Landscaping in New Territories

Look for: an established business with reviewable past projects (ask to see one in person or talk to a past client), public liability insurance, itemised written quotes, and no pressure tactics. In markets with trade licensing, verify the licence covers the structural work quoted. Photos of 'their work' prove nothing — completed local references do.

One mobilisation is cheaper per unit of work — machinery hire, waste logistics, and crew setup get amortised. But phasing spreads cash and lets you live with the garden before committing to later stages. If you phase: do groundworks, drainage, and irrigation conduits first, even for areas finished later. Retro-digging finished areas is the expensive mistake.

The usual surprises: waste disposal (excavated soil is heavy and expensive to dump), poor access surcharges, drainage problems discovered mid-dig, tree roots, buried services, and irrigation added late. A contractor who surveys properly and asks about underground services before quoting is protecting you from mid-project extras.

A drawing or written scope, itemised price, payment schedule tied to milestones, start window and estimated duration, who handles waste and any permits, a variations process (changes priced in writing before work), warranty terms on hard landscaping, and a plant establishment/replacement policy. No contract, no project — verbal landscape deals go wrong at the first rain delay.

Tidy, structured, low-maintenance landscaping consistently helps sale prices and time-on-market; overpersonalised or high-maintenance designs don't. The reliable value plays: healthy lawn or paved entertaining area, defined beds, screening for privacy, and solved drainage. If resale drives the project, spend on structure and simplicity, not exotic planting.

Balcony green-ups run HKD $5,000-$20,000; rooftop and podium garden projects commonly HKD $30,000-$200,000 depending on structural work and materials; village house gardens sit in between. Garden labour runs roughly HKD $150-$300 per hour. Material logistics (crane/lift access) are a bigger cost factor than in most markets.

Only within limits: movable planters and furniture are generally fine if the DMC allows roof use and loading is safe, but fixed structures — pergolas, decking frames, sheds — risk classification as unauthorised building works, which the Buildings Department orders removed. Get the management office's written position and a structural loading check before spending; design 'demountable' to stay on the right side of the rules.