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.
WilderSueden schrieb:
Did you get that from the landscaping contractor's catalog? 😉
Where do you think you won’t be able to match the quality? You just need to do a bit of research beforehand, but most of it isn’t rocket science. I would definitely hire a professional only for retaining walls significantly over 1 meter (3 feet) high. Drainage strips, paving, lawn, fence – all of that can be done well by a novice. Since you now live on site, you can also do many things step by step.Yes, that comment could actually come from a landscaping contractor 😉 But that’s why it’s a recognized profession after all. I don’t wallpaper or paint myself because I’m just not good at it. There are definitely things I will hire out. I once installed a fence (including setting the posts in concrete) with a friend, but the panel fittings didn’t really line up properly 😳 And paving might sound easy at first, but since you have to consider a slope of 2 to 3 degrees (which has to be planned already during the base preparation) for the terrace, I’m definitely out of my depth with that. While you can make a lot of mistakes with lawn or flowers etc., those are easy to correct. Incorrect spacing or slight misalignment of concreted fence posts, on the other hand, are not.
I didn’t mean to step on any gardener’s toes, but to me the garden (or the backyard area, as you all so fittingly call it in my case) is simply a space that needs to be managed or prepared in some way. Whether it has plants, shrubs, hedges, or not, that’s really up to each individual.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Please don’t, I always find your tips very helpful and I also benefit from this thread because our garden landscaping is scheduled for next year at the latest. … gladly in the garden thread. But not in the plastic thread 😉
MarkoW. schrieb:
Whether there are plants, shrubs, hedges, or not, is really up to each individual.Wrong. See #24. I would actually be interested to know if your development plan says anything about this. Have you ever checked it?W
WilderSueden10 Apr 2022 11:04MarkoW. schrieb:
And paving sounds easy at first, but since you have to consider a slope of 2-3 degrees for the terrace (and already when preparing the base), I’m unfortunately out.It’s actually quite simple. Take a long straightedge and place it on the base so it rests evenly everywhere. Then use a spirit level with two bubble vials (one for 0 degrees, one for 2 degrees), and when the 2-degree vial is level, everything is correct. Otherwise, adjust with a shovel. And if you end up with 1.5 or 2.5 degrees, that’s not a big problem either.MarkoW. schrieb:
I didn’t want to offend any gardener, but to me, the garden (or the rear outdoor area as you aptly call it in my case) is simply an area that needs to be managed or arranged somehow.You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. A perfect golf-course lawn needs mowing every week (and robotic mowers are great for that), and a perfectly trimmed hedge requires as much work as the meticulously styled flower beds. A slightly wild garden needs much less maintenance and is also more wildlife-friendly. If you have many birds in the hedges, pests in the vegetable patch become less of a problem 😉I respect everyone’s personal preferences. However, when it comes to introducing unnecessary plastic products into nature, a serious warning is justified. You are also starting off on the wrong foot with many assumptions and opinions:
Meadow/lawn
Expensive/cheap
Privacy screen/fence
Seed/sod
So, your thread is really full of misconceptions – but that’s okay: that’s what a forum is for, to provide information.
However, it is also your responsibility to read carefully:
You did not receive hostility from me, but information (among other things) about environmental harm. It is up to you to reflect on that.
Meadow/lawn
Expensive/cheap
Privacy screen/fence
Seed/sod
So, your thread is really full of misconceptions – but that’s okay: that’s what a forum is for, to provide information.
However, it is also your responsibility to read carefully:
MarkoW. schrieb:
Not everyone wants a high-maintenance garden with plants, shrubs, etc.
ypg schrieb:
By the way, a lawn is the most maintenance-intensive thing a garden can offer.
MarkoW. schrieb:
It’s just a pity that having a minority opinion apparently leads to immediate hostility.
You did not receive hostility from me, but information (among other things) about environmental harm. It is up to you to reflect on that.
MarkoW. schrieb:
I don’t do the wallpapering or painting myself either.Ok, then in the end, you’re only left with mowing the lawn. (Not even the seeding.) You’ll need to hire a landscape gardener to create a plan. Be aware! That costs money! Then request and compare 2, 3, or 4 quotes.
By 2022, this topic is probably already settled. Execution in spring 2023.
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