What a landscaping quote is made of

Two landscaping quotes for the same Saltash garden can sit a long way apart, and the gap is rarely one firm being greedy and the other being modest. It usually comes from what each quote includes. One may price the patio surface only. Another may price the dig, the sub-base, the edging, the earth taken away and the tidy-up. Until you can read both quotes against the same list, the two totals tell you very little.

This guide lists what moves the price of hard landscaping: patios, paths, walls, decking and lawns. Use it to read a quote line by line. It also shows what published market ranges say for 2026, with the source and date beside every figure, so you can see how wide the spread is. Those are market ranges. They are not a price for your garden, and they are not a price from D.A Building Services. The only figure that counts is the one in a written, fixed quote after someone has seen the space.

The five things that move the price

1. The size and shape of the area

Area is the first multiplier. A patio is usually priced by the square metre, a wall by the running metre and a lawn by the square metre, so doubling the area roughly doubles the materials and the labour that scale with it. Shape matters as much as size. A rectangle of paving cuts and lays quickly. A curved edge, a corner round a conservatory or a path that changes width needs more cutting, more waste from each slab and more time per square metre. Steps, raised beds and changes of level add their own lines.

2. How easily people and materials can reach the space

Access is the line most often missing from a rough price. If a digger and a delivery lorry can reach the back garden through a side gate, the dig and the material drop are quick. If everything has to be carried through the house, barrowed down a narrow passage or lifted up a flight of steps, the same job takes more labour hours. Many gardens in and around Saltash sit on sloping ground above the Tamar, and sloping plots tend to mean steps, retaining walls and hand-work where a machine cannot turn. None of that is a fault. It is simply time, and time is what a quote prices.

3. How much has to be dug out and taken away

Laying a patio or a lawn properly means removing the old surface, digging down to a firm base and building the layers back up. All that earth, old paving, roots and rubble has to go somewhere. The more depth and area, the more spoil. Heavy ground adds weight, and weight adds lorry trips. Ask whether the quote shows the dig and the removal as separate lines, because that is where two otherwise similar prices often part company.

4. The surface and materials you choose

Materials sit on a wide scale. For a patio, the published ranges later in this guide show concrete slabs at the lower end, then Indian sandstone and porcelain above them. Natural stone varies from one batch to the next, so allow for extra pieces to cut and match. Timber decking and fencing move with the grade of the timber. Edging, sand, cement, geotextile and sub-base stone all appear as separate lines on a careful quote, and each is small alone but adds up across a whole garden.

5. Waste, skips and tidying up

Waste is easy to overlook until the quote arrives. A skip on your own drive is straightforward. A skip on the road needs a licence, and Cornwall Council says it is the skip company that has to apply. Cornwall Council's page on placing a skip on the highway sets the standard licence fee at £115 per calendar month at the time of checking in November 2026, and says a standard application takes at least two weeks, so a street-side skip is both a cost and a delay. If you have space, the council says the skip goes inside the boundary of your property.

Taking soil and rubble to the tip yourself is another route for small amounts of household waste. Cornwall Council's page on visiting the household waste and recycling centres says Saltash is one of the sites where a booked time slot is needed, so even a small job needs planning. Large volumes from a whole-garden job are normally cleared by the landscaper, which is why a clear line for waste matters.

Published market ranges for 2026

The table below collects ranges from two UK cost guides checked in November 2026. Both are written by firms that work in the trade or serve it, so treat them as ballpark figures. Neither is specific to Saltash, and prices in Devon and Cornwall can differ from the national picture. Read them as a way to see how a quote compares with the spread of the market, not as a target.

JobPublished market range
Patio paving, installed, per square metre£70 to £150, from Fantastic Services, 2026 market rates.
Indian sandstone patio, installed, per square metre£50 to £80, from Trade2Base, published 8 June 2026.
Porcelain patio, installed, per square metre£70 to £120, from Trade2Base, published 8 June 2026.
Timber decking, installed, per square metre£100 to £200, from Trade2Base, published 8 June 2026.
Block or brick garden wall, per running metre£200 to £400, from Trade2Base, published 8 June 2026.
Garden levelling, depending on slope and spoil removal£500 to £2,000, from Trade2Base, published 8 June 2026.

The spread is wide for a reason. A figure at the low end assumes easy access, level ground and a simple shape. A figure at the high end assumes the opposite, plus better materials. Your own garden sits somewhere between, and only a visit shows where. If a single quote lands far outside the range for its job type, ask why. There may be a good answer, such as a long barrow run or a deep dig, or the quote may be missing a line.

VAT, made plain

The standard rate of VAT is 20%, according to GOV.UK's VAT rates page. Whether it is added to a landscaping quote depends on whether the firm quoting charges VAT, and that is for each firm to say. What matters to you is that the quote states clearly whether the total includes it. Citizens Advice lists "if the price includes VAT" among the things a good quote should show.

As a sum, any quoted total of £1,000 before VAT becomes £1,200 once the 20% standard rate is added, using the rate on the GOV.UK page as checked in November 2026 (VAT rates). Two quotes can look far apart and turn out identical once VAT is treated the same way. When you compare, line up the totals on the same basis: both with VAT, or both without.

How to compare two quotes

  1. Put both quotes side by side and tick each of the five cost drivers above against each one. Mark any that is missing.
  2. Check the quantities. A patio quote should say the area in square metres, the paving type and the sub-base depth. A wall quote should give the length and height.
  3. Look for the dig and the waste as separate lines. If one quote has them and the other does not, ask the second firm to add them.
  4. Check what is not included. Some quotes leave out edging, drainage, steps or the final tidy-up and add them later as extras.
  5. Compare the total on the same VAT basis, and ask how long the price is valid for.
  6. Look at the payment stages. Citizens Advice advises keeping any deposit as low as possible and not agreeing to more than 25%.

Citizens Advice also separates a quote from an estimate: a quote is a fixed price, while an estimate is just a rough guess. If a firm gives an estimate, ask whether a fixed quote can follow once the details are agreed. The same page advises getting at least three written quotes before deciding, and says not to rely on a verbal quote.

Be wary of a single line that reads "landscaping, one total" with nothing underneath. A total with no breakdown cannot be compared with anything, and it leaves room for argument later about what was and was not included. A short itemised list costs the quoting firm a few minutes and saves both sides a disagreement. If a firm will not itemise even when asked politely, that is useful information about how the job may be run.

What to send to get a fixed quote

A fixed quote needs the facts. The more you send, the less the price has to include for unknowns. Useful details are:

  • Photos of the space from two or three angles, including the way in.
  • The rough size of the area, or a sketch with measurements.
  • What is there now: lawn, old paving, borders, a shed or a slope.
  • The surface you have in mind, such as sandstone, porcelain or timber.
  • Where a skip could go, and whether anyone can park outside.
  • When you would like the work done.

Look through the finished work on the examples of recent jobs to see the type of finish you want, then send photos and your town for a free quote. For patio work, see the page on Indian sandstone and porcelain patios. For walls and steps, see garden walls and stonework. For the work covered in Saltash itself, see landscaping in Saltash. Call Dec on 07940 259799.

Indian sandstone patio wrapped by a timber sleeper raised bed, with gravel edging and planting
A recent D.A Building Services job
Buff stone-effect garden wall and steps beside a conservatory, with a new lawn
A recent D.A Building Services job

Quote comparison checklist

Line to look forWhy it changes the totalWhat to ask
Area and measurementsMaterials and labour scale with size and shape.Is the area in square metres, and who measured it?
AccessCarrying by hand takes longer than a machine and a lorry drop.Has the way in been seen, and is it priced?
Dig and spoil removalDepth and heavy ground add lorry trips.Is the dig a separate line from the removal?
Materials and sub-baseSurface, stone and edging vary widely in cost.Which surface, what depth of base?
Waste and skipA street skip needs a licence and a wait.Who arranges the skip and the removal?
VATIt can make two quotes look far apart.Does the total include VAT?
Payment stagesA large deposit puts the risk on you.Is any deposit kept low?

Questions people ask

How much does landscaping cost in Saltash?

There is no single figure, because price follows the size of the area, the access, the amount of digging and waste, and the materials. Published UK market ranges vary widely, so the reliable number is a written fixed quote after someone has seen the space.

Is a quote the same as an estimate?

No. Citizens Advice describes a quote as a fixed price and an estimate as a rough guess, so you might end up paying more with an estimate. Ask for a written quote that lists what is included.

Does a landscaping quote include VAT?

It depends on the firm and the quote, so the quote should say. The standard rate of VAT is 20% according to GOV.UK. Compare totals on the same basis, both with VAT or both without.

Can I put a skip on the road in Saltash?

Cornwall Council says to place a skip within your property boundary if you have space. If you do not, the skip company has to apply for a licence to place it on the highway, and a standard application takes at least two weeks.

How many landscaping quotes should I get?

Citizens Advice suggests at least three written quotes from different traders before you decide, and advises against relying on a verbal quote.

About the author

Dec Anderson runs D.A Building Services, a hard landscaping business based in Saltash, working across Saltash and Plymouth.

Sources