Service · Greater London
Garden Design
Terraces, planting, lighting and outdoor rooms
Indicative rate
£420 / m²
Typical programme
2–7 weeks
Portfolio examples
7
Coverage
All London boroughs
Overview
A London garden is a room. It is usually small, overlooked, awkwardly shaped and framed by three fences — and it can still be the best space in the property when the levels, materials and planting are designed rather than assembled.
Foxter designs and builds gardens across London: porcelain and stone terraces, raised planters, level changes, screening, garden rooms, outdoor kitchens, irrigation and layered lighting. Because we are a construction company, the hard landscaping is engineered rather than laid on sand and hope.
We work with the light you have. A north-facing city garden needs pale surfaces, reflective boundaries and shade-tolerant planting; a south-facing one needs shade, water and heat-resilient species.
What a typical package includes
- Site survey, levels and drainage assessment
- Concept design, planting plan and material selection
- Excavation, ground preparation and drainage
- Retaining walls, steps and level changes
- Porcelain, stone or timber terraces and paths
- Raised beds, planters and topsoil supply
- Planting, turfing and irrigation
- Garden lighting and external power
- Fencing, screening and boundary treatments
- Garden rooms, outdoor kitchens and storage
How we deliver it
Survey and brief
Levels, aspect, soil, drainage and how you actually want to use the space through the year.
Design
Layout, materials, planting plan and lighting design presented before any construction cost is committed.
Groundworks
Clearance, excavation, drainage, sub-base and any retaining structures.
Hard landscaping
Terraces, paths, steps, walls, edging and structures built to falls and levels.
Soft landscaping
Topsoil, planting, turf, irrigation and mulch.
Lighting and handover
Lighting commissioned and aimed after dark, plus a planting and maintenance schedule.
Get the levels and drainage right first
The most common fault in a London garden is water. Terraces laid without falls pond; paving laid against a wall above the damp proof course pushes damp into the house; a garden higher than the ground floor slab needs a proper drainage channel and tanking at the threshold.
We set out falls, install linear drainage where the terrace meets the building, and connect surface water into a soakaway or an authorised drain. Permeable surfaces and planting beds also help, and they matter more each year as London rainfall becomes more intense.
Materials that survive a city garden
Porcelain is the workhorse of the modern London garden: dimensionally stable, frost proof, stain resistant and available in large formats with a consistent finish. Natural stone — yorkstone, limestone, granite — has more character and weathers with the house, particularly on a period property. Timber decking is warm underfoot but needs maintenance and can be slippery in shade.
Whatever the surface, the sub-base is the difference between a terrace that stays flat for twenty years and one that rocks after two winters.
Planting and lighting for a garden you use at night
Structure first: evergreen shapes, multi-stem trees and hedging give the garden form in January. Then seasonal layers of perennials and bulbs for interest across the year. In small gardens we plant densely — bare soil grows weeds and looks unfinished.
Lighting doubles the hours you use the space. Low-level path lights, uplights on trees and boundary walls, and warm-white fittings on separate circuits create depth after dark without turning the garden into a car park. Cables are run in ducts at construction stage so nothing is retrofitted across a finished terrace.
Garden design examples
All garden designIllustrative concept case studies — not records of specific client contracts.
SW19Garden Design · 2021
Wimbledon Garden Design
A garden redesign with porcelain terrace, raised planters and layered exterior lighting. Sample case study set in Wimbledon (SW19).
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SE13Garden Design · 2025
Lewisham Garden Design
A garden redesign with porcelain terrace, raised planters and layered exterior lighting. Sample case study set in Lewisham (SE13).
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EN1Garden Design · 2022
Enfield Garden Design
A garden redesign with porcelain terrace, raised planters and layered exterior lighting. Sample case study set in Enfield (EN1).
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NW11Garden Design · 2021
Golders Green Garden Design
A garden redesign with porcelain terrace, raised planters and layered exterior lighting. Sample case study set in Golders Green (NW11).
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SW11Garden Design · 2025
Battersea Garden Design
A garden redesign with porcelain terrace, raised planters and layered exterior lighting. Sample case study set in Battersea (SW11).
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SW2Garden Design · 2022
Brixton Garden Design
A garden redesign with porcelain terrace, raised planters and layered exterior lighting. Sample case study set in Brixton (SW2).
View project →Garden design near you
We cover every Greater London borough. These are some of the areas where we work most often.
Garden design FAQs
How much does a London garden redesign cost?
A small terrace and planting scheme starts in the low thousands; a fully designed garden with level changes, structures, lighting and irrigation runs well into five figures. Our indicative rate is around £420 per m² plus a base cost.
Do I need planning permission for garden works?
Usually not for paving and planting, though front garden paving over 5m² must be permeable or drain to a soakaway. Garden rooms, decking above 300mm and boundary walls over 2m have their own rules, and listed or conservation properties are more restricted.
When is the best time to build a garden?
Hard landscaping can be built year-round; planting establishes best in autumn and spring. We often build in winter and plant in the following season.
Can you work with no rear access?
Yes. Most London gardens are accessed through the house, so we protect floors and routes, use smaller plant and bag out waste. It affects the programme, and we say so upfront.
Do you maintain gardens after completion?
We hand over a maintenance schedule and can arrange establishment maintenance for the first year while planting settles in.
Can you build a garden room or outdoor kitchen?
Yes — insulated garden rooms, home offices, outdoor kitchens with services, and covered terraces are all part of what we build.
Next step
Price your garden design
Use the instant quotation tool for an indicative range in under a minute, or book a site visit and we will issue a fixed price against a written scope.