Rutland Driveways & Landscaping 07312 132517 Site visit
Steep garden terraced with sleeper walls, lit steps and planting
Rutland · Stamford · Oakham

Garden design

We design and build whole gardens in a set order: survey and levels first, then retaining walls, steps and drainage, then surfaces, boundaries, lighting and planting.

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5 yearWritten guarantee
VubaApproved resin installer
NVQQualified
8 yearsTrading in Rutland

We design and build whole gardens in a set order: survey and levels first, then retaining walls, steps and drainage, then surfaces, boundaries, lighting and planting. A full rear garden typically costs £15,000–£35,000 and takes two to four weeks on site.

Full garden
£15,000–£35,000
Time on site
Two to four weeks
Guarantee
5 years, in writing

Our 2026 guide prices where shown. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.

Garden design

Design before digging

Structural decisions, such as where the levels change, where the water goes and where the seating catches the evening sun, are cheap to change on paper and expensive to change in concrete. So they are settled before work starts, with materials chosen from samples against your own walls.

Garden design

Built in the right order

Groundwork, drainage and walls first; paving and steps next; then fencing, lighting, topsoil, turf and planting. That order stops finished surfaces being damaged by later trades.

Recent finishes

The kind of finish we build

Steep garden terraced with sleeper walls, lit steps and planting
Steep garden terraced with sleeper walls
Porcelain terrace, lawn and lit borders behind a modern stone home
Porcelain terrace
Porcelain terrace with fire pit and sofas overlooking Rutland Water at sunset
Porcelain terrace with fire pit and sofas overlooking Rutland Water at sunset
Sandstone courtyard garden with a dining area behind a stone house in the conservation area
Sandstone courtyard garden with a dining area behind a stone house in the conservation area
★★★★★

Rated 5.0 from 37 Google reviews

“We’re absolutely delighted with our new patio from Rutland Driveways & Landscaping. We contacted Lewis to build our new patio after a personal recommendation; we cannot speak highly enough of the workmanship of his team and the level of service that Lewis provides. …”

Danny, Oakham · Porcelain patio — Google review

“rutland driveway recently completed our resin driveway in Stamford. The team were great from the start. at first they done an AI mock up for us and we got to change colours etc until we were happy, then the final product looked even better!”

Victor, Stamford · Resin driveway — Google review
Read the reviews
Questions

Things people ask us

How much does garden design cost?
We design and build whole gardens in a set order: survey and levels first, then retaining walls, steps and drainage, then surfaces, boundaries, lighting and planting. A full rear garden typically costs £15,000–£35,000 and takes two to four weeks on site.
Can a garden be built in phases?
Yes. We plan the whole garden first, then build it in stages in an order that does not undo earlier work.
Is garden design included with a full garden build?
Yes: for full garden transformations, design is part of the service, and the whole build is priced as one written figure after the site visit. We survey the garden, settle levels, drainage and layout on paper, and you choose materials from samples held against your own walls. A full rear garden typically costs £15,000–£35,000 and takes two to four weeks on site.
What does a garden design include?
For most gardens, a scaled layout plan and a material palette are enough to build from: where each space sits, the levels and steps between them, where water drains, the paving, walling and fencing, and where lighting and planting go. The aim is a plan that can be built on your budget rather than a concept drawing, with the structural decisions settled before anything is dug, while they are still cheap to change.
How long does the garden design stage take?
Usually a couple of weeks for design and quotation, after the first site visit where we measure up and check levels and drainage. Larger or steeply sloping gardens can take longer if levels need surveying in detail or the layout goes through a few versions. Building then typically takes two to four weeks on site for a full rear garden, with the programme set out in the written proposal.
Do I need a garden designer or a landscaper?
If the garden needs its levels, drainage and structure changing, a design-and-build landscaper is often the simpler route, because whoever draws the plan also prices and builds it, so the design stays buildable on your budget. A separate garden designer suits complex planting schemes or a strong design concept, but you then pay for design and build separately and need the two to agree on levels and details.
Where do you start when designing a garden?
Start with how you want to use it, not with materials: where you sit in the morning and evening, how many people you entertain, whether children or dogs need lawn, and how much looking-after you want to do. Then look at the fixed facts: aspect and sun, slopes, drainage, views to hide or keep, and access for machines. The layout follows from those answers, and materials and planting come last.
In what order should a garden be built?
Groundwork, drainage and retaining walls come first, then lighting ducts and the sub-base, then patios, paths and steps, followed by fencing, light fittings, topsoil, turf and planting. Working in that order stops machinery and later trades damaging finished surfaces and new lawns, and means cables and drains sit in ducts under the paving instead of being dug in afterwards. If a build finishes in midsummer, planting is often best left until autumn.
How do you design a long, narrow garden?
Break it into two or three separate spaces rather than one long strip: a terrace by the house, a lawn or planted middle, and a destination at the end such as a seating area or garden room. Paths that run on a diagonal or move from side to side make the garden feel wider, and planting or screens across the width stop you seeing the whole length at once. Check where the evening sun falls before choosing where to sit.
How does the direction a garden faces affect its design?
Aspect decides where the seating goes: a south or west-facing garden gets sun on a terrace by the house, while in a north-facing garden the sunny spot is usually at the far end, so the main seating area often belongs there. Shaded areas suit ferns and woodland planting, and porcelain resists algae better than more porous stone in damp shade. Watch where the sun falls through a summer afternoon before fixing the layout.
How do you design a low-maintenance garden?
Use hard surfaces for the areas you walk and sit on, keep any lawn to a simple shape that is quick to mow, and choose shrubs and perennials that suit the soil so they need little watering or replacing. Mulched beds suppress weeds, raised edges keep borders tidy, and artificial grass can replace lawn in deep shade or dog-worn corners. Low maintenance is not no maintenance: hedges, beds and paving still need an occasional tidy.

Request a site visit

We measure up, check levels and drainage, and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.

Request a site visit Call 07312 132517
☎Call 07312 132517 Site visit