square meters (2,476 square feet), a bit over 10 meters (33 feet) wide and just over 20 meters (66 feet) long. We plan to build a simple paved terrace, which will probably be slightly higher than the rest of the garden later on. The house (being timber frame construction) has to be elevated 30cm (12 inches) above ground level. Since we want level access to the terrace from the house, it will be built flush with the door, and the lawn will then be slightly lower. We will also need to install drainage between the terrace and the house to prevent water from running into the building. That shouldn’t be a problem because the rainwater downpipes’ drainage also runs in that area. According to online sources, paving the terrace costs around 100 euros per square meter (approximately $100 per 10.8 square feet).
Regarding the fence, we will of course coordinate with our future neighbors. We’re considering separating the terrace from the neighbor with gabion walls (about 4 meters / 13 feet long). The rest of the garden will be enclosed with a welded wire fence (please no debate about the fence type—the development plan requires hedges, chain-link fencing, or welded wire fencing). On various websites, I calculated prices for this. About 50 meters (164 feet) of fencing (1.8 meters / 6 feet high and 2 meters / 6.5 feet wide per panel), including posts, costs around 4,000 euros. Privacy screening strips might be added, but they can be easily installed by ourselves, so I am leaving those out for now (around 700 euros).
We also want a lawn. I think rolled turf looks best, though I’ve also read about very different prices here. When searching for prices, about 10 euros per square meter (approximately $10 per 10.8 square feet) is displayed. Alternatively, we could sow grass seed ourselves, but then there is the risk that birds will eat it.
No flowers, trees, or shrubs are initially planned. To the right of the house, we want a garage (we have quotes starting at 15,000 euros for an 8 x 3 meter (26 x 10 feet) prefabricated garage with electricity, foundation, and installation).
The driveway / front garden can only be done once the construction access road is removed.
So what makes the garden so expensive? I’ve estimated my calculated costs:
Terrace: 40 sqm x 100 euros = 4,000 euros (possibly a bit more if more base material is needed)
Rolled turf: 200 sqm x 10 euros = 2,000 euros
Fence: 4,000 euros
That brings the total to about 10,000 euros (with the terrace costs including labor).
Then there is additional labor for the fence and lawn installation (unfortunately, I don’t feel confident doing this myself, and none of my acquaintances can either). Is labor really the main factor driving the cost so high? What labor costs would you estimate for these jobs?
Also, does it make sense to install the garage only after completing the garden work? Otherwise, it would be difficult to bring in excavators and other machinery.
What other tips would you have for keeping the garden as affordable as possible?
By the way, the plot used to be farmland, so it’s flat and the soil should be good for this kind of work.
As some of you may have heard, we are building a semi-detached house as a prefabricated home. As is common with most suppliers, the exterior landscaping is not included in the price. So, we have to take care of that ourselves.
I have read up extensively on the topic but unfortunately keep finding very conflicting prices and cost estimates.
Just a few days ago, there was a thread where someone wanted to spend six figures on their garden—I nearly fell off my chair.
So, about our garden: The area behind the house is roughly 230 square meters (2,476 square feet), a bit over 10 meters (33 feet) wide and just over 20 meters (66 feet) long. We plan to build a simple paved terrace, which will probably be slightly higher than the rest of the garden later on. The house (being timber frame construction) has to be elevated 30cm (12 inches) above ground level. Since we want level access to the terrace from the house, it will be built flush with the door, and the lawn will then be slightly lower. We will also need to install drainage between the terrace and the house to prevent water from running into the building. That shouldn’t be a problem because the rainwater downpipes’ drainage also runs in that area. According to online sources, paving the terrace costs around 100 euros per square meter (approximately $100 per 10.8 square feet).
Regarding the fence, we will of course coordinate with our future neighbors. We’re considering separating the terrace from the neighbor with gabion walls (about 4 meters / 13 feet long). The rest of the garden will be enclosed with a welded wire fence (please no debate about the fence type—the development plan requires hedges, chain-link fencing, or welded wire fencing). On various websites, I calculated prices for this. About 50 meters (164 feet) of fencing (1.8 meters / 6 feet high and 2 meters / 6.5 feet wide per panel), including posts, costs around 4,000 euros. Privacy screening strips might be added, but they can be easily installed by ourselves, so I am leaving those out for now (around 700 euros).
We also want a lawn. I think rolled turf looks best, though I’ve also read about very different prices here. When searching for prices, about 10 euros per square meter (approximately $10 per 10.8 square feet) is displayed. Alternatively, we could sow grass seed ourselves, but then there is the risk that birds will eat it.
No flowers, trees, or shrubs are initially planned. To the right of the house, we want a garage (we have quotes starting at 15,000 euros for an 8 x 3 meter (26 x 10 feet) prefabricated garage with electricity, foundation, and installation).
The driveway / front garden can only be done once the construction access road is removed.
So what makes the garden so expensive? I’ve estimated my calculated costs:
Terrace: 40 sqm x 100 euros = 4,000 euros (possibly a bit more if more base material is needed)
Rolled turf: 200 sqm x 10 euros = 2,000 euros
Fence: 4,000 euros
That brings the total to about 10,000 euros (with the terrace costs including labor).
Then there is additional labor for the fence and lawn installation (unfortunately, I don’t feel confident doing this myself, and none of my acquaintances can either). Is labor really the main factor driving the cost so high? What labor costs would you estimate for these jobs?
Also, does it make sense to install the garage only after completing the garden work? Otherwise, it would be difficult to bring in excavators and other machinery.
What other tips would you have for keeping the garden as affordable as possible?
By the way, the plot used to be farmland, so it’s flat and the soil should be good for this kind of work.
C
chand198610 Apr 2022 09:47Well, it’s no longer really a garden, but rather an outdoor area at the back. Maybe calling it a “garden” raised the wrong expectations and shocked the gardening enthusiasts among the users?
If someone wants a plastic-coated chlorophyll wasteland for privacy screening, that’s their choice.
But advice will be limited. I can’t think of much beyond “sowing grass yourself,” sorry.
If someone wants a plastic-coated chlorophyll wasteland for privacy screening, that’s their choice.
But advice will be limited. I can’t think of much beyond “sowing grass yourself,” sorry.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
There are now artificial turf options that look very realistic. I would consider adding that to the priority list for the garden. But he wants to save money...
(I once ordered samples, 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 inches)... 40 €/m² (about $4 per ft²)).
The question is, how much money is actually “left over,” how should the garden/outdoor areas be designed at all, and what does he want/can he do himself.
By the way: you won’t get 50 m (164 feet) of welded wire mesh fence for 4,000 €, not even just for the materials. (Unless you want everything to be warped and crooked as soon as it arrives and expect rust to appear in two years…)
W
WilderSueden10 Apr 2022 10:15MarkoW. schrieb:
Doing work yourself saves a lot of money, but the result often doesn’t match the quality of professionals – so it’s a matter of weighing the options.Did you get that from the landscape gardener’s brochure? 😉Where exactly do you think you can’t achieve the same quality? You just need to do a bit of research beforehand, but most of it isn’t rocket science. I would definitely leave it to the pros for retaining walls significantly over 1 meter (3 feet) high. Drainage strips, paving, lawn, fence – all of these can be done well by a layperson. Since you now live right on site, you can also split the work up and do it in stages.
P
Pinkiponk10 Apr 2022 10:18ypg schrieb:
**… but I’m out of tips here!Please don’t, I always find your tips very helpful and I’m benefiting from this thread as well, since our garden landscaping is also scheduled for next year at the latest.B
Benutzer20010 Apr 2022 10:40Georgian2019 schrieb:
Checking classified ads or local neighborhood groups for plants is really a good tip: free plants are always the cheapest.
We have spent quite a lot of money on trees and such (150–500 €) when they were supposed to be already 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft) tall. Two weeks ago, I found out that a house in the neighborhood was sold. The new owner needed space in the front yard for containers, so I was allowed to dig up two 3 m (10 ft) tall columnar yews. Borrowed my father-in-law’s trailer and a neighbor helped out briefly. We had planned to buy some anyway and would have paid about 120 € each for 1.75 m (5.7 ft) plants. Taller specimens of 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft) cost as much as 280 € each. So we saved a good amount of money again. Yep, that works very well.
But yews are usually planted in cemeteries, not in gardens. 😉
MarkoW. schrieb:
Tastes differ—which is a good thing. Not everyone wants a high-maintenance garden with plants, shrubs, and so on. It’s just a shame that expressing a minority opinion immediately leads to hostility.
You should really delete this outdated mindset from your system. It’s always surprising that there are still people who don’t recognize the signs of the times.
-> Ownership comes with responsibility. As a landowner, it is your moral duty to contribute to environmental preservation for future generations. Lawns and concrete areas are lifeless spaces. Please inform yourself about which plants and habitats support the conservation of local flora and fauna in your district. I’m sure your local authority can provide useful guidance on this (-> environmental department). Often, these requirements are even included in the building permit / planning permission conditions.
Similar topics