What Does a £100k Garden Look Like?
CEO & Garden Designer
Ruth Marshall
One of the most common questions we are asked is: “What does a £100k garden actually look like?”.
It is a reasonable question, but not an easy one to answer, and simply saying “it depends” is technically true, but rarely very helpful. This article forms part of a series exploring what different levels of investment can realistically deliver within a high-quality residential garden project.
As a general point which is perhaps obvious but worth stating: Garden costs vary enormously depending on scale, levels, access, specification and what is included within the scope as well as what is already there. This latter is critical- you can spend tens of thousands of pounds on any (or all) of:
- planting new mature trees and hedging to screen your garden
- fencing or walls to create boundaries
- groundworks to create level spaces or sort out drainage
- new terraces, paths, driveways and structures
The original garden may have had none of these, some or all -so looking at images of completed projects can be very misleading! By way of example- the image above could be a £100k garden project, but could have cost double that to include every element in the image!
More helpfully, a £100k garden budget can certainly create a beautifully detailed and thoughtfully designed outdoor space, but in many cases this will not cover the inclusion of every desired feature at once. At this level, priorities become important.
A £100k project might include:
- a generous natural stone terrace
- bespoke planting
- lawns and soft landscaping
- garden lighting
- irrigation
- one significant feature element such as a pergola, outdoor kitchen or garden studio
What it is less likely to include is extensive retaining work, large areas of premium paving and driveways, swimming pools, security gates or multiple built structures.
We can explore 3 slightly idealised examples of where this scale of budget might go…..
A compact but highly detailed entertaining garden
For a full makeover of a smaller garden, particularly in towns with tighter access, the budget can easily run from £70-90,000
This type of project may include:
- high-quality paving and detailing
- bespoke joinery or seating
- layered planting
- atmospheric lighting
- a pergola or covered dining area
- minor retaining and levelling
The result is a garden that feels refined and luxurious without necessarily being large.
A larger, softer landscape
On larger plots, given the areas involved are simply larger, this scale of budget may be better directed more towards softer landscaping rather than extensive hard construction.
Lawns, meadow planting, trees and carefully composed planting schemes are generally far more cost effective than significant built elements, and softer materials like beautifully edged gravel will stretch the budget further.
A £100k investment in this type of garden may create:
- well-prepared lawns
- extensive planting
- pathways and terraces with some in natural stone and some in gravels
- subtle lighting
- specimen trees
- improved drainage and soil preparation
- a mid-sized irrigation system
These gardens can feel generous and mature while remaining relatively restrained architecturally.
A single standout feature or area
Sometimes clients prefer to focus investment into one primary element with associated landscaping around it.
That may be:
- a garden studio
- an outdoor kitchen
- a bespoke pergola
- new entertaining spaces
- with some associated landscaping, lighting and planting
In these cases, the wider garden may remain relatively simple while one area becomes the focal point of the project.
Why costs vary so much
Two gardens of similar size can differ dramatically in cost.
Some of the biggest cost drivers include:
- retaining walls and level changes
- difficult access
- large areas of paving
- large specimen trees
- specific structures (such as kitchen, pergolas, water features and hottubs etc)
Groundworks in particular are often underestimated. A flat, accessible site is significantly more economical to develop than a steep or constrained garden requiring retaining structures and extensive excavation.
The reality of garden budgets
We are conscious that £100k is by no means a small amount of money. In most cases this will achieve a significant redesign and installation. However, it is worth flagging that even at this significant scale of budget, most clients end up making some value-engineering decisions to achieve their desired budget level.
Part of our role is helping clients balance aspiration, practicality and long-term value, identifying where investment will have the greatest impact and where simpler solutions may be more appropriate.
A well-designed garden does not need every possible feature. Often the most successful spaces are those where the budget has been focused carefully and thoughtfully.
How we can help
The CGLA team are well used to working on top quality landscaping projects of all scales. With access to both bespoke and off the shelf options for most items, and a detailed knowledge of materials and costings we can help you to match your desired aesthetic to a budget that works for you, and take that design from its first ideas through to completed landscape.
For more information on the costs associated with designing your new outdoor space, read more here:
What does a £250k garden look like?
CGLA are an award winning team of Garden Designers, Landscape Architects, Landscapers and Garden Maintenance Operatives working in Buckinghamshire, London and the South East, as well as on prestigious design projects across the UK and abroad. We are currently working in Oman, Jersey and France, and welcome enquires for design, landscaping or garden maintenance. Contact us here
