We charge for the exact time worked, with clear hourly rates and no rounding up.
This allows gardens, properties and projects to be cared for properly, without rushing, guesswork or inflated estimates. Every invoice reflects the actual time spent on site, giving you complete transparency from start to finish.
Garden Butler Care
£26.50 per hour
For ongoing garden maintenance and regular visits.
Our core Garden Butler service is designed to provide consistent, long-term care throughout the year, helping gardens remain healthy, attractive and enjoyable in every season.
Typical work includes:
Lawn care
Border maintenance
Weeding
Pruning
Hedge and shrub care
Planting
Mulching
Soil improvement
Wildlife-aware gardening
General garden presentation
This rate applies to clients receiving regular Garden Butler care.
Estate Butler Care
£30.00 per hour
For restoration work, one-off projects and wider property support.
This rate applies where work requires greater planning, coordination, physical effort, or flexibility than routine maintenance does.
Typical work includes:
Garden restoration
Seasonal cut-backs
Garden clearances
Property Butler services
Utility Butler services
Vacant property care
Probate & estate support
Property sale preparation
Garage and outbuilding organisation
One-off project work
Projects often evolve as work progresses, making hourly charging the fairest and most transparent approach for both client and Estate Butler.
| Why are there two hourly rates? |
Our Garden Butler Care rate (£26.50 per hour) is for regular, ongoing maintenance that keeps your garden healthy, tidy and well cared for throughout the year.
Our Estate Butler Care rate (£30.00 per hour) applies to larger projects, overgrown gardens, restoration work and wider property support that require greater planning, heavier work, specialist equipment or more complex decision-making.
Where a neglected garden requires restoration before moving on to regular maintenance, the project rate applies until the garden has been brought back under control. Once regular maintenance begins, the Garden Butler rate applies.
If you’re ever unsure which rate applies, we’ll always explain it clearly before any work begins.
Travel Notice
Our standard rates apply throughout Sandwich and the immediate surrounding area.
For gardens and properties further afield, travel is charged at 55p per mile from our Sandwich base (calculated as a round trip).
Invoicing
Garden Butler Care is invoiced monthly. Estate Butler projects, seasonal work and one-off services are invoiced at the end of the working week. Every invoice reflects the exact time worked. We never estimate, bundle or round up.
Green Waste Collection (Optional)
Earthly Comforts is a registered Lower Tier Waste Carrier. Although we are not a waste company, we can remove green waste generated during scheduled visits as an optional service.
Garden Butler Care
£4.50 per month
For gardens producing approximately 1–3 × 125-litre bags of green waste each month.
£8.00 per month
For gardens producing approximately 4–8 × 125-litre bags of green waste each month through routine maintenance.
These monthly charges cover the collection and responsible disposal of green waste generated during regular visits.
Estate Butler Projects & Heavy Cutbacks
For larger projects, seasonal work, restorations and garden clearances:
£2.00 per 125-litre bag
You are only charged for waste that is actually removed.
Where practical, we aim to recycle, compost or reuse as much material as possible.
Please Note
Green waste collection is available by prior agreement during scheduled visits.
Where appropriate, we may also remove small quantities of brown waste (soil) or grey waste (non-green items). Additional charges may apply depending on the material, volume and disposal requirements.
Check out the FAQ for more information
Why We Charge Hourly
No two gardens or properties are exactly alike.
Weather, hidden roots, difficult access, changing priorities, unexpected repairs and many other factors can affect the time genuinely required to complete a job properly.
Hourly charging removes much of the uncertainty associated with fixed quotations.
It means lighter work costs less, more complex projects receive the time they deserve, nothing is rushed to protect a quotation, and you pay only for the time actually worked.
We believe this is the fairest, most transparent and most flexible way to deliver Garden Butler and Estate Butler services.
Rates are reviewed periodically and may change in future years.
2026 rate.
