Vertical Garden / Living Wall Calculator

Size a living wall or green facade: choose a system, check the saturated structural load, get planting density, automated irrigation sizing, an itemised bill of materials, an indicative budget and a multi-year cost of ownership.

All calculators

Inputs

Wall width(m)

Horizontal span of the wall to be greened.

Wall height(m)

Vertical height of the planted area.

System type

Drives planting density, weight, water demand and cost.

Location

Indoor walls need supplementary grow-lighting and recirculating irrigation.

Aspect (which way it faces)

Drives plant choice and outdoor water demand.

8 advanced inputs hidden. Switch to Advanced to fine-tune.

Confidencelow· 45Complexitylow· 10

Wall area (m²): 10
Plants needed: 300
Saturated load (kg/m²): 75m²
Total saturated load (kg): 750kg
Water demand (L/day): 15
Indicative total (£): 5,568
Indicative cost (£/m²): 557m²

Living wall specification — Modular hydroponic panels

10 m² exterior wall (4 × 2.5 m). All figures are indicative UK trade benchmarks — confirm against a structural survey and supplier quotes.

Plants

300

30 plants/m²

Saturated load

kg/m²

Water

L/day

Indicative

£557

per m²

Saturated load ≈ 75 kg/m² (750 kg total). Commission a structural survey of the host wall and fixing design before proceeding.

Automated irrigation is essential for this system — hand-watering leads to plant failure and voids most supplier warranties.

Frost risk — winterise the irrigation (drain down / trace heating, Oct–Nov) and specify frost-hardy species only.

Structure

Saturated dead load75 kg/m²
Total saturated load750 kg
Growing medium150 L (3 × 50 L bags)
Modules / cassettes40

Irrigation

Daily water demand15 L/day
Peak (summer)24 L/day
Annual consumption≈ 3,750 L/yr
Reservoir tank100 L
Pump dutySmall submersible (~500 L/hr)
Drip line≈ 39 m

Bill of materials

Waterproof membrane (EPDM) · 10 m²£120
Ventilation battens (25–50 mm gap) · 10 m²£60
Cement particle backing board (12 mm, A2) · 10 m²£220
HDPE root barrier · 10 m²£40
Galvanised subframe rails (600 mm centres) · 10 m²£350
Planting modules / cassettes · 40 modules£1,680
Growing medium (50 L) · 3 bags£27
Plug plants (P9–P12) · 300 plants£1,200
Concealed drainage gutter · 4 m£112
Powder-coated edge trim · 13 m£117
Irrigation header + drip line · 39 m£47
Pump & digital controller · 1 set£320
Reservoir tank · 100 L£140
Fittings, valves & fertigation dosing · 1 set£180
Sealed chemical anchor fixings · 10 m²£80

Indicative budget

Materials£4,693
Labour (~25 hrs @ £35/hr)£875
Estimated install total£5,568

Indicative UK supply + labour; excludes access equipment, delivery and VAT. Refine against real quotes.

Cost of ownership

Maintenance visits4/year
Annual maintenance£450/yr
Plant replacement≈ 7% of plants/yr
Expected lifespan15+ years
Maintenance over 10 yrs£5,340

Why a living wall

A dense evergreen wall improves the host wall's U-value by up to ~25%, buffers heat and noise (~5–10 dB), filters PM2.5–PM10 and NO₂, intercepts rainfall to ease surface-water runoff (SuDS), and counts towards Biodiversity Net Gain and BREEAM ecology credits when maintained under contract.

This app provides general UK guidance and material estimates only. It is not legal, planning, engineering or building-control advice. Always confirm requirements with your local planning authority, building control, utility providers, manufacturers or qualified professionals.