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 design, build and planting renovation, combining hard landscaping with a full planting scheme, typically costs €10,000 to €200,000 depending on garden size, while a planting-only renovation with no hard landscaping starts from €2,000. 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 also where we agree which type of project suits your garden: a design, build and planting renovation, or a planting-only scheme if your existing hard landscaping doesn’t need replacing.
- 2 Design The designer develops a bespoke plan: layout, levels, hard landscaping (where needed), 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, fixed 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 For design, build and planting projects, 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. Where a garden has drainage problems, we may recommend Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to manage water on site and reduce surface runoff.
- 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. For planting-only projects, this stage is the whole build. 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 | Design, build and planting projects only; depends heavily on size and complexity |
| Planting & handover | 1 to 2 weeks | Timed to the right planting season where possible |
| Planting-only project (total on site) | A few days to 2 weeks | No build stage, so the whole project is far shorter |
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
Within a design, build and planting project, a useful rule of thumb is that 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 within that project type. A skilled designer uses this balance to keep your project within budget while still delivering impact, or steers you toward a planting-only project if hard landscaping isn’t needed at all.
As a realistic guide: a design, build and planting renovation ranges from €10,000–€50,000 for a small courtyard garden, €20,000–€90,000 for a small/medium garden, up to €40,000–€200,000 for a large garden. A planting-only renovation, with no hard landscaping, starts from €2,000 and can run up to €150,000 for an extensive scheme. 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 a design, build and planting project
- 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
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. A planting-only project is much quicker, often a few days to two weeks on site. Because spring and summer are busiest, starting the design in autumn or winter helps secure a build slot for the following season.
A design, build and planting renovation, combining hard landscaping with a full planting scheme, typically runs €10,000–€50,000 for a small courtyard garden, €20,000–€90,000 for a small/medium garden, and €40,000–€200,000 for a large garden. A planting-only renovation, with no hard landscaping, starts from €2,000 and can run up to €150,000. Remember the 70/30 rule for design, build and planting projects: about 70% goes on hard landscaping and 30% on planting, so the amount of paving and building work drives the cost within that project type.
At LandArt we use 70/30 as a budgeting guideline for design, build and planting projects: 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 within that project type. It doesn’t apply to planting-only projects, which have no hard landscaping at all.
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.
Start Your Garden Renovation with LandArt
Tell us about your garden and how you want to use it. We'll walk you through the process, timeline and a realistic budget for your project.
Last updated: September 2026
