Is £200 TOO cheap.

Honestly, £200 isn't automatically too cheap — but for the amount of work you've described, I would want to clarify a few things before the work starts. I don't think you've necessarily made a mistake by accepting the lowest quote, and the fact that they've put it in writing is a positive sign.

First of all, I completely understand why you're questioning it! When you've received quotes of **£200, £450 and £650 for the same job**, it's natural to wonder whether the cheapest person has missed something or whether there might be extra costs later.

My honest opinion is that £200 sounds cheap for everything you've described, but that doesn't automatically mean it's a bad quote or that you're going to be ripped off.

The fact that they've put the price in writing is a positive sign. However, there are a few things I'd check before letting them start.

1. Is £200 a realistic price for the work?

From what you've described, the job involves:

* Cutting down extremely overgrown grass and huge weeds.
* Clearing and cutting back brambles.
* Cutting back and shaping a large, overgrown tree or bush.
* Taking all the green waste away and disposing of it.
* Leaving the garden at ground level where appropriate.

The biggest factors affecting the price are likely to be how long the job will take, how much waste there is, and how difficult the brambles and tree are to deal with.

Here's how I'd look at your three quotes:

Quote | My thoughts
| £200 | Cheap, but potentially reasonable if the garden is manageable and the contractor works efficiently.
| £450 | Could be realistic for a substantial clearance job, particularly with waste removal.
| £650 | Could be justified if the garden is extremely overgrown, access is difficult or there is a significant amount of waste.
These aren't confirmed market valuations of your particular garden; they're a comparison of the prices you've received.

The important thing to remember is that the most expensive quote isn't necessarily the most accurate, and the cheapest isn't necessarily a red flag.

It cold be all in legal and working order but as the quotes so low compared to others there may be a lower quality of finish. It’s important to take that into consideration with quotes

Hi, I’d be happy to help with this. I can clear the overgrown grass and weeds, deal with the brambles, cut everything back to ground level where required, and trim and shape the tree/bush. I can also remove all the green waste and leave the garden clean and tidy.

As long as the £200 quote you received clearly states that all of this is included, including waste removal, I would recommend getting confirmation in writing that it is a fixed price with no additional charges unless you agree to extra work beforehand.

If you’re still looking for someone, I’d be happy to take a look and provide you with a clear quote based on the actual condition of the garden.

Hi, just to confirm, the agreed price is £200 for the full job, including cutting the overgrown grass and weeds, removing the brambles, cutting and shaping the tree/bush, bringing everything down to ground level where required, and removing all waste.
Please confirm that £200 is the total price and that there will be no additional charges unless I agree to any extra work beforehand. Thank you

It.s too low,
That could probably count just for rubbish removal as for the works you will find yourself with a different bill
I would quote including rubbish removal 500-700£

Hi, so my throughts are depending on the size of the garden this job could be to low as waste removal would be taking up most of the cost ? ????

I would charge £45 per hour and should take around 7 to 8 hours to complete if it’s extremely overgrown plus additional £150 for waste removal .

Yes £200 is a bit on the cheaper side

You could reply with something like:

£200 does sound low compared with the other quotes, especially if it includes cutting everything back, trimming the tree, and removing all the waste. However, if the quote is in writing and clearly states exactly what work is included, then that is the price you should expect to pay unless you agree to additional work. Before they start, I would just confirm in writing that the £200 includes all labour, waste removal, and disposal costs, and ask whether there are any circumstances where the price could increase. Some gardeners price aggressively to win work, particularly if they are building up reviews or can complete the job quickly. As long as they are insured, have good feedback, and the scope of work is clearly defined, I wouldn’t automatically assume there is a problem simply because they are cheaper than the others.

It could be legit, but however if x2 workers come that would be £100 each, that’s without deductions for fuel, equipment as by the sounds this will need a petrol trimmer that uses petrol. Also the cost of disposing the waste, I think this is a little too low to be a fully insured worker. Want to be careful they aren’t dumping the waste rather than legally disposing

£200 is far too cheap and you get what you pay for but I personally believe the job would cost the higher end cost of £650 but being someone who doesn’t want you to break the bank I would charge the middle cost £450. They may not make the written quote higher but they can come back and say extra work needed done but this should be authorised and priced before any extra work carried out

If they quoted you £200 make sure they know that. Or get it on writing so they can't change their mind

I would say its a cheap quote but yiu have to be careful because getting rid of the waste is very expensive

£200 is definitely too low for a job this size and will likely lead to hidden fees or a rushed job.
It is much safer to go with the £450 budget. Just message the £200 contractor to double-check their price covers everything including waste, and if they hesitate, walk away and hire the £450 contractor instead.

I’d charge £350 for the days work

I think £200 is a reasonable price, and the other quotes you’ve received seem exceptionally high. Personally, based on what you’ve described you want doing, I would have also quoted around £200.

I would suggest getting the £200 price confirmed in writing before the work goes ahead. That way, you have peace of mind and don’t need to worry about receiving a much larger bill afterwards.

Too low labour itself is expensive at today prices i would go for middle one as then everything is covered

have you checked for sepa license so you know the waste is being carried and disposed properly, are the traders sole trader or a big company? is it one man or a squad of workers, theres loads of factors to take into account

I would double check with them before starting and let you them see the job before so there is no confusion and make sure that the price is correct there side

I'd just make absolutely certain that the £200 means "£200 total, including labour, loading and disposal of all the green waste". If they've confirmed that in writing, you've potentially got yourself a very good deal.

The price does seem low but if they put it in writing then I don’t see an issue if it’s just to ground level everything pretty straightforward

I wouldn’t automatically assume the £200 quote is a scam or that you’ll get a surprise bill — but £200 does sound very cheap for everything you've described, particularly because waste removal is included.

For context, current UK cost guides put garden clearance at roughly £45–£60 per hour, with overgrown garden clearance averaging around £185, and garden-waste removal by an independent company around £180.

£200 may not necessarily be too cheap, but I would be cautious with any quote that is significantly lower than the others, particularly for an overgrown garden involving substantial cutting back, brambles, tree/bush work and removal of all waste.

There can be perfectly legitimate reasons for the difference in price, such as the contractor having lower overheads, working efficiently, or pricing the job differently. However, I would make sure the written quotation clearly states exactly what work is included, how much waste will be removed, whether there are any limits on the amount of waste, and that the quoted price is the total price including disposal and VAT where applicable.

For a job like this, I would also recommend checking that the contractor is properly insured and, if they are removing garden waste, that they are registered to transport and dispose of waste appropriately.

If all of that is confirmed in writing, £200 could be a genuine quote. If the scope of work is vague or they say they may charge extra once they start, I would be very wary. The cheapest quote isn’t always the cheapest option if additional charges appear afterwards.

A quote should remain the same unless u ask for extras billing a customer for extra money is not how we work. I dont agree with any trade do that

Would be vary weary of where the waste is going make sure a contract is signed from both parties staging very clear what's being done for the money and where its going with proof

i would definatrely say it is too cheap i would have said a more realistic quote is about £350

Realistically it's never best to go for the cheapest as each stage of any job/project has a realistic cost that it adds up to. depending on the company doing the job, say for instance they may have a license to dispose of that amount of waste free of charge or by some other means then £200 still doesn't cover labour alone. I reckon the realistic cost for the scoped works falls between £450-650 for real care of duty meaning minimal risk of having a poorly done job or experience just becourse the workmen had to take shortcuts as the cost of the job didn't stretch or is not profitable. cheapest is not always best as real things cost money.

Sometimes if the quote is properly done and with all waste removed £200 could be a bit on the cheap side but this could be a company just starting out and trying to get his reputation started so this might be a good price to go with

Just to confirm, the £200 quote includes cutting back the overgrown grass and weeds, bramble removal, trimming/shaping the tree, removal of all waste, and that there will be no additional charges unless agreed beforehand.