Front Yard Landscaping Ideas and Cost in Australia: A Worked Example for a 60 m2 Yard

Front yard landscaping in Australia costs $5,000 to $15,000 for a modest makeover: a new lawn, a few plantings and a path. A full garden makeover with hard landscaping runs $15,000 to $40,000, and a complete outdoor transformation with paving, walls and structures climbs higher still. The front yard is the first thing buyers see, so it carries more weight per dollar than the same work at the back. The rates below are 2026 Australian guide prices, and the worked example prices a real 60 m2 front yard line by line so you can see where the money goes.

Figure 1: A front garden built from the three cheapest moves in this guide: a gravel path, a lawn, and mulched beds along the fence. Photo: Field Outdoor Spaces, CC BY, via Flickr.

Front yard landscaping cost per square metre

The spread inside each range is the point. Turf at $20 per m2 and turf at $45 per m2 are both real quotes for the same lawn: the difference is the variety, the size of the job, and how much preparation the ground needs. Paving shows the same spread: $80 per m2 from one Sydney landscaper's range and $180 per m2 for concrete paving in the Three Birds guide. Get three quotes for your own yard and ask each one what preparation is included, because excavation and soil work sit outside the per-metre rate on most quotes.

Worked example: a 60 m2 front yard at $3,420

Take a front yard 10 m wide and 6 m deep, which is 60 m2. Split it into 30 m2 of lawn, 12 m2 of paving for the path and entry, 12 m2 of planted garden beds, and 6 m2 left for the letterbox strip and the nature strip edge. Use the middle of each published range as the planning rate: turf laid $30 per m2, paving $120 per m2, beds $90 per m2. The arithmetic is exact.

The range around that midpoint is exact too. At the low end of each published range, turf $20, paving $80 and beds $60, the same yard costs 30 times $20 plus 12 times $80 plus 12 times $60, which is $600 plus $960 plus $720, a total of $2,280. At the high end, turf $45, paving $160 and beds $120, the same yard costs 30 times $45 plus 12 times $160 plus 12 times $120, which is $1,350 plus $1,920 plus $1,440, a total of $4,710. The honest answer for this yard is $2,280 to $4,710, with $3,420 in the middle. Add a 10% contingency for surprises in the soil and the total becomes $3,420 plus $342, which is $3,762.

That total is below the $5,000 to $15,000 modest makeover range because this yard has no retaining wall, no fence, no lighting and no irrigation. A low retaining edge, a new letterbox and a drip irrigation run would push the same yard into that range. The worked example prices the ground only, which is the part every front yard needs.

Figure 2: A small front garden done with planting alone: flowering shrubs, a low hedge and a clear path to the door. Beds are the cheapest way to change how a front yard looks. Photo: Bonio, CC BY, via Flickr.

Six ideas, cheapest first

• Fresh lawn: the cheapest change per square metre. Sir Walter buffalo is the common pick in Australia, and it suits sun and part shade. Supply only is $13.50 to $20 per m2, laid is $20 to $45.
• One wide path: a straight path from the gate to the door, wide enough for two people, makes a small yard feel planned. Concrete paving is $80 to $160 per m2 laid.
• Beds along the fence: 12 m2 of planted beds costs $720 to $1,440 and does more for street appeal than the same money spent on lawn. Natives such as grevillea and westringia need little water once they are in.
• A feature tree: one small tree near the corner of the yard gives shade and scale. Buy the largest size you can afford: a small tree takes years to look like anything.
• Low edging: steel or timber edging between lawn and beds stops the grass spreading and makes mowing faster. It costs little and reads as finished work.
• Lighting on the path: two or three low solar lights on the path make the house look lived in after dark. Keep them low and warm, not bright and white.

What pushes the price up

• Retaining walls: a front yard on a slope needs a wall before it needs plants. Concrete walls run $350 to $700 per m2, and a wall over 1 m high needs engineering and council approval.
• Excavation: removing old concrete, roots or fill adds $20 to $40 per m2 on top of the paving rate in some guides.
• Premium paving: bluestone at $200 to $400 or more per m2 doubles the paving line in the worked example. Concrete pavers at $100 to $180 are the middle ground.
• Irrigation: a drip system for the beds is a few hundred dollars on a small yard and worth it in a dry summer.
• Small jobs: turf suppliers charge a minimum laying fee of $395 to $480 on small lawns, so a 10 m2 lawn costs far more per metre than a 50 m2 lawn.

Sources: OpenAgent, How much does landscaping and gardening cost in 2026 (Sir Walter buffalo supply $13.50 to $20 per m2, middle price $16.50, paving $80 to $160 per m2 supplied and laid, laying fee $395 to $480 on small lawns, prices from business websites checked 22 October 2026); ALC Turf, Turf vs Pavers Cost Guide 2026 (natural turf $20 to $45 per m2 installed, pavers $100 to $300 installed, artificial grass $55 to $135 installed); Three Birds Renovations, How much does landscaping cost in Australia in 2026 (modest refresh $5,000 to $15,000, makeover with hard landscaping $15,000 to $40,000, natural turf supply $7 to $30 per m2, concrete paving $100 to $180, bluestone $200 to $400 or more); Gulli, Landscaping Cost Australia 2026 (garden beds $30 to $60 budget, $60 to $120 mid-range, $120 to $250 premium; paving $60 to $100 budget, $100 to $180 mid-range). Figures checked 15 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions