How to Calculate Garden Construction Costs – Part 1
Planning a new garden for your home or property often raises important questions. How much should you budget for garden construction? How do you estimate the cost of hiring a garden contractor? Should you set aside an additional budget for garden design? Here are the key factors to consider when estimating your garden construction budget.
Guslie Garden
7/31/20262 min read
Key Factors That Affect Garden Construction Costs
Planning a new garden for your home or property often raises important questions. How much should you budget for garden construction? How do you estimate the cost of hiring a garden contractor? Should you set aside an additional budget for garden design?
These are some of the questions that naturally come up when planning a new garden.
Here are the key factors to consider when estimating your garden construction budget.
GARDEN CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE NOT SIMPLY CALCULATED PER M²
One of the most common questions clients ask is, “How much does it cost to build a garden per m²?” or “What is the garden construction cost per m²?”
However, a cost per m² is only a general estimate, not a fixed price. A per-m² cost can be calculated by dividing the estimated total garden construction cost by the total area of the garden being constructed.
This figure can be useful as an initial reference when preparing your garden construction budget. The final price, however, should be based on a detailed Bill of Quantities (RAB), which breaks down the individual garden components and their associated costs.
SITE AREA
Naturally, the larger the site, the greater the budget required for garden construction.
SITE TOPOGRAPHY
A level site is generally easier to work with than land with significant changes in elevation or contours. This can affect the overall garden construction cost because working on contoured land requires additional preparation and construction work.
TYPES OF PLANTS USED
A garden consisting primarily of lawn will generally cost less than a garden featuring a wide variety of plants.
A garden using common, readily available plants will also generally cost less than one requiring more specialised plant varieties with specific sizes or characteristics.
Plants can generally be divided into four categories:
Lawn
Groundcover
Shrubs
Trees
HARDSCAPE AND SOFTSCAPE ELEMENTS
Garden contractors in Indonesia often focus primarily on softscape elements, meaning the planting itself.
If a project also requires work beyond the softscape, such as hardscape elements and garden features, these additional requirements will affect the overall garden construction budget.
Hardscape elements can include pathways, stepping stones, lighting, and garden lights. Other garden features may include ponds, water features, artwork, and signage.
GARDEN STYLE
Different garden styles require different combinations of softscape elements, planting, and garden features.
For example, a minimalist garden will have different requirements from a dry garden. Likewise, a vertical garden will have different requirements from a tropical garden.
These differences will naturally affect the overall garden construction budget.
To learn more about the different types of gardens commonly found in Indonesia, please see our other article here.
Once you understand the garden components you plan to use, you can begin estimating how much you need to budget for your garden construction project.
For a practical example of how to calculate garden construction costs, continue to our next article for a detailed garden cost calculation simulation.
Need professional help with garden design and construction, vertical gardens, indoor plants, or garden renovations?
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