Regina Wypych - landscape designer

You're on the lookout for a new home and with it a garden that will become your dream outdoor oasis. Now is the time to forget everything you see on those wonderfully entertaining makeover garden shows on television. They offer some great tips for the gardener and handyman, but the reality is (read carefully now) it is not possible to create a garden in a weekend for a few thousand dollars. If you're not a DIYer, and don't have access to free labour or donated materials and plants, then you will actually have to fork out some real money to get the garden of your dreams.

But all is not doom and gloom. By observing the garden with a critical eye (just as you would the house), you can assess roughly how much you may need to invest to get your backyard paradise.

Where is north?

Will your garden get plenty of summer and winter sun or is it going to be shaded by nearby buildings or large trees? Take into account that the sun is lower in the sky in winter. The removal of a large tree by a qualified arborist will cost anything from $600 to several thousand depending on its location on the site. Buildings on the other hand are more difficult to knock down. What time of the day do entertainment areas such as decks and courtyards get the sun and does this fit with your lifestyle?

Is the site fenced?

What is the condition of existing fencing? Fencing costs upwards of $110 per lineal metre for a simple 1.8m high timber vertical fence through to anything from $250-$400 per face metre for rock walls and $400/m for plastered block walls. Suddenly that unfenced boundary doesn't look nearly so unattractive does it?

Is the site level or sloped?

Sloped sections often come with a view which is great. You may simply think on initial assessment that you'll terrace the site to create level areas. Reality check ... it can cost up to $30,000 to terrace a decent-sized section on a slope. Timber retaining cost around $175/m, keystone blocks $250-$300/m. Will you still be able to afford that pool once the terracing is complete?

What is the condition of any existing decking, paving or the concrete drive?

If these are all in good nick you're in luck. Paving is upwards of $60-$70/sq m for basic brick type pavers. The more popular large square pavers may cost upwards of $120/sq m if laid by a contractor. New decks will set you back around $220-250/sq m. A plain concrete pad for a drive is $70m/sq m, more if you want to go coloured, exposed aggregate or have decorative cuts.

What's the existing planting like?

Is there any, and is it to your liking? Don't make the mistake of thinking that plants will be the least of your costs. It is of course dependent on your choice of plants - large palms, for example, cost upwards of $800 - and the grade (size) you choose, but if you want immediate impact, bigger is definitely better. A quarter-acre site planted out, with compost base, can cost upwards of $10,000 dollars. To get it into perspective, liken the plants to the soft furnishing in your house such as carpets and drapes.

If the site is small, can you borrow a view?

Here's something that will cost you nothing: Check out the neighbouring trees. Can they be used to appear to extend the size of the garden? Bruce Lawrie has a tiny, immaculately presented garden in West Auckland and cleverly uses a backdrop of trees from the reserve over the fence to add depth to his planting.

Oops, I forgot most of the approximate prices above don't include GST or labour, and I haven't even begun to cover the cost of pools, lighting, pergolas, furniture, outdoor fireplaces, water features and the pricey new trend of including an outdoor kitchen.

The point of all this reality is not to have you rushing to the phone to ring your realtor to tell him you've reconsidered and now want an apartment a tiny deck. It's to remind you to assess the exteriors as seriously as you do the interiors. The garden of your dreams is achievable if you're smart enough to budget for it.

Regina Wypych, Creative Solutions Garden Design, ph 09 818 4153

Bruce Lawrie, Lost the Plot Garden Maintenance, ph 021 052 9678