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Robert

James was responsive to our request for a quote, for felling a large ash tree we suspected had died. He replied to messages quickly, turned up when he said he would, and was correct that our tree had in fact died. James was professional the whole time and we would have no hesitation in hiring and recommending him to others in the future.

Joanne

Excellent service. Hard working, polite, professional team. Lovely job. Would recommend.

Anne

Below you’ll find information to help you understand the different elements of garden design and the key things to be aware of before you start transforming your outside space. Find some initial ideas to talk through with a garden designer, including making the most of a small garden.

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Take a look at our Garden Design specialists profiles, read reviews and request quotes directly.

Garden Design Services

What does garden design involve?

Garden design is about more than mowing a lawn and putting a couple of plants in the ground. A good design takes into account a few key elements:

  • How you want to use the space.
  • The amount of light the garden receives, and at what times of the day.
  • The quality of your soil.

For example, you won’t want to put a shed in the best spot for catching a bit of sun, or have a patio that’s entirely in the shade.

A garden designer will help you make the most of the available space, no matter how big or small. They’ll also establish how keen a gardener you are to make sure the finished garden is either easy to maintain, or gives you something to get your teeth into – if you’re the green-fingered type.  

Cost of garden design work

The cost of the work will depend on what you’re having done and the size of your garden, but prices tend to start at around £200. A good garden designer will discuss what you want to get out of your garden and ask you about your budget before coming up with ideas.

Low maintenance garden ideas

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  • You can stop a garden from looking untidy by dividing it into small sections. Plants, hedges, low walls and raised beds give a sense of order. Paths made from wood chips, slabs or bark help prevent weeds.
  • Growing plants at different heights can give the illusion of there being more than there are, so you get the look of a fuller garden, with fewer plants to keep healthy. Shrubs, herbs and verbena are low maintenance plant options for adding colour.
  • Rockeries and water features don’t need much looking after. Avoid shallow water features to save needing to top them up when they dry out. If you’d like a pond, avoid getting fish as the pH balance of the water settles naturally without them, giving you fewer algae problems so less cleaning time.
  • To save cutting the lawn, artificial turf could be your best friend but if you want the real thing and don’t mind doing a little cutting every now and again, slow growing or drought resistant turf could be better options.

Ideas for small gardens

  • To create more space, choose similar flooring to the inside of your home when picking the outside tiling.
  • Divide a garden into different sections and add diagonal or winding paths. Extending the time it takes to get from one side of the garden to the other will make it feel bigger.
  • Laying pavers at an angle to the property instead of parallel will draw the eye across the garden and extend the space.
  • Attaching foliaged climbers to wires across areas of your garden will give it an extra dimension.
  • Think about growing upwards rather than outwards with a trellis attached to your fence, or a vertical wall made up of climbers, grasses and ferns. A green wall can also help you lower your energy bills through providing more insulation and reducing the amount of heat that’s lost through the wall of your home. When it comes to choosing other plants, pick types that grow upwards like sweet peas and black-eyed susans so they take up less room.

Planning permission for garden design jobs


Planning permission only comes into play when you’re building or installing decking, fences, walls and gates. You’ll need to apply for planning permission if:

  • The decking would be higher than 30cm above the ground.
  • The decking or other raised platforms would cover more than half of the total area of the garden.
  • A fence, gate or wall would be over 2 metres high, or over 1 metre high near a highway that’s used by vehicles (or a footpath next to the highway).
  • The fence, gate or wall would form a boundary with a listed building or land.

If you live in a listed building or you have a front garden that you want to pave over, you should check with your Local Planning Authority as different rules may apply.

Insurance for garden design work

While it’s not a legal requirement, it’s a good idea for all garden designers to have public liability insurance so they’re covered for personal injuries or accidental damage to a property.

Questions you should ask your garden designer

  • How long have they been working as a garden designer for?
  • Can they show you examples of work they’ve carried out?
  • Can they give you a scaled design of what the finished garden will look like?
  • Do they have public liability insurance and what does this cover?
  • Will they give a guarantee for the work and how long does this last? Are there separate guarantees for different plants?
  • Does the quote for the work include waste disposal? If not, check with your local council how you would go about getting it taken away.

family run business with over 20 years in the roofing industry we can meet all of your roofing needs from flat roofs fibreglass felt or rubber we do small single slate and tile repairs to whole new roofs all UPVC products dry verge systems dry ridge systems all types of guttering basically anything to do with your roof chimney repairs to lead work we do it all hard and soft Brick layer re-pointing /

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Reviewed by jeannine on 18/10/2023

I call Phill and sons 3 days ago to fix a leak on my roof. I did have the valley fix by an other roofer but they did not do anything just to take my money. I was a bit suspicious but I was happily surprise when I call Phill who repond to my call very quicly. He is very friendly and most of all very professional. So so please with Phill I'll will recommand him anytime.Thank you Phill for your excellent job

Oak Contracts Ltd – Property Maintenance & Upgrades At Oak Contracts Ltd, we provide high-quality property maintenance and upgrade services for residential and commercial clients across Lanarkshire and Glasgow. With a skilled, reliable team and years of hands-on experience, we deliver exceptional workmanship that stands the test of time. Our wide range of services includes: Joinery – Kitchens, flooring, doors, media walls, and more. Roofing – New roofs, repairs, flat roofs, cleaning, coatings, and guttering. Landscaping – Full garden renovations, patios, artificial turf, sleeper walls, driveways, and more. Property Maintenance – General repairs, exterior upgrades, and preventative maintenance. Whether you’re looking to improve, repair, or completely transform your property, we offer a professional, friendly, and customer-focused service from start to finish.

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Reviewed by Carolann on 8/10/2024

If i could have given half a star i would have. I was told that my work would have taken 5 days to complete we are now into our 3rd week and it is no way near finished. They were turning up at lunch time and leaving at 5 or starting at 11 and finishing at 2.15. So we got fed up with it and told them to leave. Would definitely not recommend

I have been in the building trade for 20 years and I specialize in property renovation but I have worked on new builds

C & F Construction Limited is a leading Construction and Building Company based in Leigh-On-Sea Essex. We undertake all aspects of Building works from New build homes, Extensions, Refurbishments, Loft Conversions, Horse stables, Swimming pools, Fish ponds & Much Much More! We are a Company put together by time served builders to provide a high quality, professional Building service that will stand proud of the rest. We are only happy when the client is happy. Tradesmen that work for C & F Construction have been vetted and approved to ensure they are qualified and insured. we have developed our Services as a leading Building Company around our central beliefs of outstanding workmanship and clear, honest communication. This dedication to our clients has played a vital role in our status as one of the most trusted and most recommended builders in Essex. The services we provide as a Construction Company in Essex are: Extensions - Loft Conversions - New Builds Homes - Renovations - Refurbishments - Horse Stables - Fish Ponds - Swimming pools Etc As a customer-focused Builder, we provide our Customers with a free no obligation consultations and quotations for all the Building Services listed above. Unlike some New Build Builders or Extension Builders we recognise that we are creating or working in someone’s home. This is why we pride ourselves on our reputation for being clean, trustworthy and reliable.

With over 15 years of experience in the industry, our family-run business is dedicated to providing honest, fair, and friendly quotes for every project. We take pride in completing each job to the highest standard, with no hesitation or compromise on quality. Our customers' satisfaction is our top priority, and we’ve built strong relationships through platforms like Bark, Checkatrade, MyBuilder, and more. Whether it’s a small job or a large project, we approach every task with professionalism, reliability, and the personal touch that only a family business can provide.

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Reviewed by Natalie on 3/3/2026

Leodis Landscapes has 10 years experience providing Landscaping and Gardening services to North Leeds and the surrounding area.

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Reviewed by Mark on 28/3/2023

Dave carried out our block paving job on our driveway. Extended our existing drive and built a fence to make the border with our neighbours garden. Dave gave us a very competitive quote and was very polite and knowledgeable. The job did take longer than expected to finish but that was down to bad weather. The end result was a job well done looks amazing and we now have plenty of room on our driveway for our cars and caravan. Thanks Dave

With over 15 years experience in the trade, with expertise in hard landscapes, we provide a friendly service willing to take on many aspects of external work ranging from driveways, patios and fencing, to re-pointing, to roofing and guttering repairs. All our work is carried out to the highest standard and we focus on building a long lasting relationship with customers! If the job needs doing then we’ll get it done!!! So please don’t hesitate to call for a free quote with no obligation!

Hi we r family run business with over 20 years experience in the building game we carry out all types of building work from new builds to extensions two full ? refurbishment all types of groundwork ?drives ways patios jet washing painting all types of of construction fully in insured highly experienced company look forward to hearing from you

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Reviewed by Lynn on 23/4/2018

Honest reliable and hard working man. Very pleased with the results. Price quoted for unseen work involved was fantastic. Would recommend and definately hire again. One very happy customer

XProbuild Ltd is a London-based building company specialising in high-quality construction, renovation, and refurbishment projects. From roofing and structural works to full property renovations and bespoke garden houses, we deliver reliable, professional results — on time and on budget.

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Reviewed by Emma on 19/12/2025

Lucian and his team were a dream to work with on our house renovation. They're professional, competent, and lovely company. The job was completed in good time, and without additional costs. Lucian went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with the finished project.

Gardencare Services has been serving the local community of Gloucestershire for 42 years and is now a second generation company we cover all aspect of Garden work all types of Paving, Fencing ,Pruning and general Garden maintenance.

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Reviewed by Tom on 20/3/2020

Very happy with our fence. Great job all round. Would reccomend

A full service firm. We are able to tailor our offering to suit your demands from full service project management to small scale one off projects

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Reviewed by EMMA on 21/6/2022

Although a small scale job, Patrick was quick to respond to my post and very kindly talked me through a few options, which was very useful and much appreciated. Great that he was able to carry out the work so soon even with my tight timeline. Very satisfied with the result and price within my budget. Thank you, Patrick!

We are a family business with over 20 years experience in home improvement.

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Reviewed by Adeoluwa on 23/12/2023

Job was poorly finished. Said he'd come back the next day to sort, but didn't show up. Then said he'd come another day, but still didn't show up. Didn't pick my calls and started ignoring messages. Will certainly not be calling him back or recommending to anyone.

Family run business with over 20years experience, covering most areas. Our work speeks for its self, plenty off customer feed back, reviews, etc etc. All your maintenance needs under one company. Reliable service / at competitive prices. One call sorts it all. Work description inc.... �Exterior /interior painting. �Wall coatings. �garden fencing, built / repaired .Decking �pointing �Exterior walls rendered. �All roofline work / flat roof maintenance. � weather proof coatings. �powerwashing services. �Guttering repairs/renew. �Garden maintenance. Where customers satisfaction is our aim. Always at hand for any advice or help.

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Reviewed by Luarence on 2/5/2026

Fantastic job completed without hassle at a realistic price. Polite, professional and articilulate.

UBL Ltd (Unique Building & Landscaping) is a family run business doing jobs throughout Lincolnshire, We have many happy customers and a full portfolio of completed jobs. Our prices are always competitive and we aim to please.

we are Masons with over ten years experience, all four of us are level 3 qualified and take great pride in all of our work carried out and put 100% into everything we do we never leave a job until we are happy the end product and customer satisfaction we undertake everything from plumbing to eletrics new builds to extentions to changing a roof tile. no job to small.

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Reviewed by Richard on 11/7/2024

They do exactly what they promise

Hi everyone are company has been running for 8 years we offer a wide range of trades no job too small or big we are friendly company happy to help in anyway possible

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Reviewed by marion on 24/6/2025

Direct driveways and patios as a family run? business with 20 years experience we specialise in driveways, patios walkways, decorative walling natural stones fencing decking, artificial lawns, hard and soft landscaping make your dream a reality with direct driveways and patios ?

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