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How much does it cost to hire a landscaper?
It depends on what you're asking a landscaper to build. A day of planting and mulching is priced very differently from a new paved courtyard with a retaining wall. The number that matters is the quote for your own plan.
Small, labour-only jobs are often charged by the hour. Anything with materials, machinery or a design is usually quoted as a fixed price, with labour, materials, equipment hire and waste removal rolled into one figure or listed line by line.
As rough guides, planting, new lawn and garden beds for an average suburban yard can cost around $5,000. Hard landscaping such as paving, decking and retaining walls, or a full yard redesign, often costs more than $10,000. Treat both as starting points and get the job quoted.
Landscaper hourly rates
Hourly rates for landscapers generally fall between $40 and $80 an hour. Where a landscaper sits in that range depends on their experience, your area, whether they bring a labourer or machinery, and how much of the job is skilled work such as stone or timber.
An hourly rate only tells you part of the cost. Two landscapers on the same rate can quote very different totals because one works faster, one includes tip fees, or one allows more time for site preparation. When you compare, compare the whole quote.
Tip: Give every landscaper the same plan or list of jobs, and ask them to split the quote into labour, materials, equipment hire and green waste removal. It's the quickest way to see why two quotes differ.
Factors That Affect Landscaping Costs
A landscaper can give you an hourly rate on the phone, but a total price needs a look at the site and a clear idea of what you want. These are the things that move the price most.
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Landscape design
A landscape designer draws up a plan before anything is built: where paths, beds, lawn and structures go, and which plants suit your soil, sun and maintenance time. Some landscapers include a simple sketch in their quote. A detailed plan from a designer costs extra, and the fee grows with the size of the garden and how complex the design is. A plan also makes quotes easier to compare, because every landscaper prices the same thing.
Soft landscaping
Soft landscaping is the living part of the garden: plants, trees, lawn, garden beds, soil and mulch. The number, size and type of plants drive most of the cost. Advanced trees and large shrubs cost far more than tube stock, and a new lawn depends on the area and the turf variety. Our instant turf cost guide covers lawns in more detail.
Hard landscaping
Hard landscaping covers the built features: paving, paths, retaining walls, decks, stonework, edging, outdoor lighting and water features such as ponds and fountains. Materials and labour both cost more here than in soft landscaping, which is why a full yard redesign with structures can pass $10,000. Some of this work needs a licensed tradie once the job is over a set value; see the licence section below.
Site, access and preparation
A sloping block, poor soil, old concrete to break out or a backyard that machinery can't reach all add time. If the site needs levelling or digging out first, that is often priced as a separate stage; our excavation cost guide explains what moves that price. Tip fees for soil, rubble and green waste also add up on bigger jobs.
Types of Landscaping Services
Landscapers take on most outdoor jobs around a home. The most common are:
Outdoor paving and decorative concrete
Mulching and garden beds
For regular upkeep such as mowing, pruning and weeding, a gardener is usually the better fit. Our gardener cost guide covers that work.
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Licences for structural landscaping
Planting, mulching and laying turf are generally not licensed building work. Structural work such as retaining walls and paving can need a licence once the job is worth more than a set amount, and the rules differ by state:
Queensland: structural landscaping work, including retaining walls and paving, needs a QBCC licence when the job is valued at more than $3,300 in labour and materials.
New South Wales: residential work valued at more than $5,000, including structural landscaping such as retaining walls, paths and paving, needs a contractor licence from NSW Fair Trading.
Victoria: landscaping jobs that include domestic building work, such as retaining structures, need a registered building practitioner when the contract price is over $10,000.
Other states and territories have their own rules, so check with your state building regulator before work starts. Taller retaining walls can also need council approval or an engineer's design. Ask for the licence number and check it on the regulator's public register.
Questions to Ask Your Landscaper
Before you choose a landscaper, ask:
Which parts of my plan do you do yourself, and which do you subcontract?
Does the job need a licence, a permit or council approval, and will you handle it?
What insurance do you hold?
Can you give me a written quote that separates labour, materials and waste removal?
How long will the job take, and what happens if weather delays it?
Can I see photos of similar jobs or speak to a past client?
Photos of finished jobs and reviews from past clients show you the standard of work. On Service.com.au you can post your job for free, get quotes from verified local landscapers and read their reviews before you choose.
Related cost guides
Prices are a guide in Australian dollars at the time of writing. They vary by location and change with the market.