Free Landscaping Cost calculator with clear step-by-step results.
Garden cost is dominated by the split between hard and soft landscaping, because paving typically costs three to four times as much per square metre as planting. Splitting the area by that ratio, adding clearance as a lump sum and applying contingency gives a budget that responds to the design decision that actually matters.
Area split
Hard area = total area x hard share; soft area = total area - hard area
Total cost
Total = (hard area x hard rate + soft area x soft rate + clearance) x (1 + contingency)
It needs excavation, a compacted sub-base, bedding, the paving itself and disposal of the spoil. Planting needs soil improvement and the plants.
Reducing the paved proportion. Shifting ten percent of the area from paving to planting on a typical garden saves more than negotiating either rate.