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.
ypg schrieb:
Uh, sorry. You’re talking about a welded wire mesh fence and want privacy screening? Any properly planted hedge, whether with hedge plants or shrubs, becomes fully opaque within at most 4 years. A fence alone does not provide privacy. Maybe you should take a closer look walking through a completed residential area 😉
By the way, a lawn is the most maintenance-intensive part of a garden. You can’t roll out a meadow. I actually went for that walk a few days ago 🙂 If anything, privacy slats would be added to the fence, which would make it opaque. What exactly is the difference between a lawn and a meadow?
MarkoW. schrieb:
If that’s the case, privacy slats would be installed in the fence, 😱 😡 That is an absolute offense against nature! And it looks ugly because it doesn’t fit with the natural environment. People who have those around here don’t make any friends**.MarkoW. schrieb:
That would make it opaque. So what exactly is the difference between a lawn and a meadow?A meadow includes weeds and native wildflowers…**… but I’m out of here with my advice!
That’s not really a garden plan.
I consider 100 euros per square meter (approximately 9.3 square feet), including materials and installation for paving, to be too low. Pay attention to the general contractor’s instructions on how the terrace should be constructed in relation to the house.
There is no splash protection strip.
You mentioned gabions but did not list any costs for them.
The meadow contains wildflowers, herbs, and grasses such as red fescue, orchard grass, smooth brome, and meadow foxtail — what lawn enthusiasts might describe as animal fodder.
The roots grow deeper, do not need to be constantly kept short, and are less sensitive to drought.
I would not recommend sowing wildflowers and herbs in a barefoot/play area. It will never be as soft as a perfect lawn.
You can sometimes get plants through eBay for local pickup, free cuttings, offsets, or divisions from friends, neighbors, or relatives.
Discount stores and supermarkets sometimes offer good deals.
Remove the turf and sow the lawn yourself.
Remove the gabions.
Doing the work yourself
are the main cost-saving options.
Search online for “microclimate improvement,” for example by Nabu, or get the Kraut & Rüben magazine issues 1-3/2021. Hot summers that heat terraces and houses are becoming an increasingly important issue. With smart planning, you can improve a lot.
I consider 100 euros per square meter (approximately 9.3 square feet), including materials and installation for paving, to be too low. Pay attention to the general contractor’s instructions on how the terrace should be constructed in relation to the house.
There is no splash protection strip.
You mentioned gabions but did not list any costs for them.
The meadow contains wildflowers, herbs, and grasses such as red fescue, orchard grass, smooth brome, and meadow foxtail — what lawn enthusiasts might describe as animal fodder.
The roots grow deeper, do not need to be constantly kept short, and are less sensitive to drought.
I would not recommend sowing wildflowers and herbs in a barefoot/play area. It will never be as soft as a perfect lawn.
You can sometimes get plants through eBay for local pickup, free cuttings, offsets, or divisions from friends, neighbors, or relatives.
Discount stores and supermarkets sometimes offer good deals.
Remove the turf and sow the lawn yourself.
Remove the gabions.
Doing the work yourself
are the main cost-saving options.
Search online for “microclimate improvement,” for example by Nabu, or get the Kraut & Rüben magazine issues 1-3/2021. Hot summers that heat terraces and houses are becoming an increasingly important issue. With smart planning, you can improve a lot.
G
Georgian20199 Apr 2022 21:16haydee schrieb:
What you’re planning isn’t really a garden.
I think 100 euros per square meter for paving, including materials and installation, is too cheap.
Pay attention to the general contractor’s instructions on how the terrace must be connected to the house.
The splash protection strip is missing.
You mentioned gabions but didn’t include any costs for them.
The meadow contains wildflowers, herbs, grasses like red fescue, common meadow grass, smooth meadow-grass, meadow foxtail—what lawn enthusiasts might call fodder for livestock.
The roots grow deeper, they don’t need to be kept short all the time, and they’re less sensitive to drought.
I wouldn’t sow wildflowers and herbs on a barefoot/play area. It will never be as soft as a perfect golf course lawn.
You can sometimes get plants on eBay for pickup, free cuttings, divisions, or offsets from friends, acquaintances, neighbors, or family.
Stores like Norma, Aldi, or discount markets sometimes have good prices.
Skip the turf and sow grass yourself.
Get rid of the gabions.
Doing work yourself are the key savings.
Search Google for improving microclimate, for example through organizations like NABU, or get the Kraut und Rüben magazine issues 1-3/2021. Hot summers that heat terraces and houses are becoming a bigger issue. Thoughtful landscaping can improve this a lot. Searching classified ads or your neighborhood for plants is really a good tip: free plants are always the cheapest option.
We have spent quite a lot on trees (150–500 euros) when they were already 2.5–3m (8–10 feet) tall. Two weeks ago, I heard a house nearby was sold. The new owner needed space in the front yard for containers, so I was allowed to dig out two 3m (10 feet) tall columnar yews. We borrowed a trailer from my father-in-law and a neighbor helped briefly. We were planning to buy some anyway and would have paid about 120 euros for 1.75m (5.7 feet) tall plants. Specimens 2.5–3m (8–10 feet) tall cost up to 280 euros each. So we saved a good amount of money.
ypg schrieb:
😱 😡 This is such a desecration of nature! And ugly because it doesn’t fit with the natural surroundings. Anyone around here who has something like that won’t make any friends**.
The meadow is full of weeds and wildflowers…
**… but I’m done giving advice here!What did I do to offend you so much? I hope you were being ironic about the fence 😕 What’s wrong with wanting privacy in your garden?
And I definitely don’t want weeds; I’d rather have a nice (self-seeded) lawn.
So, to sum up: tastes differ—and that’s 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 apparently leads to being attacked right away.
Doing work yourself saves a lot of money but often the result won’t match the quality of professional work—so it’s a trade-off.
The tip about classified ads is good; I will definitely check that out.
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Myrna_Loy10 Apr 2022 09:09There are now artificial grass options that look very realistic. I would consider adding this to the priority list for a garden.
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