What a new garden costs cannot be answered with a single number. A lawn with two beds and a natural stone terrace with a water basin are worlds apart, even on the same area. But you can work it out. A garden is made of surfaces and components: terrace, paths, lawn, beds, fence, trees. Each of them has a price range. This article shows which ranges price portals give, works through three example gardens and explains what pushes the price up. It also describes what a garden renovation costs and how to compare quotes. The prices refer to Germany.
At a glance
- There are no official garden prices. All euro figures in this article come from price portals, each with a date. They show an order of magnitude, not a quote.
- Price portals give €30 to €100 per m², and considerably more for high-end gardens. Our three worked examples come out at roughly €37 to €89 per m².
- Per square metre, paving is the most expensive and lawn the cheapest. On top come earthworks, changes in level and technical installations such as water and electricity.
- Design comes on top. What a landscape architect, a landscaping firm or a garden designer costs is covered in the article Having your garden designed.
- Compare quotes line by line: quantity, unit price, gross or net, and what the price includes.
A garden is made of line items
Both images show the same design idea, once at eye level and once from above. They are AI visualisations, not a built garden. But they show well how a landscaping firm calculates. For its quote it breaks the garden down into areas and quantities:
- Paving in square metres, including excavation and sub-base,
- gravel areas and gravel path in square metres, plus the metal edging in running metres,
- beds in square metres, with soil, plants and mulch,
- pergola, bench, fountain as unit prices, the fountain with water and power connection,
- lawn in square metres.
For your own estimate, do the same: roughly measure the areas, write them down and put a price range against each. That does not give you a binding figure. But it shows which parts of your dream garden cost the most.
What individual items cost: figures from price portals
There are no official statistics on prices for private gardens. The following ranges come from two portals. They carry different dates and do not always say whether VAT is included. Treat them as a guide, not as a quote.
| Item | Portal A | Portal B |
|---|---|---|
| Paving, all materials | €70–210/m² | – |
| Concrete pavers, laid | – | €80–130/m² |
| Natural stone, laid | – | €150–250/m² |
| Terrace | €150–350/m² | – |
| Timber deck (larch) | – | €100–180/m² |
| Gravel path | – | €20–45/m² |
| Sown lawn incl. soil preparation | – | €5–12/m² |
| Turf | €2.50–10/m² (turf only) | €15–25/m² |
| Perennial bed | €60–95/m² | €60–95/m² |
| Topsoil, delivered and spread | – | €8–15/m² |
| Disposal of excavated soil | €10–50/m³ | €15–30/m³ |
| Twin-wire mesh fence | – | €60–100/m |
| Tree, each | €30–150 (fruit tree) | €200–1,500 |
| Hourly rate, landscaping | €30–70 | €45–65 net |
Portal A: Aroundhome, garden construction costs, updated 10 Oct 2025, and paving work, updated 23 Sep 2026. Portal B: Clean Invoice, cost of creating a garden, updated 5 Mar 2026. All accessed 14 Oct 2026; all in German. Neither names a survey on which the figures are based.
Three things stand out. First, the ranges are wide, often by a factor of two to three. Second, portals do not always count the same thing: for turf, Portal A means the turf itself, Portal B the laid turf. Third, paving is the most expensive surface per square metre. A third guide, the cost guide by Commerzbank dated 8 Jan 2025, also gives €70 to €210 per m² for paving work, including preparation, materials and labour.
Three worked examples
The calculations use the ranges from the table, mostly from Portal B, because it lists the most items separately. The quantities are assumptions. Design, travel, special earthworks and technical installations such as lighting or irrigation are not included.
Example 1: terraced-house garden, 100 m², everything new
| Item | Quantity | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Terrace, concrete pavers | 20 m² | €1,600–2,600 |
| Excavation under terrace and path | 28 m² | €420–700 |
| Gravel path | 8 m² | €160–360 |
| Turf | 47 m² | €705–1,175 |
| Perennial bed | 25 m² | €1,500–2,375 |
| Tree | 1 | €200–1,500 |
| Total | 100 m² | €4,585–8,710 |
Excavation: €15–25/m² according to Commerzbank (8 Jan 2025), included in case it is not part of the paving price. All other figures: Portal B.
That is roughly €46 to €87 per m². Portal A gives €3,000 to €10,000 for designing a 100 m² garden, so the calculation is in the same range. In this example the terrace accounts for about a third of the total, although it takes up only a fifth of the area.
Example 2: family garden at a new build, 400 m²
| Item | Quantity | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Terrace, natural stone | 35 m² | €5,250–8,750 |
| Paths, concrete pavers | 25 m² | €2,000–3,250 |
| Excavation under terrace and paths | 60 m² | €900–1,500 |
| Lawn, sown | 220 m² | €1,100–2,640 |
| Perennial beds | 60 m² | €3,600–5,700 |
| Gravel area | 60 m² | €1,200–2,700 |
| Topsoil for lawn and beds | 280 m² | €2,240–4,200 |
| Twin-wire mesh fence | 40 m | €2,400–4,000 |
| Trees | 2 | €400–3,000 |
| Total | 400 m² | €19,090–35,740 |
That is roughly €48 to €89 per m². Portal A gives €12,000 to €40,000 for 400 m². At a new build, topsoil may have to be added if the top layer is missing or compacted after the house was built. How much soil is missing only becomes clear on site. The natural stone on the terrace is the largest item here. With concrete pavers instead of natural stone it would drop to €2,800 to €4,550 according to Portal B.
Example 3: garden renovation, 200 m² existing garden
| Item | Quantity | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Lift and remove old terrace | 25 m² | €375–625 |
| New terrace, concrete pavers | 25 m² | €2,000–3,250 |
| Clear shrubs (assumed 16 hours) | 16 h | €720–1,040 net |
| Green waste to the recycling centre | 4 m³ | €80 |
| Turf instead of old lawn | 120 m² | €1,800–3,000 |
| Replant beds | 40 m² | €2,400–3,800 |
| Total | 200 m² | €7,375–11,795 |
Removal: priced at the rate for excavation and haulage (€15–25/m², Commerzbank 8 Jan 2025 and Aroundhome 23 Sep 2026). Green waste: fee schedule of the recycling centres of the Südbrandenburgischer Abfallzweckverband, valid from 1 Jan 2025, €10 per started half cubic metre above 1 m³. Your local recycling centre may charge differently.
That is roughly €37 to €59 per m². In this example the remaining 15 m² stay as they are, for instance a hedge and an old tree. Portal A gives €40 to €100 per m² for renovating an overgrown garden. More on renovation in the next section.
What a garden renovation costs
"Garden renovation" usually means a garden that already exists and is being reworked: renewing the lawn, clearing old shrubs, replanting beds, replacing tired paving. The term has no fixed scope. A quote for "garden renovation" can therefore mean anything from a maintenance cut to a complete rebuild.
Compared with a new garden, three cost blocks are added:
- Removal and disposal. Old slabs, walls, root stumps and green waste have to go. What this costs depends heavily on how cleanly the materials are separated.
- Working around what stays. Where a tree stays, no machines should drive within its root zone (German standard DIN 18920). Work there is done by hand, and that takes time.
- Surprises in the ground. Building rubble, old foundations or pipes often only show up when digging.
In return you save wherever something can stay: a healthy tree, an intact wall, the existing topsoil. How to work out demolition, disposal, a contingency and phases for an existing garden is shown in the article Redesigning your garden: what remodelling an existing garden costs.
Whether an old lawn can be renovated or has to be replaced is a technical question. It depends on the state of the turf, the share of weeds and the soil. If in doubt, ask for both options in the quote.
What pushes the price up
Same area, very different total: that is mainly down to how much is built. In Example 2, paving, excavation and fence together cost a good twice as much as lawn and beds. These points decide the total:
- Paving. At Portal B, natural stone costs roughly twice as much as concrete pavers. The larger the paved area, the stronger the effect.
- Earthworks and soil. If soil has to be dug out, hauled away or brought in, it costs money before you see anything. Compacted soil or soil mixed with building rubble at a new build can be a reason.
- Changes in level. A slope needs steps, walls or embankments. Walls and steps are built individually and priced individually in the quote. Retaining walls also raise the question of structural stability.
- Water, electricity and lighting. A basin, a water rill, lighting or irrigation bring in additional trades. In Germany, work on the electrical installation may only be carried out by a registered electrical contractor (§ 13 NAV).
- Access. If the digger cannot get into the garden, more is done by hand. A terraced-house garden without side access is one example.
- Plants. Per square metre, a perennial bed is not far below concrete pavers at Portal B. For a single tree, Portal B gives €200 to €1,500 depending on species and size.
- Region and workload. Hourly rates vary by region and season. We have not found evidence of fixed differences, so we give no figure.
The image shows a narrow terraced-house garden. On a small area there is a raised timber deck with steps, a water rill of rust-red steel, two kinds of paving and a pavilion. Each of these elements needs its own work and materials, and the rill additionally needs water and usually electricity. A small garden is therefore not automatically a cheap garden.
Not all paving is the same
Two paths, two ways of building. In the first image, irregular natural stone slabs lie individually in gravel; in the second, large light-coloured slabs are laid close together. Which is cheaper cannot be read from the image. That depends on the stone, the format, the sub-base and the load. For the budget, a different question helps: does the surface need to be paved at all? A terrace where chairs stand needs a firm surface. A path that is rarely used can often make do with stepping stones or gravel. Portal B gives €20 to €45 per m² for a gravel path and €80 to €130 for laid concrete pavers.
Design comes on top
The calculations above include no design. What it costs depends on who designs and how much. In Germany, the fee regulation HOAI now only gives guideline values for landscape architecture practices. For €30,000 to €100,000 of eligible costs, the full fee in the middle fee zone is roughly 21 to 31% of those costs. Only the basic evaluation, preliminary design and design (work stages 1 to 3) come to roughly 6 to 9%. Landscaping firms and garden designers often charge a flat fee or by the hour. The table values, the billing methods and what you get for your money are explained in the article Having your garden designed.
How to compare quotes
If two quotes differ in their totals, they often describe different work. Here is how to compare them:
- Line by line. Each area should be listed with quantity and unit price, for example "25 m² concrete pavers, laid, including sub-base, at € … each". Without the quantity, you cannot compare.
- What the price includes. Are excavation, sub-base, edging, disposal, travel and plant delivery included or listed separately?
- Gross or net. Check whether VAT is included and whether you are really comparing final prices.
- A cost estimate is not a fixed price. A cost estimate (Kostenanschlag) is an estimate. Under German law, if the firm realises it will exceed it substantially, it must tell you without delay (§ 649 BGB). You can then terminate and pay the share corresponding to the work done so far, plus expenses (§ 645 BGB).
- Same basis. Ideally all firms quote from the same list or the same plan. Then the quotes differ only in price.
In Germany, for work in a household that already exists, you can deduct part of the labour costs from your tax (§ 35a EStG). What counts is explained in the article on remodelling an existing garden.
Where GardenPilot helps – and where it doesn't
GardenPilot does not calculate construction costs and does not replace a quote. It helps with the step before: the question of what you actually want to build. You upload a photo of your garden and see design ideas on your own plot. The first image is free. That way you can compare whether it should be a large terrace or rather more beds before you ask for quotes. If you build yourself, the implementation planning breaks the work into steps and estimates materials and costs for doing it yourself. This estimate is not binding. How GardenPilot works and what it costs is covered in the article AI garden design with a photo.
Do you already know what should go into your garden? Upload a photo and see ideas on your own plot before you ask for quotes. The first image is free. Start free with your photo
Frequently asked questions
How much does garden design cost per square metre?
Aroundhome gives €30 to €100 per m², and €40 to €100 for a new garden (10 Oct 2025). Clean Invoice distinguishes €30 to €80 for simple, €80 to €150 for mid-range and €150 to €250 for high-end gardens (5 Mar 2026). Our worked examples come out at €37 to €89 per m². Paving and earthworks make the biggest difference.
How much does it cost to create a 100 m² garden?
In our example with terrace, gravel path, turf, perennial bed and one tree, we arrive at roughly €4,600 to €8,700, without design and without special earthworks. Portal A gives €3,000 to €10,000. A natural stone terrace or a water basin can raise the total considerably.
How much does a garden renovation cost?
That depends on what "renovation" means in your case. In our example with a new terrace, clearing, new lawn and new beds on 200 m², we arrive at roughly €7,400 to €11,800. Portal A gives €40 to €100 per m² for overgrown gardens. Removal and disposal can vary a lot depending on the material.
Can I deduct the costs from my taxes?
In Germany, for a garden at a house you already live in, you can deduct 20% of the labour costs from your income tax, up to €1,200 a year (§ 35a EStG). Materials do not count. You need an invoice and must have paid by bank transfer. According to the tax authorities, this does not apply to laying out a garden for the first time as part of a new build. If in doubt, ask your tax adviser.
Further reading
What would this look like in your garden?
Upload a photo of your garden and see design ideas on your own space. The first image is free.
Start free with your photoMore articles from Garden Planning & Costs
Garden Trends 2027: 5 Ideas from Germany for a Better Garden
A garden that works in summer and feels great after work: these five ideas combine design with what garden owners in Germany need right now.
The Garden in Autumn: What to Do Now – and Why Now Is the Time to Plan for Spring
Leaves, hedges, planting time: which garden jobs really matter in autumn, what you can leave standing – and why autumn is a good moment to plan your garden makeover for spring.
Creating a Garden for a New Build: The Checklist for Home Builders
Topsoil, levels, conduits, rainwater: what to clarify for the garden while the excavators are still on site at your new build.