Study reveals how much the garden features of your dreams cost to buy and maintain
- The average installation price of a pool starts at £28,050 and will cost you £1,825 a year to maintain. A pool cover that would protect your pool would cost you £350 alone.
- Installing an average outdoor kitchen would cost you £5,000, but opting for premium brands is going to dramatically bump the price to £25,000
- One of the cheapest dream garden features to install would be your very own small pizza oven at £200+, but it would come with a usage cost of £122 across the summer months.
As the weather gets warmer, more and more people are looking to get their garden ready to create the perfect slice of escapism for summer.
For those with the space and the budget, luxurious garden features like pools, hot tubs and outdoor kitchens can allow your garden to resemble a five-star getaway. But what is the reality behind these dream garden features?
Tool and equipment provider Toolstation conducted research surrounding seven dream garden purchases including a pool, a hot tub, a garden office, an outdoor kitchen, a built-in BBQ, and a pond. The research concluded how much they would cost to purchase, install, and maintain to reveal the reality and accessibility behind achieving the garden of your dreams.
You can view the full research here: https://www.toolstation.com/content/cost-of-dream-garden-purchases
Swimming Pool
The type of pool you choose to install (whether it’s above ground or underground), as well as the overall design, materials, and size, dramatically impacts the price. An average, mid-range, underground pool of 10m x 5m will cost you £25,000.
| Swimming pool installation and maintenance costs | |
| Installation costs (materials and tradesmen) | £25,000 |
| Paving | £2,700 |
| Pool cover | £350 |
| Maintenance costs (per year) | £1,825 |
This price is set to rise when considering other additional aspects such as hiring an excavator, buying supplies and of course, purchasing and installing paving bricks, slabs, decking and patio. This could add an additional £2,700.
After the purchasing and installation costs, there is the additional costs of maintaining the pool. This can cost you £1,825 a year and includes heating and cleaning your pool. Cleaning can require a lot of work due to the dirt, debris and even insects that collect over time. A pool cover can help you keep this under control, but that alone can cost an additional £350.
It is possible to build your own pool with available DIY pool kits, but this can cost between £7,500 (10ft x 20ft) and £13,500 (20ft x 40ft), and this doesn’t include the costs of installation and maintenance.
Hot Tub
The size and type of hot tub is going to have a big impact on the overall price. An inflatable hot tub is a cheap and popular option that will cost you between £300 and £1,500. If you opt for a wood-fired hot tub however, the price will increase to between £1,500 and £8,000. An in ground, custom hot tub is going to cost anywhere from £6,000 onwards.
| Hot tub type and costs | |
| Inflatable | £300 – £1,500 |
| Wood-fired | £1,500 – £8,000 |
| Hard shell | £3,000 – £10,000 |
| In-ground or custom | £6,000 + |
Using an average-sized hot tub around three to four times a week for 30 – 45 minutes will likely cost you around £275 – £365 each year in electricity. An annual service is recommended for your hot tub to ensure everything is working as it should be, adding around £150 to £300 each year.
| Hot tub maintenance costs (per year) | |
| Electricity | £320 |
| Service | £225 |
| Consumables/water care | £275 |
| Total per year | £820 |
After that, consumables and water care increase the maintenance cost by an additional £250 to £300 each year – bringing the total running costs for your hot tub average up to £820 per year.
Garden Office
With many people now working from home more than in the office, a garden office is a fun and alternative working environment. For a quick, simple, and cheaper fix, an off-the-shelf shed costs around £600.
On the other hand, a purpose-built brick-and-mortar back garden office could cost you £26,000.
| Item | Starting Price | Installation cost |
| Off the shelf shed | £600 | £80-180 |
| Off the shelf – Premium Materials | £1,600 | £800 |
| Caravan Garden Office | £1,800 | Dependant on size |
| Adapted Shipping Container | £1,900 | Dependant on size |
| Purpose Built Garden Office | £16,000 | Dependant on size |
| Garden office pod | £16,000 | Dependant on size |
| Brick and mortar garden office | £26,000 | Dependant on size |
Installing electrics, insulation, windows, and doors into your garden office will cost you an additional £4,550. To decorate your office with paint and wallpaper will cost you an additional £2,440.
Going the extra mile and installing a toilet will set you back £1,500.
| Installation costs | |
| Electronics | £800 |
| Insulation | £1,250 |
| Windows and doors | £2,500 |
| Toilet | £1,500 |
| Total | £6,050 |
Outdoor Kitchen
| Outdoor kitchen costs | ||
| Outdoor kitchen type | Average price | Installation cost |
| Limited appliances | £4,000 | £500 |
| Premium appliance range | £20,000 | £950 |
| Fully bespoke | £50,000 | £950+ |
On average, an outdoor kitchen with standard appliances will cost you around £4,000. It’s estimated that installation would cost an additional £500, meaning the project would come in at under £5,000.
However, if you’re after a premium outdoor kitchen, this could set you back anywhere from £15,000 to £25,000 – with additional installation costs of £950.
Opting for the highest quality, premium outdoor kitchen using all the biggest names and additions would cost on average £50,000, with an additional £950 for installation. Maintenance would incur additional costs, but it depends on varying factors such as the appliances you have, how much you use it, weather protection, and cleaning.
Built-in BBQ
One of the most affordable dream garden purchases is the built in BBQ.
| Built-in BBQ costs | ||
| Average price | Installation cost | Cost per use |
| £2,500 | £500 | Gas – £0.70 |
| Charcoal – £2.00 |
There are two types of BBQ you can opt for, and if you are willing to splash the cash on a built-in BBQ despite the limited days where the British weather can be deemed appropriate, the choice of which one you go for can be based on their usage costs.
If you use your BBQ for 90 days of the year, the cost-per-use of 70p for the gas BBQ would result in a total cost of £63 for the 90 days, whilst a charcoal BBQ would cost you on average £180 – £117 more.
Pizza Oven
The installation price of a pizza oven can vary on its size. The average cost of a small pizza oven is £200+, where a larger pizza oven will cost £1000+.
| Small pizza oven average cost | Large pizza oven average cost | Running costs |
| £200+ | £1000+ | £122 |
In terms of usage and running costs, on average, a 4.5kg gas bottle lasts for about 7.5 hours of cooking time. If one meal equals one hour of use, and you were to use your pizza oven for an hour a day both Saturday and Sunday for 12 weekends throughout the summer, you would require 24 hours-worth of gas.
The average price of a 4.5kg bottle is £60.50, and about £20.50 to refill. To use your pizza oven for the time above, you would need 3.2 bottles of gas (one bottle, three refills) – bringing you to a total of £122 for minimal usage. However, this is not including any additional costs for cleaning and maintenance which may vary according to size as well as make and model.
Pond
The cost of installing a pond depends on the size and of course, the labour involved. The cost of a smaller, DIY pond may start at £500, whereas a larger pond that includes landscaping could cost you £3,000.
| Small garden pond with excavation done by customer | Average garden pond including landscaping | Luxury pond with water features and landscaping |
| £500 | £3,000 | £5,000 |
A luxury pond that involves all the above as well as additional features like fountains, rock features, ornaments or even fish, may cost you anywhere from £5,000. If you do opt for a fishpond, this price doesn’t include the extra costs for fish care and maintenance.
A spokesperson from Toolstation said “If you’ve got the time, the space and of course, the budget, adding any of these dream garden features would add incredible value to your home and transform your outdoor space into a garden fit for a five-star getaway. Toolstation can provide all the tools and equipment you need to make the garden of your dreams a reality and give you the perfect space to unwind, especially when the temperature hits double figures. So put those holiday savings on hold and instead invest in making your dream garden the place to be this summer. Although, we can’t guarantee Majorca sunshine.”
You can find the full piece here: https://www.toolstation.com/content/cost-of-dream-garden-purchases
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