Frequently asked questions about garden and landscape construction in NRW

For garden maintenance the guide prices in our region are around €45–65 per hour incl. VAT, and for construction and earthworks with machinery around €60–95 per hour; a machine hour with a mini digger and operator we reckon at roughly €65–100. We work by the hour mainly for maintenance, repairs and small jobs. Anything that can be measured up – a patio, a driveway, a fence, a hedge or a completely new garden – you receive as a fixed-price quote after the free on-site visit.

For a simple new layout with lawn, beds and planting reckon on roughly €30–100 per m², and for a complete new garden including patio, paths and lawn on roughly €100–180 per m². A garden of 100 m² therefore comes to somewhere around €3,000–10,000 depending on the specification. Outline planning with a drawing costs about €400–1,000 and detailed planning with a planting plan about €1,000–2,000 – whether the planning fee is credited against the job when you commission us is stated in your quote.

Paving complete – that is including excavation, crushed-stone sub-base, material and laying – comes to roughly €80–160/m² for concrete blocks, roughly €110–170/m² for clay pavers (Pflasterklinker) and roughly €150–240/m² for natural stone. A patio costs roughly €90–150/m² complete in concrete slabs, roughly €110–200/m² in porcelain stoneware and roughly €120–300/m² in natural stone. Two concrete examples: a driveway of 40–50 m² in concrete block paving that carries vehicles comes to about €3,700–6,100, and a patio of 20 m² to about €1,800–6,000. If we only lay material that you supply yourself, it is roughly €20–40/m².

Hedge trimming costs roughly €6–15 per linear metre up to a height of 2 m, roughly €12–25 up to 3 m and roughly €25–45 above that, plus roughly €30–100 for disposal; as an annual package with two cuts it is usually €200–600. Turf laid ready to use – soil preparation, turf and laying – comes to roughly €18–45/m², so about €2,500–3,500 for 100 m². For tree felling the rule of thumb is €50–150 per metre of tree height: up to 5 m roughly €150–400, 10–15 m roughly €800–1,500, and large trees over 15 m from about €1,500; grinding out the stump adds roughly €100–500.

All the figures quoted are non-binding guide values incl. VAT, based on normal market prices in North Rhine-Westphalia – they are expressly not an offer. What your project actually costs depends on the area, access, the subsoil, the material and the volume of waste; that is precisely why we look at the garden free of charge on site instead of guessing over the phone. After that you receive a fixed-price quote in which material, labour, machinery, travel and disposal are listed as separate items.

Yes. The on-site appointment and the written quote are free and without obligation – including if you then decide on another firm or postpone the project. It is best to send us a few photos in advance by WhatsApp to +49 174 6150689; often that alone shows us what really matters in your project.

We reply to enquiries by WhatsApp, phone or e-mail as a rule within 24 hours, and the free on-site visit usually takes place within a few days. Smaller jobs such as hedge trimming, lawn care or a repair can often be scheduled within one to two weeks. For construction projects such as a patio, paving or a wall, reckon on a few weeks' lead time depending on the season – waiting times are longest in spring from March to May and shortest in autumn and winter.

You describe your project with photos and rough measurements, we get back to you as a rule within 24 hours and arrange the free on-site visit. On site we measure up, check the subsoil, the falls and the access and – where necessary – the permits, and we talk through materials and alternatives. You then receive a fixed-price quote with all the items listed, followed by a firm date for the work. On site you have the same contact person throughout, and at the end we hand over swept clean, with disposal included.

A hedge cut or a basic tidy-up is usually done in half a day to a full day. A patio of 20–30 m² or a paved driveway takes two to five working days including excavation and sub-base, and a twin-wire mesh fence (Doppelstabmattenzaun) one to three days depending on its length. A complete new garden with paths, lawn and planting needs one to three weeks. You receive the schedule together with the quote – and we keep to it.

Autumn and winter, from October to February, are the quiet season: shorter waiting times, the ideal planting window for hedges and woody plants, and the only period in which hard cutting back and felling are permitted at all. Demand is highest in spring, so it pays to enquire early. Sowing a lawn or laying turf works best from April to May or from September to October at around 15–20 °C. Earthworks, paving and walling we carry out all year round, as long as the ground is free of frost.

Two or three photos of the area are helpful, along with the approximate measurements (square metres for areas, linear metres for a hedge, fence or wall), the address and your preferred date. For sloping plots a photo of the access helps, and for trees one of the base of the trunk, ideally with a tape measure around the trunk at a height of 1 m. That lets us prepare for the site visit properly and often give you a rough order of magnitude in advance.

In the Bergisches Land, with 1,100–1,200 mm of rain a year, we would not get much done otherwise: maintenance, cutting and felling work goes ahead in the rain as well. Earthworks, paving and walling we do interrupt during prolonged rain or frost, because the ground and the base course cannot then be compacted properly and the result would suffer for it. If an appointment has to move for that reason, we let you know in good time and give you the new date straight away.

That is decided by each municipality through its tree protection bylaw (Baumschutzsatzung). In Düsseldorf trees are protected from a trunk circumference of 80 cm (measured at a height of 1 m), in Cologne broadleaf trees from 80 cm and conifers from 130 cm, and in Wuppertal the threshold is 100 cm. Instead of a permit, Meerbusch requires notification at least six weeks before felling, together with a replacement planting or a compensation payment; Schwelm and Ennepetal currently have no tree protection bylaw. The fee is usually €25–100 (around €76 in Düsseldorf) – we measure up during the site visit and help prepare the application.

From 1 March to 30 September, § 39 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz, BNatSchG) prohibits the clearing and radical cutting back of hedges, bushes and shrubs in order to protect nesting birds; breaches can attract substantial fines. Gentle shaping and maintenance cuts remain permitted all year round, as long as no nest is affected – the classic hedge trim at the end of June, after the midsummer flush of growth (Johannistrieb), falls into that category. Rejuvenation cuts, clearance and felling, by contrast, we consistently plan for October to February.

Boundary enclosures up to 2 m high are as a rule exempt from the planning procedure within built-up areas under the NRW building code (Bauordnung NRW). A local development plan (Bebauungsplan), a design bylaw (Gestaltungssatzung) or the sight lines at road junctions can, however, prescribe lower heights, particularly in the front garden. For hedges the NRW neighbour law act (Nachbarrechtsgesetz NRW) applies in addition, with boundary distances of 0.50 m up to a hedge height of 2 m and 1 m above that. We check the requirements for your property before we write the quote – that saves trouble with the neighbours and expensive removals.

A patio at ground level without a roof does not need permission; a patio roof in NRW is exempt from the procedure up to an area of 30 m² and a depth of 4.50 m (§ 62 BauO NRW). Walls and retaining walls up to 2 m high are usually also exempt within built-up areas – higher walls, projects in the outlying area (Außenbereich), stipulations in the development plan or listed-building protection can, by contrast, require permission. Boundary setbacks from the neighbouring property apply in every case. If in doubt we clarify the matter in advance with the responsible building authority (Bauamt).

No. Pure gravel and chipping surfaces are not permitted under § 8 BauO NRW; areas that are not built on have to be planted. Low maintenance is still perfectly possible: densely set ground cover, grasses and small shrubs on a mulch layer, clear bed edges and a properly paved path need barely more work than gravel – and they do not heat up in summer, which makes a noticeable difference in Düsseldorf and Cologne with their urban heat island.

For roof water from houses, soakaway drainage is often unproblematic. For yards and trafficked surfaces, in water protection zones or where the water table is high – near the Rhine in Meerbusch, Kaiserswerth or Rodenkirchen, for example – a permit from the lower water authority (Untere Wasserbehörde) may be needed, and changes to the sewer connection have to be notified to the municipal drainage utility (Stadtentwässerungsbetrieb). We plan soakaway trenches, infiltration shafts and water-permeable surfaces so that they suit both the soil and the regulations, and we clarify your particular case with you in advance.

Yes – weekly, fortnightly, monthly or purely seasonal, depending on the garden and the budget. Guide prices incl. VAT: roughly €90–180 per month for a terraced-house garden and roughly €180–350 for a detached-house plot; for residential estates and commercial premises we cost each property individually. Fixed appointments, one contact person, the travel within our core area and disposal of the green waste are included.

The lawn every one to two weeks during the growing season, hedges once or twice a year (shaping cut at the end of June, plus a second cut where growth is strong), beds roughly monthly, and leaf clearance in October and November. Many customers book only the spring and autumn tidy-ups as a basic package and call off everything else as required. We will tell you honestly what really makes sense in your garden – including when less than that is perfectly sufficient.

In the Bergisches Land – Wuppertal, Schwelm, Ennepetal – over 1,000 mm of rain a year, acidic and shallow soils and a great deal of shade on north-facing slopes all come together; that is the perfect combination for moss. In the short term, scarifying, liming, sanding, overseeding and feeding help; in the long term only tackling the cause does: relieving compaction, taking waterlogging away through a drainage system and choosing a suitable grass seed mixture. If more than half of the sward still consists of healthy lawn grasses, renovation is usually enough – otherwise a new lawn with a properly built soil profile is the better investment.

The best windows are April to May and September to October at around 15–20 °C; with consistent watering, summer is possible too. After laying, water daily for two weeks with 15–20 litres per m², ideally early in the morning, and keep off the area during that time. The first cut follows after 7–14 days at a height of 6–8 cm – after that the lawn can be used normally.

Yes. A basic tidy-up before handing over a flat or selling a house, clearing up after a long absence, a single hedge cut or leaf clearance in autumn are completely normal jobs for us – with no maintenance contract and no minimum term. You receive a fixed-price quote for it after the free on-site visit, and you can switch to regular appointments at any time later on.

Concrete block is the cheapest option and comes in many formats, but it can fade over the years. Clay pavers (Pflasterklinker) keep their colour and are very abrasion-resistant; porcelain stoneware is frost-, stain- and slip-resistant and therefore particularly easy to look after on a patio. Natural stone such as granite or basalt is the most durable and the most expensive solution, and visually it sits well with period buildings and the slate-clad houses of the Bergisches Land. For surfaces that carry vehicles the units need to be at least 8 cm thick.

For driveways that carry cars we build in 30–40 cm of frost-resistant crushed-stone base course (0/32 or 0/45), compacted layer by layer, with 3–5 cm of grit bedding on top; for paths and patio areas alone, 20–25 cm is usually enough. On the loamy soils of the Bergisches Land we plan towards the upper end of that range, and on sandy subsoil in the Rhine plain towards the lower end. The sub-base alone costs roughly €35–80 per m² including the excavation and the disposal of the spoil – it is invisible later on, but it decides whether the surface is still level in ten years' time.

Almost always because the base course was too thin or was not compacted layer by layer, because sand was used instead of grit for the bedding, or because the fall of around 2 % away from the house is missing. The water collects, freezes in winter and lifts the units. We take up the surface, rebuild the base course and the grit bed, install a drainage channel where necessary (roughly €100–300 per linear metre) and relay the existing units – which is usually considerably cheaper than new material.

We remove the growth mechanically or with hot water, clean the surface thoroughly and then re-grout it – with polymeric jointing sand or water-permeable paving joint mortar, into which hardly any seed can get. Chemical weedkillers are prohibited on sealed surfaces such as driveways, paths and yards. We also offer cleaning and re-grouting as a service in its own right, without the surface having to be rebuilt.

Dry-stone walls in natural stone look the most fitting in the Bergisches Land and provide a habitat for lizards and insects, but they are the most labour-intensive solution (from roughly €300 per linear metre). Gabions go up quickly, are very stable and, at roughly €120–300 per linear metre, are the most economical option; L-shaped concrete units suit clean edges and heavy loads. With all three the decisive points are the same: a load-bearing foundation, frost protection and a backfill with drainage, so that no water pressure can build up.

From a single source. Planning, earthworks and excavation, paving and pathways, patios, walls and gabions, fencing and privacy screens, drainage, irrigation, lawns and planting we carry out ourselves and coordinate the trades with one another – if you have a patio built by us, the falls, the channel, the edge restraint and the transition to the lawn are all planned in at the same time. Only where another trade is genuinely essential, such as an electrician for the 230 V connection of garden lighting, do we bring in a partner firm. Once the building work is done we will also take over the ongoing maintenance if you wish.

Our core area is Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Schwelm, Ennepetal, Meerbusch and Cologne. From our base in the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis we are in Schwelm in about ten minutes, in Wuppertal in 15–25 minutes and, via the A1, A43 and A46, in Düsseldorf, Meerbusch or Cologne in roughly 45–70 minutes. Beyond that we are out and about throughout North Rhine-Westphalia: in the Bergisches Land (Solingen, Remscheid, Velbert, Radevormwald), in the Kreis Mettmann (Ratingen, Hilden, Erkrath, Mettmann), in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss as well as in the Ruhr area (Hagen, Hattingen, Witten, Bochum, Essen) – and of course in Gevelsberg and Sprockhövel.

In Schwelm, Ennepetal and Wuppertal we do not charge separately for travel – we are practically next door. For Düsseldorf, Meerbusch, Cologne and places further away we show a fair flat-rate travel charge openly in the quote instead of hiding it in other items; on larger projects we group the working days together, and for maintenance contracts we drive fixed rounds, which keeps the cost per visit low. The site visit itself is free everywhere.

Yes – in Wuppertal, Schwelm and Ennepetal that is more the rule than the exception. We work with a mini digger, a powered wheelbarrow and small equipment, and by hand wherever nothing else will fit through; trees in narrow inner courtyards in Köln-Ehrenfeld or Düsseldorf-Pempelfort we take down in sections using rope climbing techniques. At the site visit we look at the access first, because it determines the effort and the price – so do send us a photo of the gate, the passageway or the slope access in advance.

A garden helper mows, weeds and cuts – that covers the routine maintenance. A specialist landscaping firm (GaLaBau-Fachbetrieb) also plans and builds: earthworks with machinery, load-bearing sub-bases, paving, patios, walls, drainage and irrigation, with a proper invoice, labour costs shown separately and the statutory warranty. At Gala Bau Kurt you get both from the same person: first the construction, and afterwards the long-term maintenance if you want it.

Yes. The site visit, the quote and the day-to-day agreements on site are possible in German, Turkish and English – always with the same contact person, without an interpreter and without misunderstandings about materials, price or permits. English-speaking consultation is standard here, which helps a great deal if you have moved to NRW fairly recently and are not yet familiar with German rules and paperwork. Simply write to us in your own language on WhatsApp at +49 174 6150689 or by e-mail to gala.bau.kurt@web.de. Türkçe danışmanlık mümkündür.

Yes. For blocks of flats, residential estates, offices and commercial premises we take on the outdoor areas in full: green maintenance, hedge trimming, tree inspections for the legal duty of care (Verkehrssicherungspflicht), cleaning of the trafficked areas and, on request, a winter service with documented call-outs – one contact person, one invoice. Guide prices: basic care of the outdoor areas roughly €180–360 per month per property, and a winter service as a seasonal package roughly €500–2,500. We also carry out individual measures for property managers, such as paving access roads or replacing fences.

Yes, as a private individual under § 35a of the German Income Tax Act (§ 35a EStG). For household-related services (haushaltsnahe Dienstleistungen) such as garden maintenance, mowing, hedge trimming or winter service you deduct 20 % of the labour costs, up to €4,000 per year, directly from your tax bill; for tradesman services (Handwerkerleistungen) such as paving, patio, fence or wall construction it is 20 % up to €1,200 per year. The conditions are an invoice with labour, travel and machinery costs shown separately, and payment by bank transfer – the tax office does not accept cash payment. Material costs and work carried out as part of a new build are not eligible.

After completion you receive an invoice with labour, machinery and material costs shown separately, and you pay by bank transfer – which is at the same time the condition for the tax relief under § 35a EStG. On larger construction projects with a high material input we agree stage payments in line with progress; what falls due and when is set out in the quote before we start. Additional work that only becomes apparent once we start excavating is carried out only after you have approved the variation.

Yes, proper disposal is part of the job with us – you have to order neither a skip nor a green waste card. Green waste we normally charge as a flat rate of €30–100, while spoil and rubble go by volume and soil quality; haulage (roughly €100–300 per load) and landfill fees appear as separate items in the quote so that you can follow the costs. We hand the site back swept clean.

The statutory warranty periods of German contract-for-work law (BGB-Werkvertragsrecht) apply to the work we carry out. With plants and turf, establishment depends heavily on the care they receive in the first few weeks – which is why at handover we explain exactly how much watering is needed, when to mow for the first time and when to feed. If something is not right after acceptance, you contact the owner directly and not a hotline; we will come and look at it.

We make the access and the working area safe, lay boards or fleece over sensitive surfaces and lawns and agree with you beforehand where machinery, materials and skips will stand. For felling and cutting work in tight surroundings, every section is lowered under control on a rope rather than dropped. We enter neighbouring properties only by arrangement – it is best if you let the neighbours know briefly in advance, and we are happy to take that on for you.