Fernline 01 7 min read Guide
What landscaping really costs on the Northern Beaches
Honest ranges from a garden refresh to a full design + construct, the six things that move the number on Beaches blocks, and how to compare proposals line by line.
Short answer: on the Beaches, garden costs fall in clear bands. Pick your band first. Then design to it. The parts that set the price are mostly the ones you cannot see.
The bands, in plain numbers
- Refresh and replant: $8,000 to $25,000
- Deck and pergola: $15,000 to $45,000
- Retaining walls: $12,000 to $40,000
- Full design and build: $40,000 to $120,000 and up
What sets the band you land in
Six things move the price. Slope and access. Soil and drainage. Structures that need a footing. Materials, named or generic. Plant size and density. Council approvals, or not.
Most of those are hidden by the time the job is done. That is why the cheap quote is often cheap. The hidden parts have quietly been left out.
How to read a landscaping quote
A quote you can trust will list these as their own lines:
- Site prep and drainage
- Every wall or deck, with its footing spec
- The actual timber and stone, named (not "hardwood" and "pavers")
- Plants by species and pot size, not a "planting allowance"
- The approval path, written down
If you see a single round number, hold off. A round number hides the parts that grow once the digging starts.
The three questions that sort the field
Ask every landscaper who walks your block:
- Will I see a scaled drawing and a line-by-line quote before any work starts?
- Where does the stormwater go once the new surfaces are in?
- Who holds the NSW landscaping licence on this job?
The answers tell you in a minute. A designer plus a licensed builder will know all three. A bloke with a trailer will not.
When you are ready, book a design visit. We will design to your band. Or try the cost tool on the pricing page first.
Common questions
Why do landscaping quotes vary so wildly for the same garden?
Because they are rarely pricing the same job. One quote includes drainage, engineered footings and a named planting schedule; another assumes you will not notice they were left out. The cheap quote is usually cheap because the expensive, invisible parts, the drainage and the engineering, have quietly disappeared. An itemised proposal makes the differences visible; a one-line number hides them.
Is the design fee worth it, or can I just get a quote?
A quote without a design is a guess, and guesses move. The design fee (typically $1,500 to $4,500) buys you scaled drawings, a planting schedule and a fixed itemised price, and if you build with us, half of it comes off the construction cost. It is the cheapest insurance against a build that creeps.
What should I budget for a full garden on the Northern Beaches?
A refresh and replant runs $8,000 to $25,000, a deck and pergola $15,000 to $45,000, retaining walls $12,000 to $40,000, and a full design and construct $40,000 to $120,000 and up. Slope, drainage and access move the number more than the plants do. Decide your band first, then design to it.