Service · Greater London
Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping, levels, walls and drainage
Indicative rate
£380 / m²
Typical programme
2–8 weeks
Portfolio examples
6
Coverage
All London boroughs
Overview
Landscaping is the structural half of the garden: the retaining walls, the levels, the drainage, the sub-bases and the surfaces everything else sits on. Done properly it is invisible; done badly it is the reason a two-year-old terrace is already moving.
Foxter carries out hard and soft landscaping across London for private gardens, communal grounds and commercial forecourts, from a single retaining wall to a complete site re-grade.
Because we build houses as well as gardens, we treat retaining structures, drainage and the interface with the building as engineering rather than gardening.
What a typical package includes
- Topographical survey and levels design
- Site clearance, grading and excavation
- Retaining walls, sleepers and gabions
- Sub-bases, paving, paths and steps
- Surface water drainage, channels and soakaways
- Fencing, gates, screening and boundary works
- Topsoil, turfing and planting
- Irrigation and external power
- Access improvements and hardstanding
- Reinstatement and site clean
How we deliver it
Survey
Levels, soil, drainage and boundary conditions recorded before design.
Design
A levels and drainage strategy, retaining structure design where needed, and a materials schedule.
Enabling works
Clearance, grubbing out, waste removal and access protection.
Structures and drainage
Retaining walls, steps, drainage runs and sub-bases installed and compacted.
Surfaces
Paving, edging and pathways laid to falls with correct joints.
Soft works
Topsoil, planting, turf and a maintenance handover.
Retaining walls are structures, not decoration
Any wall retaining more than about 600mm of soil is holding back a significant load, made worse by water pressure behind it. We design retaining structures with the right foundation, reinforcement and — critically — drainage behind the wall, so hydrostatic pressure does not build up and push it over.
Sleeper walls, blockwork with facing, gabions and reinforced concrete each suit different heights and budgets. Where a wall retains a neighbour's ground it becomes a party matter and is treated accordingly.
Drainage and the rules on hard surfaces
Paving over front gardens changed the law: over 5m² of new impermeable surface in a front garden requires either a permeable build-up or drainage to a soakaway within the property. Even in rear gardens, dumping surface water into the foul drain is not acceptable.
We build permeable sub-bases, install linear channel drains where surfaces meet buildings and connect to soakaways sized for the catchment. It costs a little more and prevents flooded terraces and damp walls.
Soil, planting and getting things to survive
London soil is often compacted builder's rubble with a thin layer of topsoil over it. We break up compaction, remove rubble and import quality topsoil to the right depth — 300mm for planting beds, 150mm minimum for turf — because no planting plan survives poor ground. Mulching after planting conserves moisture and suppresses weeds while roots establish.
Landscaping examples
All landscapingIllustrative concept case studies — not records of specific client contracts.
W8Landscaping · 2022
Kensington Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping with retaining walls, levels correction and planting scheme. Sample case study set in Kensington (W8).
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E17Landscaping · 2019
Walthamstow Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping with retaining walls, levels correction and planting scheme. Sample case study set in Walthamstow (E17).
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KT1Landscaping · 2023
Kingston Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping with retaining walls, levels correction and planting scheme. Sample case study set in Kingston (KT1).
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EC1Landscaping · 2020
Clerkenwell Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping with retaining walls, levels correction and planting scheme. Sample case study set in Clerkenwell (EC1).
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W4Landscaping · 2019
Chiswick Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping with retaining walls, levels correction and planting scheme. Sample case study set in Chiswick (W4).
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E1WLandscaping · 2023
Wapping Landscaping
Hard and soft landscaping with retaining walls, levels correction and planting scheme. Sample case study set in Wapping (E1W).
View project →Landscaping near you
We cover every Greater London borough. These are some of the areas where we work most often.
Landscaping FAQs
How much does landscaping cost?
Our indicative rate is around £380 per m² plus a base cost for site set-up, varying with levels, retaining structures and surface choice.
Do I need permission for a retaining wall?
Walls over 2m high, or over 1m adjacent to a highway, need planning permission. Retaining a neighbour's ground may also engage the Party Wall Act.
How long does a landscaping project take?
A modest garden is 2–4 weeks. Significant level changes, retaining structures and drainage take 6–10 weeks.
Can you fix a garden that floods?
Usually yes. We diagnose whether it is falls, compaction, a blocked or absent soakaway or a high water table, then design the fix rather than just re-laying the same surface.
Do you remove waste?
Yes, all spoil and green waste is removed under licensed waste transfer, with skip permits arranged where the road requires one.
Can you landscape communal or commercial grounds?
Yes. We work for landlords, managing agents and commercial clients, and can programme works around residents and trading hours.
Next step
Price your landscaping
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.