What a design and build involves
Most jobs start with a site visit and a plan: how the yard will be used, where water drains, what stays and what goes and which plants suit the soil and the sun. Construction then runs roughly in this order: clearing and earthworks, drainage, retaining walls and edging, paving and decks, soil preparation, irrigation, then turf, planting and mulch. Getting levels and drainage right first matters on the heavy clays found across much of the region.
What it costs around Geelong
A published cost guide's Geelong estimates (October 2026, GST inclusive) put a garden design plan at $745 to $4,650, a basic backyard makeover at $4,650 to $13,950 and a full landscape for a new home at $13,950 to $55,800. The same guide's national page says a basic makeover usually takes one to two weeks and a full design and build four to eight weeks, depending on scope, weather and materials.
| Job | Geelong estimate (October 2026) |
|---|---|
Garden design plan | $745 to $4,650 |
Basic backyard makeover | $4,650 to $13,950 |
Full landscape, new home | $13,950 to $55,800 |
Small excavator with operator | $84 to $150 an hour |
Green waste removal, one trailer load | $110 to $300 |
Registration, permits and insurance
Domestic building work worth more than $10,000 needs a registered builder, and work over $16,000 also needs domestic building insurance. Retaining walls, decks, attached pergolas and fences generally count as building work, and one structural item brings the whole contract under the rule: the regulator's own example is a $2,000 deck in a contract with $9,000 of lawn. See the Victorian building regulator on landscaping.
Separately, a building permit is needed for a retaining wall of about 1 metre or more, for a deck attached to the house whatever its size and for a pergola over 3.6 metres high or 20 square metres in area (building permit practice note BP-01). In parts of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast, planning overlays also control tree removal, fences and how much of a block can be paved.
New estates
If you have built in a new estate such as Armstrong Creek, Lara West or Leopold's Ash Road area, check your contract of sale and estate guidelines before landscaping the front yard or nature strip. The City of Greater Geelong asks residents of new subdivisions to check with the developer before changing a nature strip (nature strip guidelines).
Design and construction FAQs
Do I need a landscape designer as well as a landscaper?
Not always. Many landscapers draw a plan as part of the quote for a smaller job. For a full yard, a sloping block or a new home, a separate design plan helps you compare quotes on the same scope.
What should be in the quote?
Each stage itemised: earthworks, drainage, walls, paving, soil, irrigation, turf and plants, plus waste removal, permits and engineering if needed. It should also say what is excluded.
How long does it take?
One published cost guide puts a basic backyard makeover at one to two weeks and a full design and build at four to eight weeks. Wet weather on clay sites can add days.