What Should I Expect When Hiring a Landscaper?

Written by Chris Williams, Northwood Landscape – Herefordshire landscaper. Last updated June 2026.

Hiring a landscaper should be straightforward, but most people only do it once or twice in their lives, so it’s easy to walk in blind. This is the honest version from the other side of the fence: what the process looks like, what it costs, what a proper quote contains, how to tell a good landscaper from a cowboy, and how to check the work’s actually being built to last. No sales fluff – just what to expect.

The short version

• You should make first contact – never hire a door-to-door cold-caller.
• Expect a 30–40 minute site visit, then a written quote and design (within 24 hours from us; longer from many).
• In summer, expect a 6–8 week lead time before work starts.
• Budget roughly £200–£320/m² for a patio, £50–£60/m² for a new lawn, £70–£150 per metre for fencing, and £6,000–£30,000+ for a full garden overhaul depending on size and spec.
• A good landscaper is on site every day, prices in writing, carries £2m+ public liability, and gets the groundwork right (100mm sub-base, full 20mm mortar bed, posts a third in the ground).

How does hiring a landscaper work, step by step?

Hiring a landscaper follows a set path: you make contact, they visit to assess the site, they send a written quote and design, you book in, they build it, and they hand it back clean for you to inspect. From first call to finished garden you’re typically looking at several weeks, most of it lead time before work starts.

1. First contact — and it should come from you. Always make the first move yourself, by phone or email. Be wary of anyone offering landscaping door-to-door; the good landscapers are busy and don’t need to cold-call your street. Expect them to ask a few basic questions about the project before booking a visit.
2. The site visit. A proper initial visit is usually 30–40 minutes on site, walking the garden and talking through the work. This is your chance to weigh them up — ask about their experience and the sort of jobs they normally do.
3. Quote and design. After the visit you should get a written quote and a design. We turn ours around within 24 hours; plenty of landscapers take longer, which is fine — just ask when to expect it.
4. Booking in. Once you accept, you’ll be given a lead time. In summer that’s commonly 6–8 weeks. Winter is usually quicker.
5. The build. A good landscaper is on site every day from start to finish. Unless you’ve specifically agreed something different for a lower price, daily presence should be the norm — not a crew that turns up twice a week.
6. Completion. Expect a full clean-down when the work’s done, and the chance to review and inspect everything before it’s signed off. You should never feel rushed to approve a job you haven’t properly looked over.

How much does a landscaper cost in the UK?

As a rough guide, budget around £200–£320 per square metre for a patio, £50–£60 per square metre for a new lawn, and £70–£150 per metre for fencing. A full garden overhaul runs from around £6,000 up to £30,000+ depending on the size and specification. Site access and ground conditions can move all of these significantly.

• Patio: £200–£320/m² installed, including the sub-base — your choice of material moves you within that range.
• New lawn / turfing: £50–£60/m², depending on how much ground preparation is needed.
• Fencing: £70–£150 per metre installed, depending on style, height and ground conditions.
• Full garden overhaul: from £6,000, up to £30,000+ depending on the size and specification.

The single biggest thing that swings a price is access. A garden you can only reach by barrowing everything through the house costs more to build than one with a wide side gate and room for a skip, even if the gardens are otherwise identical. Ground conditions, levels, drainage, waste removal and your choice of materials all move the number too — which is exactly why a proper quote is itemised rather than a single scribbled figure.

What should a landscaping quote include?

A proper landscaping quote should be printed or sent as a PDF by email — never loosely written on pen and paper. It should clearly show the costing, the date it was issued, the company’s name and details, a reference number, your personal details, how long the quote is valid, a full breakdown of the works schedule, and a summary of the contractor’s terms and conditions.

Run down this checklist when a quote lands. It should have:

• A clear, itemised costing
• The date the quote was issued
• The company name and contact details
• A reference number
• Your personal details
• How long the quote is valid for
• A full breakdown of the works schedule
• The contractor’s terms and conditions

On deposits and payment: taking a deposit is normal and nothing to fear. We take a 35% deposit on any work over £2,000, which is standard across the industry. On larger projects over £20,000, expect staged payments — for us that’s 35% up front, 15% at an agreed point during the works, and the balance on completion, each tied to a clear stage of the job. A quote should be valid for at least 30 days; that’s the minimum you should accept, so you’ve got room to think it over. And the design, quote and consultation should be free — you shouldn’t be paying to be quoted.

How do I know if a landscaper is any good — and not a cowboy?

Check three things: that they carry proper insurance, that they have genuine independent reviews and a real online presence, and that everything is put in writing. Accreditations can help but aren’t the whole story. The clearest warning signs of a cowboy are no written quote, no website or social media presence, and no references or reviews.

Insurance is non-negotiable. A landscaper should hold clear public liability insurance, usually at least £2 million, plus plant insurance and business insurance. Don’t be shy about asking to see it.

Accreditations are worth understanding rather than blindly trusting. The APL (Association of Professional Landscapers) is a solid trust marker, though it’s a bit controversial within the trade and some good landscapers — us included — choose not to join its membership system. BALI is more geared towards commercial and business-facing work, so it’s not something a typical homeowner needs to worry about. And those supplier “approved installer” badges can be murky water — many only require an address, a website and billing details to join. They’re a nice-to-have, not a must-have.

Reviews: stick to Google, which is the most independent platform out there. A lot of tradesman review sites make it easy for the tradesman to remove bad reviews as a way of keeping them on the books, so take those with a pinch of salt.

The red flags that should stop you in your tracks:

• No written quote — if it won’t go on paper, walk away.
• No website or social media presence — both take a long time to build up, and their absence can mean someone who won’t be around if anything goes wrong.
• No references or reviews you can actually check.

How can I tell the work is being done properly?

The quality of a landscaping job is mostly in the parts you can’t see once it’s finished — the groundwork. The good news is there are a few simple checks a homeowner can make while the work is underway. Look for proper setting-out before they start, a firm sub-base underfoot, fence posts set a third into the ground, and a full mortar bed under every slab.

Before a sod is turned, look for the planning on the ground: clear lines, elevation markers, waypoints and spraylines. You should almost be able to see the finished garden in the markings before they’ve started building. Be on the lookout for anyone who looks like they’re winging the design — there’s a fine line between leaving sensible flexibility to adjust as you go and having no design at all, and it’s something customers often miss.

The buried details that separate a job that lasts from one that fails in a couple of winters:

• Patio sub-base: a minimum of 100mm of compacted sub-base. Quick homeowner test — once it’s down, walk on it. Does it feel firm and solid underfoot? If it’s soft or moves, ask your landscaper about it.
• The mortar bed: slabs must be laid on a full mortar bed, 20mm minimum — not dabbed down on five blobs of mortar. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. A strong base is a strong patio, make no mistake.
• Fence posts: follow the 2:1 rule — one foot in the ground for every two feet above it. And a useful tell: most fence posts have a top and a bottom, and the bottom has clear slits where it’s been further treated to resist rot. Keep an eye out for posts put in upside down — a small thing that says a lot about the care being taken.

What does the homeowner need to do?

Your main jobs are to provide space and access, keep the site safe, and give people a heads-up. Leave room on your property for a skip, materials and the landscaper’s vehicle — this should be explained to you at the quoting stage. Clear furniture and pots yourself if you can, keep pets and children away from the site, and warn the neighbours.

A few things make a job run smoothly from your side. Move your bits out first — furniture, pots, the kids’ trampoline. Your landscaper will do it if you don’t, but shifting it yourself gets things off on the right foot, and that goodwill goes a long way. Keep pets and children well away from the worksite until the job is finished — just because no one’s actively working at that moment doesn’t make a half-built garden safe. And it’s always worth giving your neighbours fair warning that works are happening, especially where access or noise might affect them.

When’s the best time of year to get landscaping done?

It depends on the type of work. Hard landscaping — patios, paving, fencing — can be done well all year round. Greenscaping, meaning planting and laying turf, is really a spring and autumn job. Winter often brings shorter waits and lower prices, but jobs take longer because of the weather.

There’s a trade-off to booking in winter. Lead times and prices usually drop, which is great — but expect the work to take longer thanks to shorter days and weather delays, sometimes by weeks. And here’s the catch most people miss: if your landscaper is charging a day rate rather than a fixed price, those weather delays come straight out of your pocket. With a fixed price agreed up front, the weather is their problem, not yours.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when hiring a landscaper?

The most common mistake is letting the landscaper build their ideal garden instead of yours. This is your outdoor space — make sure it stays personal to you. The thing that surprises people most is how quickly everything moves once work actually begins.

A good landscaper will guide you and bring ideas, and you should listen to them on the practical stuff — drainage, levels, what’ll actually last. But the look and feel of the garden should be yours. Don’t get swept along into someone else’s signature style because it’s easier in the moment. And be ready for the pace: after weeks of waiting, the build itself can move fast, so make your material and design decisions early rather than on the hoof.

Questions worth asking before you sign

Pulling the above together, here are the questions that separate people who get a great job from people who get burned:

1. Can I have the quote in writing, as a PDF? (If not, walk away.)
2. Will you be on site every day, and is this a fixed price or a day rate?
3. Can I see your public liability insurance? (Look for £2m+.)
4. What depth of sub-base will you lay, and will the slabs be on a full mortar bed?
5. Can I see genuine Google reviews and recent projects like mine?

Thinking about a project?

If you’re in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire or the surrounding area and want a landscaper who builds it properly and tells you straight, we’re happy to help. The consultation, quote and design are free. Get a free quote or call 07990 148186.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to hire a landscaper in the UK?

As a guide, budget around £200–£320/m² for a patio, £50–£60/m² for a new lawn, and £70–£150 per metre for fencing. A full garden overhaul runs from around £6,000 up to £30,000+ depending on size and spec. Access and ground conditions can change these figures significantly.

How long does it take to get a landscaper to start?

In summer, expect a lead time of around 6–8 weeks once you’ve accepted a quote. Winter is often quicker, as demand drops, though jobs can take longer to complete because of the weather.

What should a landscaping quote include?

A clear itemised cost, the date issued, the company’s details, a reference number, your details, how long the quote is valid (at least 30 days), a full breakdown of the works, and the contractor’s terms and conditions — issued as a printed document or PDF, never pen and paper.

How do I avoid a cowboy landscaper?

Insist on a written quote, check they hold at least £2m public liability insurance, and look for genuine Google reviews plus an established website or social presence. The big warning signs are no written quote, no online presence and no checkable references.

Do landscapers take a deposit?

Yes, it’s normal. A deposit of around 35% on work over £2,000 is standard across the industry, with staged payments tied to clear milestones on larger projects (over £20,000). The consultation, quote and design should be free.