What is a garden survey?
A garden design survey is a topographical survey that is specifically tailored for garden designers and landscape professionals. It provides accurate measured data to support garden planning and redesigns or building a completely new garden. We also provide setting out services that help to bring the design to life.
We support a range of garden design projects, from planting schemes through to full redesigns. Our range of measured services ensure a garden designer, landscape architect or landscaping contractor can concentrate on the creative process of planning and building the new garden.
With the measuring stage carried out by professional surveyors, the project process is more efficient. Whether it’s a large or small garden, our garden surveys ensure you can be certain of receiving good quality data.
What projects can benefit from a garden survey?
Key advantages of our garden design & landscaping survey services
Specifically tailored for garden designers and landscape architects
Accurate data from experienced garden and landscaping surveyors
Data presented in the best way for your workflow
Garden landscape planners can concentrate on higher quality designs
What is included in a garden survey?
We can tailor the level of detail in the garden survey to a specific project, your needs and the budget. For instance, a planting scheme may require a layout plan of the existing hard and soft landscaping, which the designer can then work from for the new scheme. A large new-build garden could provide an exciting blank canvas and we’ll provide measurements of the garden, its boundaries and surrounding properties.
Basic garden survey
A basic topographical survey is ideal for planting designs or projects only involving part of the garden. The levels of the site are surveyed to a 10m grid. The survey includes the position of any existing permanent buildings, boundary details (fences, walls or hedges) and manhole covers. This type of topographical survey can also assist with any terrain issues where you don’t need the detail of trees, temporary structures or changes in surface.
Standard garden survey
This level is required for most garden design or landscaping projects. It includes everything in the basic survey, plus temporary or mobile buildings, walls and landscaping features, road entrances, and tracks, footways and paths within the site. It also covers street furniture, all statutory authorities’ plant and service covers (where visible), details of changes of surface (e.g. grass, paving, stone), isolated trees, wooded areas and limits of vegetation, as well as any water features.
Enhanced garden survey
Even greater levels of detail. This enhanced topographical survey includes items such as window and door openings, door heads, sill heights and threshold levels. It also includes outside lights, vents, outside taps, rainwater pipes, electricity and gas points into a building and individual fence posts.
Explore by project
How do we present our data for garden design surveys?
All our garden surveys are issued in both PDF and CAD formats. Our CAD drawings are compatible with the majority of design software used by the landscape and garden design sector. We can also provide the existing site plan in other formats that you may need, as well as paper copy plans.
Setting out for garden design and landscaping
Setting out is important for a range of construction projects, no matter their size. It’s crucial for construction projects that are complex or subject to space restrictions or constraints.
Large garden and landscaping projects can benefit from setting out services to ensure correct and accurate setting out of the design to then allow for a successful build. Our clients save time and avoid project delays by using professional setting out services to support their landscapers.
Speak to our experts
Get free advice or a quote from our experienced team.
We’re known for our reliable, quality service and attention to detail.
Garden survey costs
The cost of a garden survey is dependent on the site’s characteristics, including:
- Size
- Complexity of any building(s)
- Tidiness and access arrangements
- Amount of vegetation, especially if overgrown or wild
- Number of trees
Example garden design and landscaping survey prices
1930s Semi Detached Home Garden
Garden survey of a medium-sized rear garden, including paving, trees and vegetation. A garden designer can use this to inform a redesign.
Estimated cost: £900 + VAT
Large Gardens for Rural Property
A full survey to inform the redesign of the whole plot for a large, detached rural property, including the driveway and the front and rear gardens.
Estimated cost: £2000 + VAT
Detached New Build on Housing Estate
A survey for a new garden, starting from a blank canvas. This gives the designer an accurate measured base on which to develop the design.
Estimated cost: £650 + VAT
How are garden surveys carried out?
Our topographical garden surveys can often be carried out by a single surveyor, although we may need a bigger team for complex or overgrown sites. We use a robotic total station and a GPS kit, which allows us to coordinate to Ordnance Survey grid level with relative accuracy of +/- 20mm, but we can work to a lower tolerance where needed.
We will arrange all access requirements with the homeowner in advance. On the day of the survey, we normally meet the designer at the property. We’ll walk the survey area with them to double check that we fully understand everything that’s needed.
There may be circumstances where the site visit has to be postponed. These include severe weather, access issues or restrictions on site that impact our ability to carry out the survey.
Once the survey has been successfully completed, the surveyor will need time to process the data. We’ll then create the survey drawing, which will be issued to the homeowner and the garden designer.
Who we work with
How we work
Step 01
Request a quote
We’ll need your project’s address and a site plan. We’ll then get in touch for a consultation to confirm site details and understand exactly what your project needs.
Step 02
Quote accepted
Once your project is confirmed with us, we’ll arrange a convenient date for your survey.
Step 03
We complete your survey
We’ll visit your project site to carry out the survey. We can meet you on site if needed. We will then process the survey data and create a survey drawing.
Step 04
Receive your survey
We’ll share the survey data with you, usually within a few days. We use industry standard file types and can issue all the drawings in multiple formats.
Why choose Cheshire Surveys
We provide a range of surveys and related services across the North West, Cheshire, North Staffordshire and North Wales.
Passion & technical expertise
25+ years experience
Quality services tailored to your project
Meet our team on site
More surveys we offer
Topographical Surveys
Accurate, scaled plan of a site’s terrain, and a record of the position and levels of both manmade and natural features.
Measured Building Surveys
3D site survey of a building’s layout and structure that can also be used to produce floor plans, elevations and cross-section drawings.
As-Built Surveys
A fully up-to-date record of what has just been constructed, ensuring it matches the proposed plans. Useful for producing further plans that require an accurate site layout.
Boundary Surveys
Clearly understand your boundary lines, remove uncertainty around neighbouring land, and prevent disputes.
Floor Level Surveys
Quality survey check for various floor construction stages, from existing floors to newly constructed slabs.
Garden Surveys
Highly detailed, specialist topographical survey for garden landscaping and redesigns.
GPS Surveys
Ideal for covering large open spaces, like fields, or where access may be restricted or challenging.
Ground Investigation Services
Reliable and accurate location data for ground investigations like CBR tests, boreholes and trial pits. We record data and mark out investigation and monitoring points.
Movement Monitoring Surveys
Tracking and recording movement or alterations, such as crack monitoring and land movements, in either a built structure or a landform.
River & Floodplain Surveys
Surveys of riverbanks and beds, as well as adjacent floodplains. We record water levels and significant features for flood risk assessments and erosion monitoring.
Road Surveys
Comprehensive record of current road layouts and levels, including kerbs, street furniture and road markings. Ideal for visibility splays and new highways designs.
Setting Out
Geocordinated setting out services for building groundworks and steelworks for new housing, commercial and industrial sites.
Surveys for Land Registry Title Plans
Site surveys for creating Land Registry compliant plans to record areas of sale, transfer, correction or first registration.
Volumetric Surveys & Terrain Models
Measuring the total amount of stockpiled, extracted or collected materials and aggregates. Suitable for construction, calculating and auditing.
