Hire a Landscaper Perth WA - Get Local Quotes

Choosing and Briefing a Perth Landscaper

Landscapers working across the Perth metro area typically charge $65 to $100 per person per hour for labour, and most jobs longer than a day are quoted as a fixed price instead. That fixed price bundles labour with turf, soil, plants, limestone, pavers and machine hire, so two quotes for the same yard can show very different totals and line items. Landscaping is not a licensed trade in WA, so experience, insurance and a clear written quote are the main ways to judge a business, and the WA landscaping services page describes each type of landscaping work offered around the state. Material rates for sand improvement, limestone, soakwells and bores are set out in the Perth landscaping cost guide, so this page spends its time on hiring, contracts and running the job. The aim is to help you choose the right kind of business, agree a fair contract and keep the new garden alive after handover.

A written brief is the most useful thing you can give a landscaper before the first site visit. It should say what you want each part of the yard to do, such as a lawn for children, a dog run, a vegetable patch or a paved area for outdoor dining. Add a budget range, because a landscaper can then suggest where to spend more and where a cheaper material will do the same job. Mention anything that has to stay, such as a mature tree, an old limestone wall or a shed, and anything that has to go. Owners who skip the brief often receive quotes for three quite different gardens, which makes a fair comparison almost impossible. A one page brief with photos also helps a busy landscaper decide quickly whether the job suits their crew.

Job by Job Price Bands Around Perth

Turf supplied and laid typically costs $14 to $28 per square metre, with kikuyu and couch toward the bottom of that range and buffalo and zoysia toward the top. Stripping the old lawn and improving the sand first can lift the total to roughly $30 to $50 per square metre, which is the figure to compare when a quote includes full soil preparation. A new reticulation system, the local name for an in-ground sprinkler system, typically costs $2,100 to $6,400 for a rear yard, depending on the number of zones and whether drip line, a thin pipe that waters plants at the roots, runs through the garden beds. Paving with clay or concrete pavers runs at $90 to $185 per square metre once the base and edging are included, and Adbri Masonry and Midland Brick both make pavers in many sizes and finishes. Garden beds prepared, planted and mulched usually cost $65 to $150 per square metre, depending mostly on plant size. The table below shows typical 2026 ranges for normal working hours, before council fees or engineering, and paving and driveway installation covers larger paved areas.

The biggest gaps between quotes for the same lawn usually come from what happens before the turf arrives. One landscaper may lay turf straight onto existing sand, while another strips the old lawn, works in a soil improver and adds a wetting agent, a product that helps water soak into dry sand. Removal of old lawn, rubble and green waste is another cost that a cheap quote may leave out. Asking each landscaper to price those items on separate lines shows quickly where the totals differ.

Hourly Rates, Fixed Prices and Payment Stages

Small jobs such as pruning, mulching or fixing a broken sprinkler are usually charged by the hour, often with a minimum charge of two to three hours. Larger jobs are priced as a fixed sum after a site visit, and that visit is normally free for work above a few thousand dollars. Materials are either built into the fixed price or listed separately at the supplier's price plus a margin. Machine hire for a bobcat or mini excavator is often charged by the day, at roughly $700 to $1,100 with an operator. Travel charges are rare within the metro area, although jobs at the outer edges, such as Alkimos or Byford, can attract a small fee from a business based across the city.

For a home landscaping contract worth $7,500 to $500,000, the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 limits the deposit to 6.5 per cent of the contract price. After work starts, each payment must be a genuine progress payment for work already done or materials already supplied, which Building and Energy sums up as paying for what you have received rather than what might be supplied later. A fair schedule for a back yard might tie payments to the end of earthworks and retaining, the tested reticulation, the paving, and finally the turf and planting. The final payment should be large enough that the landscaper has a reason to come back and finish the small items. A request for half the price up front on a contract of that size is a clear warning sign.

Changes made halfway through a job cause more arguments than almost anything else in landscaping. Under section 7 of the same Act, a variation must be in writing and must set out its terms and its cost. It must also be signed by both you and the contractor before it takes effect. You should receive a copy of the signed variation before the extra work begins. A rise in the price of labour or materials on its own is not a reason to vary the contract outside that process.

How Garden Work Differs From Suburb to Suburb

The northern coastal suburbs, including Hillarys, Scarborough and the streets around Joondalup, sit on dune sand with limestone close to the surface, so digging often strikes rock and many blocks slope toward the ocean. Further north, Butler and Alkimos are newer estates where builders often leave compacted sand and building rubble that has to be cleared before anything will grow. Established suburbs such as Karrinyup, Morley and Bayswater have older homes on larger blocks, with mature trees, worn reticulation and lawns that have been patched for decades. South of the river, Applecross, Melville and South Perth combine steep blocks above the river with valuable gardens and older limestone walls.

Canning Vale, Willetton and Cannington are mostly brick and tile homes on flat suburban blocks, where tired lawns and old sprinkler systems are the usual reason to call a landscaper. Fremantle and Cockburn mix heritage cottages, limestone ground and newer estates. The City of Fremantle asks for a structural engineer's design for every retaining wall, whatever its height. Gosnells, Armadale and Byford reach toward the Darling Scarp, where larger lots are common. The City of Armadale's 2026/27 firebreak notice requires lots of 5,000 square metres or less to keep flammable material, apart from living plants, no higher than 5 centimetres from 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2027. Gardens further up the scarp are covered in hiring a landscaper in the Swan Valley and Perth Hills, while homes south of Baldivis fall under hiring a landscaper in Mandurah and Peel.

Design and Construct, a Separate Designer or Running It Yourself

Most Perth yards sit on coastal sand that drains fast, holds few nutrients and can turn water repellent, so some soil improvement appears in nearly every garden quote. The cost guide linked near the top of this page explains the three main sand types and the price of improving each one. The more useful question when hiring is who will design the garden and who will manage the trades that build it. There are three common ways to run a Perth job, and each one moves the coordination work to a different person.

A design and construct landscaper draws the plan, prices it and builds it with their own crew and regular subcontractors. You deal with one business, the design is priced by the people who will build it, and any clash between the drawings and the site is theirs to solve. The trade off is that you see only one company's ideas and one set of prices, so it is harder to tell whether the build price is fair. Ask whether the plan becomes yours if you later decide to use another builder. A preliminary agreement for design work is not covered by the Home Building Contracts Act, so write down who owns the plans if no building contract follows.

Hiring an independent designer first gives you a plan that several landscapers can price on equal terms. Fees for a concept plan with a planting list typically run $750 to $2,500, depending on the size of the yard and the detail of the drawings, and garden design explains what each level of plan includes. The designer can also check the finished work against the plan, although that site supervision is usually charged separately by the hour. The weakness of this route is that a designer may draw features that cost more to build than you expected, so give the designer a firm budget from the start. Asking the designer to mark which parts of the plan can be built in a later stage keeps the first build within reach.

Managing the trades yourself can save the margin a head contractor adds, but it turns you into the person who books, sequences and checks every trade. A typical order on a Perth back yard is earthworks and retaining first, then soakwells and drainage, then reticulation pipes and electrical conduit, then paving, and finally turf and planting. If the electrician arrives after the paving is laid, or the turf goes down before the sprinkler zones are tested, someone pays to undo finished work. Each trade will also only answer for its own part, so a lawn that dies because a zone was never connected can fall between two businesses. Owners who choose this route usually do best with a written timeline and a short handover note between each trade.

Building Permits, Exemptions and Builder Registration

Under the Building Regulations 2012, a retaining wall that holds back more than 0.5 metres of soil needs a building permit from the local council, and walls of that height usually need a structural engineer's design, a process retaining wall approval and engineering certification sets out in order. A lower wall can still need development approval, the council's planning sign off, if it sits too close to a boundary. The Cities of Stirling and Joondalup both set the minimum setback equal to the wall's height for walls above 0.5 metres. Fences other than masonry are generally exempt from a permit up to 1.8 metres, and masonry fences up to 0.75 metres. Pergolas attached to a house are generally exempt up to 20 square metres and 2.4 metres high, although a council local law or planning rule can still apply. Any pool or spa that holds more than 30 centimetres of water needs a building permit, and so does the safety barrier around it.

Builder registration is a separate question from the permit. A registered builder is needed for building work that requires a permit and is worth $20,000 or more, but retaining walls and fences are listed as incidental structures that are exempt from that requirement. That means an experienced landscaper can lawfully build a permitted limestone wall, as long as the permit and engineering are in place. The Home Building Contracts Act 1991 names landscaping, paving and retaining walls as associated work, so a landscaping contract for a home worth $7,500 to $500,000 falls under it, and Building and Energy, whose prosecutions are published on the WA Government website, has taken landscapers to court for breaching it. Under that Act the contract must be in writing and signed, you must receive the prescribed notice explaining your rights before signing, and the full text sits on the WA legislation website.

Timing the Garden Around a New Home Handover

Perth sprinklers on scheme water or a garden bore may run on two rostered days a week and must be switched off from 1 June to 31 August, as the Water Corporation website explains for each address. That winter switch-off matters most when you are timing a new garden. A lawn or garden planted just before or during the switch-off needs a temporary exemption to be watered outside the normal days, so ask whether the landscaper will apply for it or leave it to you. Smart controllers from Rain Bird, Hunter and Toro can be set to your roster days and paused by a rain sensor, and irrigation and garden watering systems compares the main types.

Owners of a new home in the northern and southern estates often want the garden started the week they receive the keys. Before booking, check what the builder has left behind, such as rubble, compacted sand, a missing letterbox or a crossover still to be poured. Defects in the house are usually listed and fixed by the builder in the months after handover, and garden beds or paving that block access to a wall, downpipe or soakwell can slow that work. Many estates also have design guidelines covering front gardens, fencing and letterboxes, so read them before a landscaper draws the front yard. Some estate developers offer front landscaping packages to buyers, with the installer chosen by the developer and a deadline tied to finishing the house, so confirm the terms in writing. One package's conditions, for example, asked the owner to lay a 90 millimetre PVC duct under paving and driveways for sprinkler pipes and controller cables before the landscaping began.

Soil left on a new estate block is often compacted by trucks and mixed with brick, concrete and plasterboard scraps. Ask the landscaper to price clearing that material as its own line, with tip fees, rather than burying it under fresh soil. A crossover, the section of driveway between the boundary and the road, needs council approval in many areas, and the City of Canning asks owners to lodge a crossover application before any work starts. Letting a concreter finish the crossover and paths first gives the landscaper fixed levels to work to.

Which Trades a Perth Landscaping Job May Need

Many Perth gardens are watered from a bore into the superficial aquifer, the shallow groundwater held in the sand, and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation sets out when a licence is needed. A new bore drilled, equipped and connected typically costs $7,500 to $16,500, with iron treatment extra where the water would stain paving and walls. The WA Government recommends using an experienced driller licensed through the Australian Drilling Industry Association, and asking for the bore to follow the department's minimum construction diagram for watertable bores. Keep the bore log the driller provides, because it records the depth, soil layers, yield and pump details that the next technician will need. Bore pumps from makers such as Davey and Grundfos differ in flow, depth rating and noise, and garden bore installation and repairs compares drilling and pump options.

Other parts of a garden job belong to specialists that the landscaper may bring in or leave for you to book. An earthmover with a bobcat or mini excavator handles bulk digging and levelling, while a concreter pours crossovers, footpaths and slabs. A qualified arborist should handle pruning or removing large trees, and a fencing contractor usually replaces boundary fences once the neighbour has agreed. Old fibro fencing may contain asbestos, which needs the handling described in the disputes section further down this page. Connecting new reticulation to scheme water needs a backflow device, which stops water in the sprinkler pipes flowing back into the drinking supply, and only a licensed plumber can make that connection, as hiring a plumber in Perth and backflow device installation explain. Ask each landscaper which of these trades they book, which they leave to you, and whose insurance covers each one.

Plant Establishment, Lawn Choice and Written Warranties

Warm season grasses suit Perth's long dry summers, and the main choices are buffalo, kikuyu, couch and zoysia. Buffalo varieties such as Sir Walter DNA Certified have broad, soft leaves and handle some shade, while kikuyu grows fast and recovers well from dogs and children but creeps into garden beds. Couch, including Wintergreen and hybrid bermudas such as TifTuf, forms a fine, dense lawn for full sun, and Sir Grange zoysia grows slowly and needs less mowing. Turf farms do not cut every variety all year round, so the landscaper should confirm what their supplier can deliver for your start date. Synthetic turf is priced and compared in artificial turf installation, and some owners use it only for a small dog run beside a real lawn.

The first few months decide whether a new lawn or garden survives, and many disputes start with a disagreement about who was meant to water it. A good contract says who waters during that period, how often, and what happens if the owner is away or a sprinkler zone fails. Some landscapers include one or two return visits to check the turf, adjust the controller and replace any plants that have failed. Baileys Fertilisers, Richgro and Seasol make fertilisers, wetting agents and plant tonics, and the handover notes should name the product used and when it is next due. Written watering instructions for the first summer are worth more than a long warranty that depends on watering you were never told about.

For contracts covered by the Home Building Contracts Act, the contractor must fix defects that you report in writing within four months of practical completion, and a contract can set a longer period. A plant guarantee is a separate promise, and many landscapers limit it to plants that fail through poor stock or planting rather than missed watering or damage. Ask for any plant or turf guarantee in writing, with its length and conditions spelt out. Retaining walls, paving and reticulation deserve a longer defects period than plants, so ask what each landscaper offers for each part of the job.

Medium Density Lots, Deep Soil and Garden Power

Infill housing has reduced many Perth back yards to a courtyard, a side path and a strip of garden along the fence. On these lots the approved development plans can shape the garden as much as the owner's wishes do. The Residential Design Codes (R-Codes) Medium Density Code, which took effect on 10 April 2024, requires new trees and deep soil areas, meaning ground left unpaved for tree roots, in medium density developments. Grouped dwellings on land coded R30 and above, and single houses on land coded R50 and above, fall under that code, where the R number is the density coding that sets how many homes a lot can hold. If you are building on a subdivided lot, ask the landscaper to read the approved plans so the trees and deep soil areas end up where the council expects them.

Courtyard gardens rely on raised beds, pots, climbing plants and paving, and drainage becomes important when most of the ground is a hard surface. Soakwells, buried tanks that let stormwater soak into the sand, usually take the runoff from roofs and paving, and soakwell installation explains sizing. Lighting adds a lot to a small courtyard garden at night. HPM, Havit and Clipsal all make outdoor lights or weatherproof power fittings, as garden lighting installation describes. Low voltage 12 volt garden lights fall below the 50 volt level that defines electrical work in WA, but any 240 volt light, outlet or pump circuit must be installed by an electrician licensed by the Electrical Licensing Board. If the landscaper does not work with an electrician, you can book one through hiring an electrician in Perth, and the cabling should be laid before the paving goes down.

Neighbours, Boundary Walls and Strata Lots

Sloping blocks on the coastal dunes, from Scarborough down to Fremantle and Rockingham, often need limestone retaining to create level lawn and paving. Reconstituted limestone block typically costs $480 to $780 per square metre of wall face, and natural quarried limestone $700 to $1,050, before any engineering. Midland Brick, Brikmakers and Austral Masonry make concrete retaining blocks, which suit tall or curved walls where a limestone look is not essential. Footings, sealing and drainage are explained in limestone retaining walls and retaining wall drainage.

Whoever changes the natural ground level is generally responsible for retaining it, so cutting into your own slope near a boundary makes the wall yours to build and maintain. Boundary fences are shared under the Dividing Fences Act 1961, so agree with the neighbour in writing before a landscaper takes one down, and fencing sets out replacement costs. A crew should not use the neighbour's yard for access or to store materials without that neighbour's written permission. Photos of the neighbour's side of the fence, paving and garden taken before work starts make any later damage claim easier to settle. A landscaper's public liability insurance is what pays for damage to someone else's property, so ask for a current certificate of currency when you accept the quote.

Villas and grouped dwellings on strata titles add another layer of approval. Landgate explains that a lot owner must apply for the approval of the strata company or the other owners before a structural alteration to their lot, with the size and position of the new structure set out. Gardens outside your lot boundary are common property, which the strata company controls, so check the strata plan and the scheme's by-laws before planting, paving or retaining there. A landscaper working on common property should be engaged or approved by the strata company, not just by one owner. A strata decision can take weeks, so allow for it before you book a start date.

Stirling and Cockburn Verge Policies Compared

The verge, the strip between your front boundary and the road, is managed by the council, and each council sets its own rules for what can go there. The City of Stirling allows gardens, lawn, mulch and reticulation without approval, but synthetic turf, paving and concrete need approval and may cover no more than a third of the verge. Stirling also asks for plants lower than 750 millimetres, bans loose stone, gravel and retaining walls, and requires new verge treatments to include a street tree unless there are serious reasons against one. Where there is no footpath, a two metre strip behind the kerb must stay clear and level.

The City of Cockburn has a different policy and does not support synthetic grass across a whole verge, pointing to water runoff, heat and harm to soil life and tree roots. Under its verge policy, approval is needed once more than 25 per cent of a verge is paved, and those verges must offset the heat with trees, planting or permeable ground. Other councils across the metro area publish their own guidelines, so ask the landscaper to check the current policy for your street before any design is drawn. A free enquiry through Before You Dig Australia shows the cables and pipes recorded under the verge before anyone starts digging.

Tree Approvals and Ongoing Maintenance Contracts

Shade trees make a large difference to how a Perth garden copes with summer, cooling paving and walls and reducing the water a lawn needs. Redevelopment of older blocks often removes established trees, a problem the City of Stirling names in explaining why the Medium Density Code was introduced, and the code now includes incentives for keeping existing trees. Before removing a large tree, check with your council, because the Town of Bassendean needs approval to remove a regulated tree, one over about 8 metres tall or with a canopy over about 6 metres wide, and the City of South Perth uses similar size tests in its tree retention policy. Planting an advanced shade tree typically costs $250 to $900 with soil preparation and a dripper, while removing a medium tree costs roughly $900 to $3,000 depending on access. Choose a species whose roots and mature spread suit the space, and keep it well away from the house, pipes and retaining walls. Tree removal and arborist services explain when a qualified arborist should be involved.

Regular maintenance is priced differently from a one off landscaping project. Hedge trimming and pruning usually cost $65 to $100 per person per hour plus green waste, and mowing a small suburban block typically costs $50 to $90 a visit. A maintenance quote should list what each visit includes, such as mowing, edging, weeding, fertilising, checking sprinkler zones and taking away green waste. It should also say how often the crew comes in each season, since lawns need fortnightly visits in summer and far fewer through winter. Ask how much notice either side must give to end the arrangement, and whether the rate rises each year. Victa, Husqvarna and Stihl make mowers, trimmers and blowers in petrol and battery versions, for owners who plan to do some of the mowing themselves between visits.

Shot-Hole Borer Quarantine and Green Waste

Polyphagous shot-hole borer is a tiny beetle that bores into a wide range of trees and carries a fungus that can kill susceptible ones, and it was first found in Perth in August 2021. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, known as DPIRD, has moved its response from eradication to managing the pest, and a quarantine area covers the Perth metro area with a wider containment zone around it. Plants, cuttings and branches thicker than 2 centimetres must not be moved outside the Perth metro area, and unseasoned firewood must stay inside it too. Green waste movement is also restricted, and DPIRD lists the facilities allowed to accept it under the quarantine notice.

Crews doing tree work and hedge trimming and pruning in Perth have a few simple hygiene rules to follow. Chainsaws, pruning saws and woodchippers should be cleaned with 70 per cent ethanol after cutting infested wood and before they touch a healthy tree. Wood mulch should come from a reputable supplier, and stone, compost or other non-wood mulches remove that risk entirely. Signs to watch for include holes about 1 millimetre wide, gumming, staining and small piles of sawdust, called frass, on the trunk or branches. Suspected infestations must be reported through the MyPestGuide Reporter app or to the Pest and Disease Information Service on (08) 9368 3080, with a pen or ruler in each photo to show the size.

Defects, Disputes and Where to Complain

Many landscaping problems show up within the first summer, when a wall settles, a lawn browns in patches or a sprinkler zone misses part of the garden. Start with a written complaint to the business, including photos, the quote, the contract and the dates you noticed each problem. For contracts covered by the Home Building Contracts Act, Building and Energy, part of the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety since 1 July 2025, can take a complaint, and the Building Commissioner has issued orders requiring landscapers to fix work. Disputes about a service that was not provided with due care and skill can also go to Consumer Protection, which sits in the same department. Claims that cannot be settled can go to the State Administrative Tribunal or the Magistrates Court, depending on the type of claim.

Some problems need action before any dispute is settled. A retaining wall leaning toward a house, path or neighbour's yard should be checked by a structural engineer straight away, and nobody should stand or dig near it in the meantime. Old fibro fences may contain asbestos, and Health WA advises using a licensed asbestos removalist, never using a pressure washer or power tools on it, and taking the waste to a site licensed to accept it. Damage to underground cables or pipes during digging should be reported straight away to the owner of that asset, such as the water or power utility. Prices for taking out an old fibro fence, including disposal, are set out in asbestos removal.

What to Look Out For in a Perth Landscaper's Quote

Check what the quote leaves out before you compare the totals. A turf quote should say how much old lawn is removed, which soil improver and wetting agent go in, and which variety and supplier the turf comes from. A reticulation quote should list the number of zones, the controller brand and model, and whether the plumber's connection and backflow device are included. A retaining quote should state the wall type, height, length, footing and drainage, and who is arranging the engineer and the permit.

A few warning signs turn up again and again in Perth landscaping quotes. A retaining wall over 0.5 metres quoted without any mention of a permit or engineer is either skipping required steps or leaving those costs to you. A lawn quote that lays turf straight onto bare sand, with no soil preparation, may look cheap but tends to struggle in its first summer. Anyone who offers to run sprinklers outside the roster, or to set a bore to water three days a week, is offering something that breaks the rules. Ask for an Australian Business Number (ABN) and, for any wall over 0.5 metres, the name of the engineer who will sign off the design.

Getting Comparable Quotes From Perth Landscapers

A fair comparison needs every landscaper working from the same description of the job. Give each one a simple sketch or marked up photo of the yard with rough measurements. Mark on it which areas you want as lawn, garden, paving or retaining. Mention the suburb, the type of sand or rock you have noticed, whether you use scheme water or a bore, and how wide the narrowest access point is. If the layout is still undecided, settle the design first through one of the routes described earlier, so every quote follows the same plan.

Three quotes give a useful spread for most projects, and for large jobs a staged quote showing each part separately is easier to adjust. Ask each landscaper how long the price holds, when they can start and how weather or material shortages could change the timing. Concrete paths, driveways and slabs are usually a separate trade, and hiring a concreter in Perth covers those prices. Owners with a second property further out can compare landscaping in Bunbury and the South West or landscaping in the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt, where soils and water supply differ. A quote that names each material by product and each stage by date makes it much easier to check the finished work against what was agreed.

Keep the quote, contract, plans, permit and engineer's certificate together until the work has been through a full summer. Ask for the reticulation layout, controller settings and zone list at handover, because the next technician will need them. Retaining walls over 0.5 metres should come with the permit and the engineer's sign off. A future buyer's building inspector may ask to see both documents. If the job used a plumber or electrician, collect the plumber's certificate of compliance and the electrician's paperwork as well. A maintenance plan for the first year, priced through lawn mowing and garden maintenance, protects the money spent on a new garden.