Cambridge Gardens
A usable, well-drained garden with every element quoted separately before any work begins.
What We Cover
From bare new-build plots to waterlogged lawns, each job starts with a site check covering levels, drainage and soil type.
Full-scope layouts covering patio, turf, paths, drainage, and planting, quoted as separate line items.
Patios, paths, retaining walls, and drainage built on a compacted sub-base for a lasting finish.
Porcelain, natural stone, and block paving laid on a compacted sub-base with a drainage fall built in.
Scale plans, soil and drainage assessment, and a zoned layout before any physical work begins.
New turf laid on 100mm of prepared topsoil after full weed clearance and ground levelling.
Artificial lawn fitted on a compacted aggregate base with a drainage-backed surface and weed membrane.
Timber and steel fencing fitted with concrete posts set in concrete footings, including gate hanging and alignment.
Pressure-treated softwood or composite boards on a joist frame with weed membrane and ground levelling included.
Timber-framed raised beds filled with a topsoil and compost mix, planted to a block planting scheme.
Brick, block, and stone walls built on concrete footings with coping stones and a level-check at each course.
Block paving, resin, and gravel surfaces laid on a compacted sub-base with drainage channels and edging.
French drains, soakaways, and regrading to fix waterlogging before patio, turf, or planting goes in.
Full garden rebuilds covering site survey, drainage, hard landscaping, turf, planting, and fencing.
Compacted sub-base, drainage fall, and material choice specified upfront.
Minimum 100mm prepared topsoil layer before any turf is laid.
French drains, soakaways, and regrading quoted before landscaping starts.
Concrete posts, correct footing depth, and gate hardware itemised separately.
Block planting plans matched to soil type, light, and maintenance level.
Footings sized for soil pressure and seasonal ground movement.
Topsoil, levelling, and waste removal included in the scope.
Timber frames with a topsoil-to-compost ratio set out in the quote.
Done Right
Cambridge’s clay and chalk soils punish shortcuts in ground preparation. These are the failure modes that a proper site survey prevents.
A single figure hides what each element actually costs, making it impossible to compare quotes or cut scope sensibly.
Patio, turf, paths, drainage, fencing, and planting are each quoted separately so you can see and adjust each part.
Paving or turf laid without a compacted sub-base on Cambridge clay will sink, shift, or pool water within a season.
Drainage, levels, and soil type are assessed on site before any quote is produced, so the spec suits the actual ground.
Persistent waterlogging on clay rarely responds to surface fixes; planting or turf laid over it fails in its first year.
A soak test and slope check identify whether a French drain, soakaway, or regrading is needed before landscaping begins.
Quoting hard landscaping and planting separately, with different contractors, leaves gaps in levels, drainage, and edging.
Hard landscaping, soft landscaping, and ground preparation are scoped in one survey so nothing falls between the two.
Why Us
The way enquiries are handled here is built around one problem: most landscaping quotes are too vague to act on.
Every element, patio, turf, paths, fencing, drainage, planting, is quoted as a separate line so you know what each part costs.
The site visit checks drainage, levels, and soil before producing a quote, not after you have agreed.
Enquiries go to landscapers who know chalk, clay, and fen-edge ground conditions, not a generic national list.
Hard and soft landscaping are covered in the same survey, so edging, levels, and drainage are not missed between trades.
You see the cost of each stage before any work is agreed, so there are no surprises once groundwork begins.
How It Works
Tell us the plot size, what the ground does in winter, and how you want to use the space.
A site visit checks drainage, levels, and soil type before any figures are produced.
Each element, patio, turf, paths, drainage, fencing, planting, is listed as a separate line item.
Who We Help
Whether the plot is bare, waterlogged, or simply not working, the starting point is the same: a site survey before a quote.
Homeowners with a garden that is unfinished, waterlogged, or has never had a proper layout. We schedule a ground survey and quote patio, turf, planting, and drainage as separate items, so you can see exactly what each part of the job costs before committing.
Developers finishing new-build plots that need a full garden layout added from scratch, including paths, boundaries, and planting. Hard and soft landscaping are scoped together in one survey, so nothing is missed between the two parts of the job.
Landlords with rental properties where the garden is overgrown, patchy, or has failed paving and fencing that needs replacing. Quotes are broken into separate line items for each element, making it straightforward to prioritise work within a budget.
Commercial sites that need structured outdoor spaces, defined beds, paved areas, and boundaries, maintained to a consistent standard. Each element is quoted separately after a site check, so the scope is clear before any groundwork is agreed.
Pricing Estimates
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Garden landscaping | £6,000-£6,500 |
| Small garden makeover | £600-£1,800 |
| Medium garden redesign | £1,800-£3,500 |
| Large garden landscaping project | £3,500-£6,500 |
How We Work
Cambridge gardens sit on soils that behave very differently from one postcode to the next. Chalk drains fast and dries out; clay and fen-edge ground holds water all winter. Tell us the size of the garden and what the ground does in wet weather, and we schedule a survey and quote each element as a separate line.
Areas We Cover
We cover a wide area, scoping each enquiry around the soil and drainage conditions in that part of the region.
Send us the postcode and the size of the job and we’ll confirm whether your project is within the service area.
Start Your EnquiryCommon Questions
Most budget surprises come from groundwork: poor soil, uneven ground, or drainage issues that only become clear once work starts. Material choices, natural stone versus concrete, hardwood versus softwood, also shift the total significantly. Getting each element quoted separately helps you see exactly where the cost sits and where you can adjust.
A clear quote breaks down each element individually. Patio, paths, turf, fencing, drainage, and planting are each quoted as separate line items rather than one combined figure, so you can see what each part costs and make informed decisions about what to include or phase.
A landscaper handles structural and construction work: laying patios, building walls, installing drainage, levelling ground, and erecting fencing. A general gardener maintains what is already there, mowing, pruning, weeding. If you want to change how the garden looks or functions, a landscaper is the right starting point.
The terms are often used interchangeably, but landscaping tends to focus on hard construction work, paving, drainage, structures, while landscape gardening combines that with planting design and horticultural knowledge. Many projects need both skill sets, and scopes here cover the full range.
Landscaping covers the full range of outdoor construction and planting: ground preparation, drainage, patios, paths, lawns, fencing, walls, raised beds, and planting schemes. The scope varies by project, each element is agreed and quoted separately so you only pay for what your garden actually needs.
Groundwork and hard landscaping generate the most disruption: soil removal, machinery, and material deliveries. Work follows a planned sequence to keep the site manageable. Access routes and working hours are agreed before the job starts to minimise impact on the rest of your property.
A straightforward patio or lawn replacement typically takes a few days. A full garden makeover involving drainage, hard landscaping, and planting can run to several weeks. The timeline depends on the scope, ground conditions, and material lead times, all of which are confirmed before work begins.
A site visit before work starts assesses soil type, aspect, drainage, and existing features. Plant and layout choices are made around those conditions, not applied generically. If you want a more detailed design process, a garden design consultation can be arranged before any construction begins.
Describe the plot, the soil, and how you want to use the space. We schedule a ground survey and quote each element as a separate line item.