You know what they say – tidy home, tidy mind. Well, the same can be said for your garden. A neat garden can create a relaxing environment and help our well-being.
However, clearing a garden can be time-consuming and a lot of hard work. If you’ve got the time and resources, that’s great, but if not, consider a garden clearance expert to help you, and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.
Garden clearance can cost between £35 – 70 per hour, depending on the scope of the job.
However, if your garden is highly overgrown, the cost to have it cleared can range from £200 to £600.
These are approximate costs, and every garden clearance job is different. Read on to learn more about different garden clearance cost scenarios and the factors that will affect it.
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Contents
How much does garden clearance cost?
For garden clearance, which would include clearing grass, weeds, shrubbery, etc, you are looking at approximately £35 – 70 per hour.
Ideally, the gardener or garden clearance company will see what needs clearing before quoting you. Usually, they charge by the job or hourly. Ask them for an estimated time if it is by the hour or day.
Make sure to also ask if the quote includes garden waste removal. If it does, you should expect the quote to be higher, or the garden clearance expert might charge labour costs and an additional cost to take the waste away.
You should also check with them how they plan to dispose of the waste and if they have a license.
| Job type | Cost |
| Garden clearance cost | £35 – 70 per hour |
| Overgrown garden clearance cost | £200 – 600 per job |
| Skip hire | £100 – 400 |
| Garden waste bin (via council) | £40 – 90 per year |
| Get quotes | |
If they don’t have a license and they are disposing of the rubbish illegally, this is called fly tipping, and if it is traced back to you, you could end up with a hefty fine!
To check if a company has a license, you can check here.
If the garden clearance quote doesn’t include taking the waste away, you will have to hire a skip, a garden waste removal company, or contact the council, as they sometimes offer a service to take things away. To find out how much these costs, carry on reading.
How much does it cost to clear an overgrown garden?
An overgrown garden will take longer to clear and potentially need more people, increasing the garden clearance cost.
The garden clearance cost for an overgrown garden can range between approximately £200 to £600, but it will depend on many considerations, which we explain further below.
Specific garden clearance companies sometimes charge larger jobs by the load rather than the hour.
If this is the case, they might charge per bag or van load and could charge anywhere between £55 and £350.
Factors affecting the cost of garden clearance
Size of garden
Typically, the larger the garden, the longer it will take to clear, resulting in higher labour costs.
However, if your garden has been maintained previously and has just been left for the winter, there might not be too much debris to clear.
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Amount of debris
The amount of waste the gardener needs to clear will affect the price. How long has your garden been abandoned? Is it overgrown or just a little untidy from the winter? The more waste, the higher the quote will be.
Type of waste
The garden clearance cost will depend on the type of waste you have. Common types of garden waste are:
- Branches
- Grass cuttings
- Weeds
- Hedge cuttings
These types of garden waste are relatively light and can be disposed of quickly, especially if you already have a green waste recycle bin from the council.
However, there are heavier types of rubbish that you might want to clear and dispose of, such as:
- Old garden furniture / sheds / greenhouses / outbuildings
- Fence panels
- Tree trunks
- Patio concrete slabs
- Old decking
- Soil
- Unwanted garden brick wall
- Building rubble
First, you will need to check with the garden clearance expert or company to see if they can clear and remove this sort of rubbish.
The heavier the waste, the higher the cost will be, as not only will it increase the labour cost, but it will also be more challenging to dispose of, so it will undoubtedly cost more. For instance, the garden clearance expert might need to make a few trips to wherever they take the waste.
Depending on the amount and type of waste will determine how it is disposed of.
Larger and heavier items and soil might require hiring a skip.
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Location
Where you live will make a difference to your garden clearance quote. For instance, garden clearance quotes will be cheaper if you live in the North than in London or the South.
Ease of access
If your garden is difficult to access or specific things you want cleared are hard to reach, then be prepared to pay a higher price.
Additional costs to garden clearance
As discussed above, some gardeners might be unable to take the waste away, or it might be cheaper to organise this yourself. Here are some additional costs you might need to consider with garden clearance:
Garden waste removal cost
Some councils provide a home collection service for garden waste. Garden waste removal, via the council, costs between £40 and £90 per year and you receive a garden waste bin which is collected on a regular basis. Every council charges differently, so you will need to contact them directly to get an exact price.
The types of garden waste they accept are:
- Grass
- Hedge cuttings
- Weeds
- Old flowers
- Leaves
Having one of these bins is a cost-effective way to remove garden waste, especially if you are considering hiring a gardener to clear your garden of this debris regularly.
Skip hire
If you have heavy waste or a large amount of it, you might need to hire a skip, which can cost between £100 and £400, depending on the size you need.
Tree removal
If you need a tree removed as part of the garden clearance, your gardener might not have the experience and resources to do this, so you will need to hire a tree surgeon.
The cost of tree removal is around £400 – 700 for a small to medium-sized standard tree.
Independent waste removal company
You might want to take this option if you are clearing the garden yourself and only need the waste removed. These companies won’t do any clearing, such as trimming hedges or weeding, but they will bag up and take away any rubbish in your garden.
The average cost to hire a garden waste removal company is £60 – 350, depending on the volume and weight of the waste.
Garden clearance FAQ
What is the cost of soil removal?
Soil is heavy; if you hire a company to remove the soil, they will charge you by weight. Hiring a skip might be more cost-effective depending on how much soil you need to get rid of.
Skip hire costs between £100 and £400 depending on the size.
A waste removal company charges approximately £150 – 180 for 1 tonne of materials such as bricks, rubble or soil.
Greenhouse removal cost
The cost of removing a greenhouse can be anywhere between £200 and £600 and will depend on the size, the location, ease of access and whether you want the company to dispose of it.
Some companies will charge more for the waste disposal of greenhouses as they are often made of glass and metal, so they will need to be disposed of properly, which might mean they need to pay a fee.
Decking removal cost
For removing and disposing of wooden decking, you are looking at around £100 – 500. This cost, of course, depends on the size of the decking, ease of access and whether you need it disposed of.
If your decking is still in good condition, you could try selling it on local sites.
Garden clearance cost – things to consider
- To save some money try to do as much of the garden clearing as you can beforehand.
- Make sure you are clear what you want cleared and what you want to remain.
- Early spring is a good time to clear your garden and prepare it for planting.
- Autumn is another good time to clear the garden, before the winter sets in.
Next, if you want to get your garden cleared, Post a job to get quotes from local garden clearance experts.