Hello everyone,
I’m currently gathering quotes for a basic garden layout. For the first phase, only the essentials should be done. Specifically: (wooden) terrace, turf lawn in the garden, and gravel in front of the house and driveway.
The first offer from the landscape gardener arrived over the weekend and it really took me by surprise.
I would like an assessment of whether the following quote is realistic and justified:
Item 01 - Wooden Terrace - €9,500 incl. VAT
Construct a 35 m² (376 sq ft) wood deck from locally sourced larch boards screwed onto a substructure. The substructure will be founded on pier foundations. Fill gaps with geotextile fabric and cover with gravel. Attach double-sided fascia boards.
Item 02 - Lawn - €3,200 incl. VAT
Total: €12,700 incl. VAT.
The quote does not include filling the driveway with gravel, which is about 50 m² (538 sq ft). The ground preparation in front of the house was done during the foundation slab work. I would expect that the gravel layer could simply be placed on the existing ground. However, I don’t know the amount needed for 50 m² (538 sq ft). Could you still provide a rough estimate of the costs for this?
Best regards,
ConnyJash
I’m currently gathering quotes for a basic garden layout. For the first phase, only the essentials should be done. Specifically: (wooden) terrace, turf lawn in the garden, and gravel in front of the house and driveway.
The first offer from the landscape gardener arrived over the weekend and it really took me by surprise.
I would like an assessment of whether the following quote is realistic and justified:
Item 01 - Wooden Terrace - €9,500 incl. VAT
Construct a 35 m² (376 sq ft) wood deck from locally sourced larch boards screwed onto a substructure. The substructure will be founded on pier foundations. Fill gaps with geotextile fabric and cover with gravel. Attach double-sided fascia boards.
Item 02 - Lawn - €3,200 incl. VAT
- Level 125 m² (1,345 sq ft) of construction ground with an excavator, remove and dispose of turf and vegetation, deliver, apply, and rototill 4 m³ (141 cu ft) of topsoil, create a rough grade.
- Create and roll a fine grade over 125 m² (1,345 sq ft), fertilize area, deliver and install turf rolls, water and roll.
Total: €12,700 incl. VAT.
The quote does not include filling the driveway with gravel, which is about 50 m² (538 sq ft). The ground preparation in front of the house was done during the foundation slab work. I would expect that the gravel layer could simply be placed on the existing ground. However, I don’t know the amount needed for 50 m² (538 sq ft). Could you still provide a rough estimate of the costs for this?
Best regards,
ConnyJash
Hello,
The terrace seems a bit expensive to me at 270 euros per square meter (approx. $290 per square yard). Larch wood (which by the way isn’t very durable – it will likely need replacement after 10 years) costs around 40-60 euros per square meter (approx. $43-$65 per square yard). Including the substructure and everything, the material should not cost more than 70-90 euros per square meter (approx. $75-$97 per square yard). I think 2,000 euros ($2,150) for the materials is a bit tight, but it should definitely be possible for under 3,000 euros ($3,230). Then there’s 6,500 euros ($7,000) for labor.
Tropical wood is no longer acceptable today without a guilty conscience. My supplier admitted during a conversation (when he was still offering tropical wood) that it almost always comes from illegal logging, no matter what label is attached. For each Bankirai tree, about 50 to 100 other trees are cut down just to access that one tree. The quality is nowhere near what you could get 20 years ago.
So for the terrace, either use native larch (not Siberian, as the overharvesting there is just as bad as with tropical wood), bamboo, or one of the various treated options like Kebony, thermally modified ash, Organowood, and so on. Or WPC (wood-plastic composite). The treated woods and WPC, including substructure, usually cost a fixed 100-150 euros per square meter (approx. $108-$161 per square yard) just for materials.
For the lawn, they’re asking about 25 euros per square meter (approx. $23 per square yard). Rolled turf including delivery quickly costs 7-8 euros (approx. $6.50-$7 per square meter, or $6-$7.50 per square yard). That leaves about 18 euros (approx. $19.50 per square yard) for soil preparation. That doesn’t seem overly expensive to me, though it’s not a bargain either. But the amount is too small to really save much here. If you do it yourself, with excavator rental and all the equipment, you quickly spend around 2,000 euros ($2,150). I wouldn’t stress myself out for 1,200 euros ($1,290).
If you want to save here, skip the rolled turf and seed the lawn instead. It takes about six weeks but will be just as good. The secret to a nice lawn is fertilizing and watering!
When setting up the lawn, install a few water lines in the garden right away!
For the driveway, make sure you build it frost-deep from the start. That means about 80 centimeters (31 inches) deep with a base layer of gravel or similar.
Honestly, in your situation, I would rather have the driveway done professionally and then do the terrace myself later. The gravel constantly gets tracked into the house, which is extremely annoying!
Best regards,
Andreas
The terrace seems a bit expensive to me at 270 euros per square meter (approx. $290 per square yard). Larch wood (which by the way isn’t very durable – it will likely need replacement after 10 years) costs around 40-60 euros per square meter (approx. $43-$65 per square yard). Including the substructure and everything, the material should not cost more than 70-90 euros per square meter (approx. $75-$97 per square yard). I think 2,000 euros ($2,150) for the materials is a bit tight, but it should definitely be possible for under 3,000 euros ($3,230). Then there’s 6,500 euros ($7,000) for labor.
Tropical wood is no longer acceptable today without a guilty conscience. My supplier admitted during a conversation (when he was still offering tropical wood) that it almost always comes from illegal logging, no matter what label is attached. For each Bankirai tree, about 50 to 100 other trees are cut down just to access that one tree. The quality is nowhere near what you could get 20 years ago.
So for the terrace, either use native larch (not Siberian, as the overharvesting there is just as bad as with tropical wood), bamboo, or one of the various treated options like Kebony, thermally modified ash, Organowood, and so on. Or WPC (wood-plastic composite). The treated woods and WPC, including substructure, usually cost a fixed 100-150 euros per square meter (approx. $108-$161 per square yard) just for materials.
For the lawn, they’re asking about 25 euros per square meter (approx. $23 per square yard). Rolled turf including delivery quickly costs 7-8 euros (approx. $6.50-$7 per square meter, or $6-$7.50 per square yard). That leaves about 18 euros (approx. $19.50 per square yard) for soil preparation. That doesn’t seem overly expensive to me, though it’s not a bargain either. But the amount is too small to really save much here. If you do it yourself, with excavator rental and all the equipment, you quickly spend around 2,000 euros ($2,150). I wouldn’t stress myself out for 1,200 euros ($1,290).
If you want to save here, skip the rolled turf and seed the lawn instead. It takes about six weeks but will be just as good. The secret to a nice lawn is fertilizing and watering!
When setting up the lawn, install a few water lines in the garden right away!
For the driveway, make sure you build it frost-deep from the start. That means about 80 centimeters (31 inches) deep with a base layer of gravel or similar.
Honestly, in your situation, I would rather have the driveway done professionally and then do the terrace myself later. The gravel constantly gets tracked into the house, which is extremely annoying!
Best regards,
Andreas
Yes, if you have never dealt with landscaping before, the prices can be quite shocking. Especially if this item was somewhat neglected in the budget.
However, regarding your question, I noticed:
Tip to save money: Make the splash guard wider and use it as a walkway around the house right away, instead of having to add paving later.
However, regarding your question, I noticed:
ConnyJash schrieb:In our view, that meant installing a splash guard around the house. Specifically, the gravel with an edging to prevent dirt and water from accumulating at the foundation. Everything else comes later.
At first, only the essentials are supposed to be done.
Tip to save money: Make the splash guard wider and use it as a walkway around the house right away, instead of having to add paving later.
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