How to Price Landscaping Work in the UK (2026 Guide)

Landscaping looks simple on a quote and is easy to lose money on. Most of the cost on a patio or driveway is buried in the ground, in the excavation, the muck away and the sub-base the customer never sees. Price from a square metre rate you heard elsewhere and those hidden costs come out of your margin.

This guide covers typical 2026 rates, how to build a price line by line, a worked patio example and the items that catch landscapers out.

Typical landscaping rates in the UK for 2026

These are supply and fix ranges for straightforward access in most of England and Wales. London and the South East usually sit at the top of each range.

• Porcelain patio: £130 to £200 per m²
• Indian sandstone patio: £100 to £150 per m²
• Block paving driveway: £90 to £140 per m²
• Turf, including ground preparation: £15 to £30 per m²
• Close board fencing at 1.8m high: £100 to £150 per linear metre
• Softwood decking: £90 to £140 per m²
• Composite decking: £160 to £240 per m²
• Landscaper day rate: £200 to £260, labourer £130 to £170

Use these as a check on your final figure, not as the way to get there. Every garden has different levels, access and ground conditions.

How to build a landscaping price

1. Measure and set the levels

Measure the area and note the existing levels against the damp proof course. A patio next to the house should finish at least 150mm below the DPC, with a fall of around 1 in 60 away from the building. If the garden slopes, you may need steps, a retaining wall or extra excavation, and each of those is a separate line on your quote.

2. Work out the excavation and muck away

Multiply the area by the dig depth. A patio usually needs 150mm to 200mm taken out, a driveway 250mm or more. Remember that soil bulks up by around 25% to 30% once it is dug, so 6m³ in the ground fills nearly 8m³ of skip. For anything over a few cubic metres, a grab lorry is usually cheaper than skips and saves barrowing to the road.

3. Price the sub-base and bedding

Allow 100mm of compacted MOT Type 1 under a patio and 150mm or more under a driveway. One cubic metre of compacted Type 1 weighs about 2.1 tonnes, so order by weight. Porcelain and natural stone should go on a full mortar bed, not dots, with a slurry primer on the back of every porcelain slab.

4. Add the surface material with wastage

Allow 5% to 7% wastage on a simple rectangle and 10% or more where there are curves, steps or a lot of cuts around drains and manholes. Include jointing compound, edge restraints, drainage channels and any membrane.

5. Add plant, labour and sundries

A mini digger and dumper will save days on most patios. Count the days your gang will be on site, then add diamond blades, fuel, waste charges and travel. Finish with your overheads and profit.

Worked example: 30m² porcelain patio

A rear garden patio, 6m by 5m, good side access, laid on lawn with a 200mm dig.

• Muck away by grab lorry, one load: £320
• MOT Type 1, 7 tonnes delivered: £280
• Sharp sand, cement and slurry primer: £290
• Porcelain, 32m² including wastage at £35 per m²: £1,120
• Jointing compound: £150
• Linear drainage channel, 4m: £180
• Mini digger and dumper, 2 days: £400
• Labour, landscaper and labourer for 5 days: £1,900
• Sundries and blades: £120
• Net cost: £4,760
• Overheads and profit at 20%: £952
• Quote before VAT: £5,712

That is about £190 per square metre, towards the top of the porcelain range because of the full dig and the drainage channel. If you are VAT registered, the customer price is £6,854.40.

Items that catch landscapers out

• Restricted access, where everything goes through the house or a narrow side passage and the digger cannot get in
• Buried rubble, old concrete bases and tree roots that turn a two day dig into four
• Drainage. In England, a new hard surface over 5m² in a front garden needs planning permission unless it is permeable or drains to a lawn or border
• Service runs, gullies and inspection chambers that need raising, lowering or recessed covers
• Parking restrictions and permits for skips or grab lorries on the road

Present the quote clearly

Set out the area, the dig depth, the sub-base, the surface and what is excluded. Customers comparing three quotes will often pick the cheapest without realising it allows 50mm of sub-base instead of 100mm. Showing your build-up line by line is how you win on value rather than price. MyQS helps UK trades turn measurements into itemised quotes with current UK rates, so the hidden groundwork is in front of the customer before they sign.

FAQ: pricing landscaping work

Q: Should I price landscaping per square metre or by the day?
A: Build your price from materials, plant and the days the job will take, then check the result against a square metre rate. A per m² figure alone misses access, levels and muck away, which vary far more than the slabs.

Q: How much sub-base does a patio need?
A: For a garden patio, 100mm of compacted MOT Type 1 is the usual minimum on firm ground. Increase it to 150mm on clay or soft ground, and allow more again for driveways that take vehicles.

Q: Do I charge VAT on landscaping work?
A: If you are VAT registered, landscaping for a homeowner is charged at the standard rate of 20% on labour and materials. If your turnover is below the £90,000 registration threshold and you are not registered, you do not charge VAT.

Price your next landscaping job with confidence

Stop guessing at square metre rates and start pricing the work below the surface. Create your MyQS account and see how an itemised landscaping quote comes together.