Direct answers, written down.
Nineteen common questions about garden services, pool service, vegetable garden management and home management in Hout Bay. Each answer is short, factual and accurate as of 2026.
How much does garden service cost in Hout Bay?
A standard garden maintenance visit in Hout Bay from Rock House Gardens typically costs between R1,200 and R2,000, depending on garden size, terrain and frequency. Most clients are on weekly or fortnightly schedules. Pool service adds R250 per visit when bundled. We provide a written quote after a free on-site assessment.
What is a fair monthly rate for garden maintenance in Cape Town?
A fair monthly rate for weekly garden maintenance on a typical Cape Town residential property runs R5,000 to R8,500 per month. Larger estate gardens with mature trees, irrigation and pool service can reach R10,000 to R15,000 per month. Significantly cheaper providers usually skip pruning, edging or chemistry checks.
How often should my garden be serviced?
Most established gardens in Hout Bay need a weekly visit during summer (October to April) and a fortnightly visit through winter. Newer gardens with young plantings or active landscaping projects benefit from weekly visits year-round. Rock House Gardens recommends a schedule based on your garden's size and planting density.
Do you manage vegetable gardens?
Yes. Vegetable garden management is a separate Rock House Gardens service — seasonal planting plans, succession sowing, organic-first pest management and harvesting. Visits typically run R1,500 to R2,500 each, weekly in summer and fortnightly through winter. New beds (construction + irrigation + first planting) are quoted as a once-off setup, R8,000 to R20,000.
Do you use loud petrol blowers?
No. Rock House Gardens uses battery-powered blowers and hedge trimmers across all sites. Heritage gardens in Hout Bay sit close together and noise carries — battery tools are quieter for the household, quieter for neighbours, and produce no two-stroke fumes.
What is included in a standard garden service?
A standard Rock House Gardens visit includes mowing, edging, weeding of beds and paths, light pruning, leaf and debris clearance, hedge trimming where needed, and removal of all green waste. Larger jobs (heavy pruning, mulch top-ups, planting) are quoted separately and scheduled in advance.
How do I find a reliable garden service while I am overseas?
Look for a registered company (Pty Ltd, UIF and COIDA compliant), insurance, written schedules, monthly photo reports, and a single named contact who answers WhatsApp during your timezone. Rock House Gardens offers all of these as part of its home management service for international property owners.
What does home management for absentee owners cost?
Home management with Rock House Gardens starts at R4,500 per month for a standard property. This includes weekly site checks, vendor coordination, monthly photo reports and emergency response. Properties with pools or larger grounds are quoted higher. All invoicing is in ZAR with monthly statements.
What does home management include?
Rock House Gardens home management includes weekly walk-through inspections, garden and pool oversight, vendor coordination (electricians, plumbers, security), monthly photographic reports, emergency call-out and triage, key holding and mail collection. Bills can be paid on your behalf with prior arrangement.
How do you handle pool service in winter?
Pool service continues year-round. In winter (May to August in Cape Town) visits move to fortnightly for most pools, focusing on chemistry, leaf clearance and equipment checks. Pumps stay running on reduced cycles unless you instruct otherwise. Salt and chlorine pools are both supported.
What chemicals do you use in pools?
Rock House Gardens uses standard, regulated pool chemicals — granular chlorine or salt-cell systems, pH adjusters and stabiliser as needed. We do not over-dose or experiment with off-label products. Chemistry readings are logged on every visit and shared with home-management clients in monthly reports.
Do you offer once-off garden cleanups?
Yes. Once-off cleanups are quoted by site visit and typically range from R3,500 for a small overgrown garden to R12,000 for a heritage estate that has been neglected. Once-off work is a good way to start a relationship with Rock House Gardens before signing on for ongoing maintenance.
How quickly can you start?
For garden maintenance, Rock House Gardens can usually start within one to two weeks of accepting a quote, subject to route capacity. For home management, we onboard within seven days. Once-off cleanups can sometimes happen the same week if a slot opens.
What areas do you cover?
Rock House Gardens primarily covers Hout Bay (the home base), Llandudno, Camps Bay and Constantia. Adjacent areas (Bakoven, Clifton, Tokai, Bishopscourt) are taken on case by case where the route allows. We will tell you straight if we cannot do the work justice.
Are you registered for UIF and COIDA?
Yes. Rock House Gardens is the garden services division of Rock House (Pty) Ltd, a registered South African private company. Rock House (Pty) Ltd is registered for UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) and COIDA (Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases). Registration certificates are available on request.
Are your workers insured?
Yes. Rock House Gardens carries public liability insurance covering property damage on client sites, and COIDA cover for worker injury. Cover details are available on request before any work begins.
How do you handle keys and access for international owners?
Keys for home-management clients are stored in a labelled, locked safe. Access is logged — we record date, time and which staff member entered the property. Smart-lock codes are accepted. We require a written access agreement signed before any keys are handed over.
Do you offer monthly invoices?
Yes. All clients are invoiced monthly in ZAR with a clear summary of visits, hours and any once-off work. Home-management invoices include the monthly photo report. Payment terms are seven days from invoice date for residents, 14 days for international owners.
Can I pay in foreign currency?
All invoicing is in ZAR. International owners can pay by SWIFT or by ZAR-denominated transfer from a foreign account; bank fees are split unless agreed otherwise. A small handful of clients pay via Wise — we accept that too.