Soil Sisters is a specialist garden design and landscaping studio serving West London. Whether you have a courtyard garden in Chiswick, a walled rear garden in Ealing, a narrow Victorian terrace plot in Acton or a generous family garden in Kew, we design and build outdoor spaces that are genuinely worth living in. Call us on 0203 834 9807 or book a free consultation to get started.
What We Do in West London
We are a design-led studio, not a maintenance company. That means every project starts with a proper brief, a site survey, accurate measurements and a design phase before a single slab is laid. We deliver full garden design and build services across West London, including:
- Full garden design and build — from initial concept to completed construction
- Hard landscaping — paving, decking, steps, retaining walls, raised planters and boundary treatments
- Planting design — bespoke planting plans with supplier sourcing and installation
- 3D visualisation — photorealistic renders so you can see the garden before we build it
- Patio and courtyard design — maximising smaller urban plots
- Garden renovation — updating tired layouts without full rebuilds where appropriate
- Lighting design and installation — low-voltage LED schemes, uplighters and smart controls
- Roof terrace and balcony design — structural load awareness, wind screening, container planting
We do not offer weekly maintenance rounds. What we do is take a garden that is not working and turn it into something that does. See our project portfolio for examples across London and the South East.
Landscaping Costs in West London
Pricing in West London reflects both the complexity of the project and the access constraints typical of the area. Narrow side returns in Chiswick W4, basement gardens in Notting Hill W11 and walled plots in Kensington W8 all add time compared with a straightforward open-plan suburban garden. Below is a realistic guide to what West London landscaping projects cost in 2026.
| Project Type | Design Fee | Design + Build |
|---|---|---|
| Small courtyard (up to 25 sqm) | £1,500 – £2,500 | £12,000 – £22,000 |
| Medium garden (25 – 60 sqm) | £2,500 – £4,500 | £22,000 – £45,000 |
| Large garden (60 – 120 sqm) | £4,000 – £7,000 | £40,000 – £75,000 |
| Roof terrace or balcony | £1,500 – £3,500 | £15,000 – £40,000+ |
| Patio or hard landscaping only | £800 – £1,500 | £8,000 – £18,000 |
| Garden renovation (existing layout) | £1,200 – £3,000 | £8,000 – £28,000 |
Material Costs Per Square Metre (West London, 2026)
| Material | Budget | Mid-range | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain paving | £95/sqm | £130/sqm | £185/sqm |
| Indian sandstone | £75/sqm | £110/sqm | £150/sqm |
| York stone (reclaimed) | £130/sqm | £175/sqm | £230/sqm |
| Composite decking | £110/sqm | £155/sqm | £210/sqm |
| Turf (laid) | £18/sqm | £25/sqm | £35/sqm |
| Artificial grass | £55/sqm | £80/sqm | £110/sqm |
These figures include labour and materials but exclude site clearance, skip hire (typically £280–£550 in West London), and any structural works such as retaining walls or drainage. Full project costs are confirmed after your free site survey.
West London Garden Design Challenges We Understand
West London is not a uniform place. A garden in Chiswick W4 poses different problems to one in Shepherd's Bush W12, and a basement plot in Notting Hill W11 is nothing like a rear garden in Ealing W5. After years of working across this patch, here is what we know about the territory.
London Clay and Poor Drainage
Most of West London sits on London clay, which shrinks in dry summers and heaves in wet winters. Paving laid without proper sub-base drainage can lift and crack within three years. We specify correctly — Type 1 sub-base, adequate falls, drainage channels where needed — so the groundworks hold.
Conservation Areas
Chiswick, Kensington, Holland Park, Gunnersbury and parts of Ealing all have conservation area designations that affect what you can do with hard surfaces, boundary treatments and outbuildings. Permitted development rules still apply in most cases, but permitted development rights can be removed in conservation areas. We flag this early in the design process and specify materials that satisfy both planning and client expectations.
Victorian and Edwardian Terrace Gardens
The classic West London terrace plot — typically 8–12 metres wide, 10–20 metres deep, north-facing rear, London clay soil, shared boundary walls — requires a specific approach. Shade-tolerant planting, careful material selection to avoid the garden feeling dark, party wall considerations on any raised structures. We have done dozens of these and the detail matters.
Basement Gardens and Light Wells
Lower-ground-floor flats with basement gardens or light wells are common across Notting Hill, Kensington and Bayswater. Weight loading, waterproofing, drainage and limited natural light all need to be factored in at design stage, not as an afterthought. We work with structural engineers where required and specify accordingly.
Access
Getting materials and machinery through a Victorian terrace with no rear access is part of the job in West London. We cost for manual handling, use compact machinery where needed, and build realistic project timelines that account for it.
How We Work: 6 Steps from First Call to Finished Garden
- Free consultation call — 20 minutes on the phone to understand what you want, your timeline and your budget range. No hard sell, just a proper conversation.
- Site survey — We visit, take measurements, photograph everything, assess soil, drainage, aspect, existing plants and boundary conditions. This takes 60–90 minutes and it costs nothing.
- Design proposal — Concept design with a scaled plan, 3D render and a clear breakdown of what the project involves. You see the garden before we build it.
- Detailed design and costings — Once the concept is approved, we produce detailed planting plans, material specifications and a full itemised build cost. No surprises.
- Build — Our construction team works to programme, keeps the site clean and provides weekly progress updates. We manage all trades.
- Planting and handover — Plants go in last once hard landscaping is complete. We walk you through maintenance requirements at handover and provide a planting guide.
Design fee is charged at stages two and three. Build cost is quoted after detailed design is complete. Contact details at the bottom of this page.
Areas We Cover in West London
We work across all of West London's boroughs and postcodes. Below is a breakdown of where we regularly design and build.
Ealing Borough (W5, W7, W13, UB)
Ealing, Hanwell, West Ealing, Greenford, Northolt, Perivale. A mix of 1930s semis, Victorian terraces and new-build developments. Heathrow flight path noise means enclosed garden rooms and good screening planting are popular here.
Hounslow Borough (W4, TW)
Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Kew, Strand-on-the-Green, Grove Park. Chiswick W4 has some of the nicest period properties in West London and strong competition among garden designers. The traditional and formal garden styles do very well here. See our garden design West London page for more.
Hammersmith and Fulham (W6, W12, W14)
Hammersmith, Shepherd's Bush, West Kensington, Brook Green. Dense urban fabric, lots of small-to-medium terrace plots. Strong demand for patio and courtyard designs that maximise limited space. We also cover the Hammersmith garden design and Fulham garden design patches.
Kensington and Chelsea (W8, W11, SW)
Kensington, Notting Hill, Holland Park, North Kensington. Premium properties, complex basement gardens, high specification expectations. We cover the full Kensington garden design and Chelsea garden design areas.
Richmond upon Thames (TW9, TW10, SW13, SW14)
Richmond, Kew, Mortlake, East Sheen, Barnes, Petersham. Some of the most garden-conscious clients in London — proximity to Kew Gardens raises expectations and horticultural literacy. Larger plots than inner West London, Japanese and naturalistic styles popular. See also our garden design South West London page which covers Richmond in more detail.
Hillingdon (UB, HA)
Uxbridge, Hayes, Ruislip, Northwood, Pinner. Outer West London with larger plot sizes, more opportunity for ambitious planting and feature elements. Generally lower material cost premiums than inner West London.
Garden Styles We Design in West London
No single style dominates West London gardens, though there are patterns. Chiswick and Richmond clients often want something formal or traditional to complement their period properties. Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith tend towards contemporary garden designs. Kensington and Notting Hill span the full range. Whatever you want, we design to brief, not to formula.
- Contemporary and modern gardens
- Traditional and formal gardens — cottage borders, parterre, topiary
- Family gardens — lawn, soft planting, durable surfaces
- Patio and courtyard gardens — for smaller urban plots
- Roof terraces and balcony gardens
- Japanese-inspired gardens
- Mediterranean gardens
Why Soil Sisters for Landscaping in West London
We are not a general contractor who added garden design to a list of services. Garden design is what we do. Our team includes qualified garden designers with RHS and professional membership credentials, and our build team has worked with us long enough to know how we work. We carry full public liability insurance and professional indemnity cover. All projects are managed by a designer, not handed off to a site foreman after sign-off.
We have been working in London and the South East since 2007. We know which ground conditions need a drainage engineer and which do not. We know what constitutes a conservation area restriction and what falls under permitted development. We know when a party wall agreement is needed and when it is not. That kind of working knowledge does not come from a website.
See our completed projects, read about our garden design process or check our London garden design cost guide for further detail on pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions: Landscaping West London
How much does landscaping cost in West London?
Most complete garden design and build projects in West London run between £20,000 and £60,000 depending on garden size, materials and complexity. Small courtyard projects start from around £12,000 built. Design fees typically range from £1,500 for a small courtyard to £7,000 for a large complex garden. We provide a full itemised quote after the site survey, so you have exact numbers before committing to anything.
What areas of West London do you cover?
We work across all West London boroughs: Ealing, Hounslow (including Chiswick and Kew), Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond upon Thames, and Hillingdon. We regularly work in postcodes including W3, W4, W5, W6, W7, W8, W9, W11, W12, W13, W14, TW1, TW2, TW7, TW8, TW9, TW10 and surrounding areas.
Do I need planning permission for landscaping in West London?
Most domestic landscaping — paving, decking, planting, fencing under 2m on rear boundaries — falls under permitted development and does not require planning permission. However, West London has a high number of conservation areas (Chiswick, Kensington, Holland Park, Gunnersbury, parts of Ealing) where permitted development rights may be restricted. We assess your specific address at the survey stage and flag any restrictions before you commit to a design. See our garden room planning permission guide for more on what typically needs consent.
How long does a West London landscaping project take?
Design phase runs four to eight weeks from initial survey to approved concept, depending on revision cycles. Build timelines depend on project size: a courtyard or patio project typically takes two to three weeks on site. A full garden redesign with hard landscaping, planting and lighting runs four to eight weeks. We provide a programme at the start of the build phase and update you weekly. Weather is the main variable in London — we build contingency time in for it.
Can you handle access-restricted West London gardens?
Yes. Side-return access, no rear access and tight Victorian terrace plots are part of our everyday West London work. We assess access constraints at the site survey and factor in manual handling, compact machinery and realistic waste removal logistics when pricing the build. There is usually a way through — it just needs to be priced honestly.
Do you provide 3D garden designs before building?
Yes. Our standard design package includes 3D photorealistic renders of the proposed garden. You approve the design — layout, materials, planting — before the build begins. This avoids expensive changes on site and means you are confident in what you are getting. You can see examples in our project portfolio.
What is the difference between a landscaper and a garden designer?
A landscaper builds. A garden designer designs, and may or may not build. Soil Sisters does both. We start with the design because good construction without design tends to produce gardens that look like they were assembled from a checklist rather than conceived as a whole. If you engage us design-only, you take our drawings and planting plans and appoint your own contractor. If you use our full design and build service, we manage the whole project. Either way, the design comes first.
Get a Free Consultation
If you have a garden in West London that needs redesigning, extending or building from scratch, the first step is a conversation. We will want to know roughly what you are hoping for, when you want to start and what kind of budget you are working to. From there we can tell you quickly whether we are the right fit and what the process looks like.
Call us on 0203 834 9807 or send us a message via our contact page. We aim to respond to all enquiries within one working day.
For more background on our process, visit our garden design service page. For cost guidance, see our garden design cost London guide. For completed project examples, see Our Work.