Garden Renovation in Ireland: Process, Timeline & What to Expect
A garden renovation follows five stages: consultation, design, quote, build and planting. Allow 4 to 8 weeks for design and a few weeks to a couple of months on site, depending on size. Budget realistically: a full redesign of a Dublin garden typically costs €15,000 to €35,000, with roughly 70% on hard landscaping. Using one design-build team avoids the gaps and disputes of hiring a designer and builder separately.
As a garden designer who has renovated gardens across Dublin for years, the questions I’m asked most are always the same: how does it work, how long does it take, what will it realistically cost, and should I hire a designer and builder separately or use one firm? This guide answers all of them honestly, so you know exactly what to expect before you start.
The Garden Renovation Process, Step by Step
- 1 Consultation Every renovation starts with understanding you and your garden. A designer visits, assesses the site (aspect, soil, drainage, access, existing features worth keeping) and talks through how you want to use the space, your style and your budget. This is the foundation: a good renovation is designed around how you actually live, not a generic template.
- 2 Design The designer develops a bespoke plan: layout, levels, hard landscaping, features and a planting scheme, usually with visuals so you can picture the result. This stage is iterative, you review and refine until the design is right. Allow roughly 4 to 8 weeks for design, depending on complexity and how many revisions are needed.
- 3 Quote A detailed, itemised quote translates the design into a price. With a design-build practice this is seamless, because the people who will build the garden priced it. With separate designer and contractor, this is where surprises often appear, as the contractor prices the drawing for the first time.
- 4 Build The build stage covers clearance, groundworks, drainage, hard landscaping and features. This is the most disruptive phase and typically takes a few weeks to a couple of months on site depending on size and complexity. Good groundworks here, the unseen work, is what makes the finished garden last. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)
- 5 Planting & Handover Finally, the soft landscaping brings the garden to life: trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns or alternatives, chosen for your aspect and the Irish climate. The project ends with final detailing, a care plan and a walkthrough so you know how to keep the garden thriving.
Realistic Timeline
| Stage | Typical Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation to design | 4 to 8 weeks | Includes site survey and design revisions |
| Quote & scheduling | 1 to 3 weeks | Booking a build slot: busiest in spring/summer |
| Build (hard landscaping) | 2 weeks to 2 months | Depends heavily on size and complexity |
| Planting & handover | 1 to 2 weeks | Timed to the right planting season where possible |
Tip: because spring and summer are the busiest seasons for garden work in Ireland, start the design process in autumn or winter to secure your build slot and have the garden ready for summer.
Setting a Realistic Budget: The 70/30 Rule
In most garden renovations, around 70% of the budget goes on hard landscaping (paving, walls, steps, structures and groundworks) and about 30% on soft landscaping (planting, lawns and soil). Understanding this helps you budget realistically: the more paving and building work in your design, the higher the cost. A skilled designer uses this balance to keep your project within budget while still delivering impact.
A realistic full renovation budget for a standard Dublin garden is €15,000 to €35,000, with partial refreshes from €5,000 and high-specification design-builds from €35,000 upwards. For a full cost breakdown, see our guide on garden renovation costs in Ireland. The most common budgeting mistake is underestimating groundworks and hard landscaping: the parts you can’t see or that seem simple often cost the most.
Design-Build vs Hiring a Designer and Builder Separately
This is the single most important decision you’ll make, and it affects cost, stress and the final result. There are two routes:
| Aspect | Hiring Separately | Design-Build (One Team) |
|---|---|---|
| Accountability | Split: disputes when build doesn’t match design | Single point of accountability |
| Design fidelity | Contractor interprets someone else’s drawing | Built by the people who designed it |
| Cost certainty | Surprises when contractor prices the design | Design priced by the builders from the start |
| Coordination | You manage the hand-off and any gaps | One team coordinates everything |
| Best for | Clients who want a specific design studio | Most renovations: smoother and lower risk |
For most homeowners, a design-build practice is the lower-risk, better-value route: you get the designer’s vision built faithfully by one accountable team, with no gap for things to go wrong. This is the model LandArt is built on. That said, if you have your heart set on a specific design studio, hiring separately can work, just budget and plan for the coordination it requires.
Common Garden Renovation Mistakes to Avoid
- Skimping on groundworks: poor drainage and preparation cause problems that undo the whole garden
- Underestimating hard landscaping cost: remember the 70/30 rule when budgeting
- Designing without a plan: piecemeal changes rarely add up to a coherent garden
- Ignoring the Irish climate: plants and materials must suit our wet, mild conditions
- Choosing on price alone: the cheapest quote often means cut corners you’ll pay for later
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a garden renovation take in Ireland?
Allow roughly 4 to 8 weeks for design, then a build of anywhere from two weeks to a couple of months on site depending on the garden’s size and complexity, plus planting and handover. Because spring and summer are busiest, starting the design in autumn or winter helps secure a build slot for the following season.
What is a realistic budget for a garden renovation?
A realistic budget for a full renovation of a standard Dublin garden is €15,000 to €35,000, with partial refreshes from around €5,000 and high-specification design-builds from €35,000 upwards. Remember the 70/30 rule: about 70% goes on hard landscaping and 30% on planting, so the amount of paving and building work drives the cost.
What is the 70/30 rule in garden design?
The 70/30 rule is a budgeting guideline: in most garden renovations, around 70% of the cost goes on hard landscaping (paving, walls, structures, groundworks) and about 30% on soft landscaping (planting, lawns, soil). It helps homeowners budget realistically and shows why the amount of building work in a design is the biggest cost factor.
Should I hire a garden designer and builder separately?
For most renovations, using a single design-build practice is lower-risk and better value than hiring a designer and builder separately. A design-build team gives one point of accountability, builds the design faithfully, and prices it accurately from the start, avoiding the gaps and disputes that arise when a separate contractor interprets another designer’s drawings.
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