Garden Clearance Pricing

[LeMarchand]

Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know how much it would cost to get a medium sized garden that looks like the surrounds to Sleeping Beauty's castle cleared?

 

Got a quote for £1650 and was wondering how reasonable that is.

 

Car left in for scale.

 

[3s-gtech]

Any tree felling/trimming involved, or just bushes and shrubs? Good access for removal of waste?

 

It does sound fair from a labour perspective potentially, but there are a lot of variables.

[LeMarchand]

Not sure about tree felling. Probably not in price, though probably ought to be done. Access not great, though apparently a neighbour is willing to allow access from their property.

[3s-gtech]

Also consider that in some cheap cash-in-hand jobs the whole lot will get dumped in a layby at 2am. You'll want a disposal certificate/invoice, even of garden waste.

 

If it's all legit then it sounds reasonable. I would always advocate for keeping trees unless they put the house at risk (or the public) but trimming them can greatly improve the light levels and canopy height.

[LeMarchand]

Should be legit as the same firm has been recommended through two different routes. Thanks for the advice.

 

Lucky I've been saving!

[Dos_Box]

@LeMarchand would it be possible to see a pic of the garden, just so we can get an idea of how bad it is?

[LeMarchand]

@LeMarchand would it be possible to see a pic of the garden, just so we can get an idea of how bad it is?

 

 

 

 

 

These photos are from Feb, so +3 months growth.

[Dos_Box]

Wow! Is that house inside Jumanji?!

I'd say that, given the grounds, then £1600 is about right if it covers disposal, certs etc.

It looks to be a big job.

Are they going to rotavate the garden\flower beds too? as it may be best, given the state of the grounds.

Oh, and as someone else already said, don't get rid of the tree unless it's a danger. By all means cut it back if required, but having a nice nature haven like a tree is something you'd miss I think.

[LeMarchand]

Clearance of extensive overgrowth to increase value and saleability in readiness for marketing.

Cut back extensive bramble growth in sloping rear garden, rake brambles into pile on site and mulch.

Cut low hanging branches of trees where required to increase accessibility around the site.

Cut back overgrowth encroaching on pathways and growing across windows of the bungalow.

Strim pathways and patios clear of weeds, exposing hidden pathways where possible.

Clear driveway of encroaching foliage, brambles and weeds, and self seeded nuisance plants.

Neatly strim front lawn.

Low level hedge maintenance.

Cut overgrown boarders to a low level.

Trim and shape an abundance of shrubs and bushes to create a tidy appearance.

Tidy front boundary adjacent to the pavement to increase curb appeal.

Application of weed killer where appropriate to help prevent re-growth.

Include the removal and cost for the responsible disposal of cuttings.

 

So no to Rotavator. Might also need some fencing sorted.

 

Thanks for the confirmation.

[jmak]

Sounds like a bargain to me. I'd advise trying to be on site while they're working and trying to persuade them to talk to you before cutting anything big.

 

We had a landscaping company do some clearance work having seen some of the landscaping they'd done. Unfortunately for garden clearance they sent Muppets with chainsaws. We lost a lot more than intended. It sounds like it's not going to be your haven, but even if it's just going on sale, bare tree trunks and big holes where previously there were perfectly acceptable large plants won't help you.

[sigma]

Assess the trees, especially around the boundary as they can provide shade, privacy and a bit of structure. Sounds like the proposal is to lift the canopy so that they don't take up so much room at ground level.

[LeMarchand]

It's a 4 hour drive to the property, so I won't be on site!

 

Both my parents had mental health issues for some time before they passed and I was in charge of trying to make their finances balance (not easy due to care costs, even though they initially had more in the bank than I have ever had and their pensions saw more coming in than I have now) and, for various reasons, it's taken a couple of years to get to this stage. It's been like living under the Sword of Damocles for years and I just want it all over with.

 

The garden chap used to work for the estate agent, so he should know what to do to make it desirable. I'm not expecting it to look like Capability Brown has risen from his grave to manage the project!

 

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

[Oaktech]

I did some work for a mate last holidays doing what I estimate was a similar size and complexity job. I've got chainsaw and strimmer certificates and appropriate equipment and he doesn't because he's a 'proper' horticulturalist who is more at home trimming roses and soft fruit bushes with scissors. He was basically guilted into doing a favour for a friend of his parents!

 

All the other local companies who were approached wanted the wrong side of 4k and he charged just under 3k.

 

Things are generally quite expensive here on the south coast, but it did take us all week and cost at least £400 in consumables and £1000 in waste disposal fees for both green waste and general waste so someone doing it for £1650 seems very reasonable.

[Davit2005]

12 years back had a small shed and large room cleared. £150 with disposal paperwork, I still have the paperwork today, lol.

 

All they had to do was transfer the rubbish/furniture to their Van and dispose of it. I considered a skip but ruled it out.

 

If you are doing a Garden I would anticipate a bigger cost due to potential equipment needed and labour plus the disposal costs. I did one for someone I worked with and they got a mini excavator in.

Edited May 16, 2024 by Davit2005

[Dos_Box]

It is surprising just how much garden waste can be generated by even the most simple of tasks.

When I first moved into my new house in 2017 the previous occupants (who I quietly refer to as 'The Clampetts') had not cut the hedge in a very long time, so much so that it covered a large portion of my front window as you can see in the first pic.

One afternoon, and the loan of a very good hedge trimmer later, and I'd reduced it to a huge pile of privet that took about 3 runs to the recycling centre to get rid of. Thankfully, it's only 5 mins away for me!

 

 

Edited May 16, 2024 by Dos_Box

[robintech]

Why not script it using AI?

 

Write a PowerShell Script:

Create a script that will help you automate tasks. For example, you can use PowerShell to:

Remove files and folders (e.g., old plant debris, fallen branches).

Trim or remove specific types of vegetation (e.g., weeds).

Adjust permissions on files or folders.

Here’s a basic example of how you might remove files older than a certain date:

Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Path\To\Your\Garden" -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddMonths(-6) } | Remove-Item -Force

[3s-gtech]

If you spent even £5000 getting the outside into shape, it'll add more than that in sale value - it looks overwhelming for many buyers presently, but if the garden is in shape they will be able to visualise their own plans much better.

[3s-gtech]

Why not script it using AI?

The issue with that is the house will end up with a concave roof, windows at ground level and the garage will have no entrance door at all.

 

The vegetation will also include several unidentified species of plant and a random dog walker.

[robintech]

minor bugs , just rebuild the structure every 6 months and uninstall the dog walkers nightly

[Andrew_C]

It is surprising just how much garden waste can be generated by even the most simple of tasks.

A garden shredder is a wondrous thing in these circumstances.

[bobsmith]

Personally I mow down the waste that won't go through the shredder and ALL of it is composted.

 

Paying for green waste disposal has always struck me as insane.

 

The cost for the job is very reasonable - just consider a reasonable hourly wage for intense manual work - then cost of equipment and at the very least the disposal of genuine rubbish that you find - you soon wonder how they can make a profit!

[Dos_Box]

A garden shredder is a wondrous thing in these circumstances.

 

I know NOW!

TBH, I wasn't expecting as much green waste as was generated.

[sigma]

It's a 4 hour drive to the property, so I won't be on site!

 

Both my parents had mental health issues for some time before they passed and I was in charge of trying to make their finances balance (not easy due to care costs, even though they initially had more in the bank than I have ever had and their pensions saw more coming in than I have now) and, for various reasons, it's taken a couple of years to get to this stage. It's been like living under the Sword of Damocles for years and I just want it all over with.

 

The garden chap used to work for the estate agent, so he should know what to do to make it desirable. I'm not expecting it to look like Capability Brown has risen from his grave to manage the project!

 

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

 

I was in a similar position with frail elderly parents before they passed. It took my sister and I about a year to clear the house, that was an experience. My sister lives closer and had been keeping the garden tidy.

 

Standard 1930's semi that we grew up in. We had it done up and let it. It was a bit of a project, but we had a new roof put on, lots of new loft insulation, rewired and central heating re-piped throughout, new radiators except for those in the bay windows, new boiler relocated, all windows replaced, the sliding patio doors with bi-folds with one opening as a door, new porch, original door and fittings retained, mostly replastered, some ceilings redone, kitchen and dinning room knocked together, new kitchen and appliances installed, back door bricked up, old kitchen doorway to hall bricked up, loo and bathroom knocked together and new loo, bath basin and separate shower installed, fully tiled and underfloor heating under tiled floor, hot water cylinder and airing cupboard demolished. Downstairs loo and basin installed in what was the pantry. New stair carpet, new flooring etc. New curtains fittings, curtains and blinds - some made by us in fabric we'd like to live with. Original 1930's door handles re-installed as we found them. Outside, new front wall, new block pavers in the front and drive. Rear garden titivated with extra shubs and perennials propagated from my garden.

 

Let (via an agency who manage for us), for the asking price in 2018 and lovely tenants still there. Outlay re-couped.

[PotNoodleTech]

Sorry to hear about your parents

 

I would pay £1650 to get that cleared every day of the week. Think about the thousands it effectively adds to the value when put on rightmove.