Compare Guides · Updated May 2026

Compare Landscapers: How to Choose One in 2026 (UK)

In 2026 UK, the difference between a good landscaper and a bad one shows up 2–5 years after the job, when a poorly-prepped sub-base sinks and the patio tilts. The four things that matter when comparing landscapers: APL or BALI membership, a written sub-base specification, portfolio depth, and a written warranty. Surface material (sandstone vs porcelain) is secondary — the buried £500 of MOT Type 1 matters more than the £3,000 of slabs sitting on it.

APL or BALI Written sub-base spec 5-yr warranty
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APL vs BALI — which accreditation matters?

Both vet members on portfolio, business stability and public liability insurance. The differences:

APL (Association of Professional Landscapers) — UK trade body for landscape contractors, founded 1985. Smaller, more contractor-focused. Members carry minimum £2m PL insurance. Annual portfolio review.

BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) — larger and older (1972). Covers contractors, designers, suppliers and academic members. Offers chartered status for senior practitioners. Customer-facing dispute resolution. Stricter membership grades (Registered, Associate, etc.).

SGD (Society of Garden Designers) — for designers only (the planning phase). Pair an SGD designer with an APL or BALI contractor for the build.

Marshalls Register and Brett Approved — paving-manufacturer quality marks. Useful as a secondary signal — the installer has been trained and warranted by that manufacturer.

For most homeowners any of APL, BALI or both is the floor. Avoid landscapers with neither.

The 8-point landscaper comparison checklist

  1. APL or BALI membership — verify on the body''s online directory, not just on the landscaper''s site
  2. Public liability insurance £2m+ — ask for the certificate, check the expiry date
  3. Written sub-base spec — 150mm MOT Type 1 for patios, 250mm for driveways, depth named in quote
  4. Drainage design — 1:80 fall for patios, soakaway or linear drain for impermeable surfaces > 5m²
  5. Portfolio visit — ask to see a completed job from the last 6–12 months in person
  6. Written warranty — minimum 2 years on workmanship, 10+ years on materials
  7. Itemised quote — labour days, materials, skip hire, plant hire all separated
  8. VAT registered — cash-only landscapers carry no comeback and no warranty

Red flags — when to walk away

  • "Standard sub-base" with no depth named — means whatever they have left in the van
  • Cash discount — you''re trading 20% off for losing all consumer protection and VAT-receipted comeback
  • No portfolio beyond stock photos — the company is too new to have completed jobs
  • Pressure to sign today — especially "we''re in the area next week, decide now for this price"
  • Quote > 30% below the others — they''ve skipped a layer (usually sub-base or drainage)
  • Door-to-door sales — almost universally a bad sign in landscaping
  • No fixed start date after deposit — reputable landscapers in 2026 book 6–16 weeks ahead

What an itemised landscaper quote should include

A proper quote — for a 30m² Indian sandstone patio for example — should show:

  • Excavation: volume in m³, dig depth, skip hire (typically 8-yard skip + 1 wait-and-load)
  • Sub-base: 150mm MOT Type 1, compacted in 75mm layers with a vibrating plate
  • Bedding: 30mm full mortar bed (4:1 sand:cement), NOT spot bedding
  • Slabs: material, finish, slab size, supplier, £/m² supply rate
  • Jointing: brush-in resin or pointing mortar, named brand
  • Edge restraint: haunched concrete kerb or matching edge slab
  • Drainage: 1:80 fall away from house, channel drain if needed, soakaway destination
  • Labour: 2–3 landscapers, X days
  • Cleaning & making good: jet-wash, snagging visit, debris removal
  • Warranty: years, what''s covered, what''s excluded

How to compare three quotes fairly

Lay them side-by-side in a spreadsheet. Most variation will be in excavation depth, sub-base spec and jointing method — surface materials are usually similar. If one quote has half the sub-base depth or spot bedding instead of full mortar, that''s why it''s cheaper. Don''t pick on price alone; pick on the cheapest quote that meets the full spec.

FAQs

Search the landscaper''s name in the APL online directory (landscaper.org.uk) or the BALI member directory (bali.org.uk). Membership logos on a website are easy to copy — the directory is the source of truth. Both bodies show member type, region, and expiry date.
Not always — but anything more than 30% below the median of three quotes usually means a layer has been skipped. Most commonly the sub-base depth, the bedding method (spot vs full bed), or the drainage. A 30% under-quote that uses 75mm MOT instead of 150mm will fail in 3–5 years.
For projects under £15,000 a single design-and-build landscaper is usually best — one contract, one team, one warranty. For larger projects (£20,000+) hiring an SGD garden designer separately (£1,500–£5,000) and competitive-tendering the build to 3 APL/BALI contractors usually saves 10–20% net and gives a better-designed result. The designer can also project-manage the build for a fee.

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