How much Garden Design may Cost?
THE COST OF GARDEN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IS A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE WHICH IS THE RESULT OF MANY FACTORS. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHO WE ENDER OUR GARDEN TO AND WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE. TAKING ALL OF THIS INTO ACCOUNT, WE CAN ESTIMATE THE GARDEN BUDGET WITH A LARGE MARGIN.
The dream of every home owner is to see a beautiful garden outside the window. A perfect garden - well-planned, with rich flora and even fauna, beautifully integrated into the surroundings, and most importantly - functioning properly - requires a lot of work and money. The cost of creating a garden includes, among others: design, workmanship, materials or plants. Nothing can be a coincidence here. The design should take into account the location of the garden, its development possibilities, and the surrounding conditions, and the execution must not only implement the project, but also do it in such a way that the effect is lasting. Building a garden is nothing more than bringing a new element of nature to life. After all, after the garden works are completed, the area will begin to live and develop. If it is to maintain its healthy and beautiful appearance, we should entrust work on it only to specialists who will guarantee it.
Where to start?
Usually, a person who wants to start a garden has a budget planned in advance. On the one hand, this makes it easier to manage funds, but on the other hand, it severely limits the designer or contractor of the garden. Companies involved in garden planning and creation do not like it when upper limits on costs are imposed on them and at the same time they expect only the best solutions. You should know that limiting your budget also means limiting your possibilities. You can't have everything by paying half. The best solution is therefore to initially research the prices of certain services and products and adjust your requirements to your financial possibilities. It is best to ask a gardening company for a preliminary cost estimate - especially since it is usually a free service.
Each garden is created on the basis of a developed design that carefully anticipates each activity and makes the best use of the terrain's potential. You can't build a garden without a design, and no self-respecting garden company will do it. Saving money on the project itself is pointless, it is much better to invest in the project and leave it to yourself. However, there is also a risk that a wrong interpretation of the project, lack of knowledge of the principles of e.g. botany or geodesy will result in the implementation being far from the plan, and the garden itself will not stand the test of time. So what to do if you have a limited budget? Keep the number of solutions to a minimum. Commission a project that will involve the creation of an ordinary garden - without expensive plants, a pond or expensive garden architecture, leaving yourself the possibility of expanding it with these elements in the future.
Price discrepancy
You can't avoid it in this industry. On the market we deal with both companies just starting their operations and experienced and renowned brands. It is impossible to obtain an offer of equal value in both cases and, moreover, giving the same effect. We should take into account that if we commission the design and implementation of the project to a company with no experience, we will pay less, but we will also receive a smaller guarantee that the garden will meet our expectations and serve us for many years. Large, reputable companies not only have many years of experience, but also employ expensive specialists and use good quality materials, which is reflected in the price. However, the guarantee provided by such a company is a kind of warranty that ensures a beautiful and healthy garden in the long term and with the least burdensome maintenance activities.
What does the cost of building a garden include?
GARDEN PROJECT
The project is a key part of the investment. Without it, it is impossible to create a functional and aesthetic garden. Thanks to the project, we can be sure that the investment will be well-thought-out and long-term. It also ensures that the green corner that will be created will not cause any surprises. From the very beginning, the designer must predict the stages of individual works and adopt the project to the prevailing conditions.
The project is created after carefully defining the requirements. We can talk here about the so-called a simplified design that assumes the least complicated solutions, i.e. minimal garden architecture (popular, undemanding plants, lawns). Project prices can be given per square meter of garden or comprehensively. In the first case, the amounts range from PLN 35-55/m2, in the second case the price range is less clear - from several hundred zlotys to several thousand. The project's share in the total cost is usually 10%, although the larger the garden, the smaller the project's share of the total investment value (usually around 5%). The cost of the project also includes factors such as: terrain, degree of development, small architecture, water reservoirs, type of vegetation and number of decorations.
Cheaper designs may turn out to be incomplete or unreliably made.
What does the project consist of?
A professionally prepared project includes all documentation analyzing the possibilities of the area, a proposal for individual changes, a plan for preparing the site for construction, a schedule of individual works and detailed guidelines for planting plants. The garden design includes a bill of quantities, surface design, irrigation design, lighting design, numerous drawings presenting individual elements of the garden (plus full visualization of the project), lists of materials and plants, specification of works, and recommendations for the owner regarding garden care.
A professional garden design should include the following elements:
Analysis of the current state of: the environment, soil, existing greenery and possible documentation to the office regarding the removal of trees subject to statutory protection,
Functional and spatial analysis,
Guidelines regarding landforms,
Guidelines for preparing the soil for establishing a garden,
In the case of roof gardens – cross-section through layers,
Plant planting plan, work schedule,
Design of paved surfaces, fences, small architecture, garden decorations,
Construction drawings of non-standard elements, e.g. gazebos or water tanks,
Irrigation and drainage design with hydrological analysis,
lighting design,
Important recommendations for the garden contractor (material recommendations),
land survey,
List of the number of plants and materials, cost forecast,
Care recommendations.
DRAINAGE
The terrain is uneven, so it is difficult to expect that the cost of drainage will be similar everywhere. Sometimes the area is so swampy that it requires advanced drainage. Sometimes simple drainage is enough. The cost of drainage therefore varies greatly - it also depends on the size of the area and the amount of materials used. The average cost of drainage alone for a 1,000 m2 wetland plot is PLN 10,000. The expense increases if the area requires the use of infiltration tanks (the cost of 1 piece is approximately PLN 1,000) or additional linear drainage, wells, etc. The share of this cost in the entire project is estimated at 5 to 8% of the entire investment.
LANDSCAPE
It is not always necessary, but if the area is uneven and difficult to cover with greenery, it should be adapted to appropriate conditions. The scope of planned changes is the main determinant of the price for this stage of garden creation. One component may be the creation of an embankment. Sometimes its construction may mean, among others: cost of excavator and bulldozer work (roboty ziemne – ok. 3 000 zł) oraz zakup piasku (do 500 zł/10m3) i żyznej ziemi (do 1000 zł/10m3).
HARD SURFACES
Paths and driveways are one of the most expensive stages of garden construction. This is due to the significant price of stone materials. The cheapest are surfaces made of clay and gravel or openwork concrete cubes. A path made of sandstone or granite is much more expensive
IRRYGATION
An automatic irrigation system makes garden care easier and is necessary in large green areas. In the case of small gardens, it is not mandatory, although installing it will certainly provide many benefits to the owners, including: will reduce water consumption for watering, save time and work. In the case of large gardens, it is often necessary to dig a new well, which is an additional expense.
WATER TANK
Not every garden needs to be equipped with it, but it must be admitted that a water element integrated into beautiful greenery is worth the additional expense. It is difficult to give a specific amount here - water reservoirs may have different types (swimming ponds, ponds, streams, etc.) and sizes. Organizing a pond requires not only material inputs (insulating articles, aquatic plants, fauna, water pumping devices, filters, etc.), but also labor-intensive activities. A cheaper solution may be a small spring with a water fountain or a water wall, or the purchase of a ready-made water decoration, e.g. a fountain.
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
Without appropriate connections, the garden would not be able to function properly. Electricity is needed to operate the irrigation system, pumps and filters in water reservoirs, and lighting. In addition to the cost of installing the electrical installation, you also need lighting elements, the prices of which vary greatly
GARDEN ARCHITECTURE / SMALL ARCHITECTURE
It all depends on the preferences of the garden owner. The variety of furniture and garden decorations is so great that it is impossible to average the price. Garden architecture includes, for example, a garden gazebo, wooden bridges, a terrace, and lounge furniture sets
VEGETATION
This is the largest component of the entire investment. The cost of planting plants is usually approximately 30% of the value of the entire garden. The prices of individual flora elements vary, it all depends on the size of the plants, popularity and availability. Planting plants is not the only activity that is performed at the final stage of creating a garden. In addition to planting, the land must be properly prepared and fertilized.
LAWNS
Here we can choose the type of grass - rolled or sown. The latter is usually much cheaper, but it is also a method for those who are patient, because you have to wait for the effect. We will get the final look of the garden much faster if we invest in roll grass. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive