How much should landscaping cost
Average Prices And Cost Per Square Foot – Forbes Home
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Landscaping your yard can boost your home’s curb appeal and increase its overall value. Plus, beautiful landscaping is a wonderful mood-booster. Landscaping costs differ based on the size and scope of the job. Prices for smaller jobs, like basic lawn care, can be as low as $50, while more labor-tensive jobs requiring complex landscape design work can cost up to $7,000. The average landscaping cost is about $700.
| Average Cost | $700 |
| Highest Cost | $7000 |
| Lowest Cost | $50 |
Landscaping Cost Per Square Foot
Landscaping costs $4 to $12 per square foot, on average, for basic and intermediate services. A full makeover including landscaping design and remodeling can cost up to $40 per square foot.
Basic and intermediate services may include planting grass or flowers, lawn care and thatching. Remodeling involves a complete exterior design along with demolition and regrading the area.
Landscaping Cost Per Hour
Labor makes up about 80% of the total landscaping cost. Landscapers charge between $50 and $100 per hour for a crew of two. As the manpower required increases, so will the cost. Additional crew members will cost $25 to $50 per hour extra.
Landscape designers are more advanced than typical landscapers, often charging at least $200 an hour to plan and design your yard. While you won’t need to work with a designer for routine landscaping work, you will need to hire one if you’re looking to install something unique from scratch.
Get at least three quotes from different landscapers before starting work to find one that works with your budget.
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Landscaping Cost Per Project
Landscaping costs start at $50 for small projects and can reach upwards of $7,000 for complex tasks. Popular landscaping projects include lawn seeding, landscape curbing, lawn mowing, tree trimming and lawn grading.
| Lawn Seeding | $400 - $1,500 |
| Landscape Curbing | $750 - $2,000 |
| Lawn Mowing | $50 - $200 |
| Tree Trimming | $75 - $1,500 |
| Lawn Grading | $1,000 - $3,000 |
| Mulching | $100 - $300 |
| Pond Installation | $1,300 - $6,000 |
| Water Fountain Installation | $1,000 - $5,000 |
| Sod Installation | $1,000 - $3,000 |
| Landscape Design | $2,000 - $7,000 |
| Retaining Wall Installation | $1,500 - $6,000 |
| Lawn Aeration | $75 - $250 |
| Gravel Installation | $180 - $1,800 |
The final cost will ultimately depend on the size of your property.
Material Costs
Some landscaping materials cost more than others. Landscape gravel, for example, typically costs more per square foot than turf. Some materials are more difficult to source or require more labor to install, which makes them more expensive. If you’re landscaping on a budget, this list of common landscaping materials will help you determine which materials will work best for you.
| Landscape Boulders | $150 per ton |
| Landscape Gravel | $20 - $30 per square foot |
| Lawn Turf | $5 - $20 per square foot |
| Lawn Replacement | $1 - $2 per square foot |
| Retaining Wall | $15 - $20 per square foot |
Landscaping Rocks
Rock is a very common landscaping material.
The average cost of landscaping rocks is between $3 and $6 per square foot, but the cost will ultimately depend on the type of rock used.
| Crushed Stone | $1 - $2 per square foot |
| Crushed Granite | $1 - $3 per square foot |
| Stone Steps | $100 - $300 per step |
| Granite Pavers | $6 per square foot |
| River Rocks | $100 - $800 per ton |
| Lava Rocks | $75 per ton |
| Boulders | $100 - $600 per ton |
Landscaping Cost by Type
There are three main types of landscaping: hardscaping, softscaping and xeriscaping.
Softscaping refers to the plant elements of a landscape and often involves flowers, shrubs and trees that require services like weed management, planting and mowing. Xeriscaping is a landscaping process that works to conserve water and eliminate the need for irrigation, while hardscaping involves non-plant materials (paths, decks, retaining walls, etc.).
Many homeowners incorporate all of these types into their overall landscaping. Each type differs in cost, but ranges from $900 to $30,000.
| Average Cost | $2,000 - $30,000 |
| Highest Cost | $900 - $3,000 |
| Lowest Cost | $15,000 - $20,000 |
Landscaping Maintenance
Most landscaping you have done will require regular upkeep.
Monthly landscape maintenance costs range from $50 to $300 based on the size of your yard and the work required. Routine lawn care services (mowing, fertilization and weed control) done by a professional landscaper will cost a homeowner $150 per month on average.
You may be able to hire a handyman or independent contractor to do some of this work, but a professional landscaping company will be the most experienced and accommodating. Remember to get multiple quotes before settling on a company you like.
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How much does landscaping cost?
(Image credit: Rob Cardillo Photography)
The number of us researching backyard landscaping cost has rocketed in the past year – with an 80 percent increase in Google searches for 'backyard landscaping ideas on a budget' alone.
Whether it's planting flower beds, installing hardscaping, or getting a handle on the weeds in the garden, it seems we all want to make the most of out backyard landscaping ideas.
While some projects are DIY friendly, others will require the help of a pro.
'DIY lawn care is feasible, but it depends on the type of lawn you have.
Cutting your own grass, racking any rocks in the yard, and even seeding certain areas is probably doable for a homeowner,' says Gabe Pinchev, CEO and founder of FieldPulse , a software that helps field service professionals, like landscapers, manage their businesses. 'However, larger projects like sod installation, water features, wall/fencing installation, and things like tree trimming should be left to the professionals to avoid bigger costs down the road or damage to the property.'
This all leads to the imperative question: how much does backyard landscaping cost?
How much does landscaping cost?
The answer, of course, is far from simple – but here, we attempt to breakdown the costs of landscaping so that you can make a judgement on where to spend and where to save in your landscaping. Our experts suggest that landscaping can cost anywhere between $2,500 to $15,000, or $50-$100 per hour or $30-$100 a week.
How much should I budget for backyard landscaping?
Knowing how much to budget for backyard landscaping comes with an acceptance that costs vary wildly depending on what garden ideas you want to implement at home.
'Landscaping costs vary significantly,' says Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Lawn Love , a company that delivers high-tech solutions to the lawn care industry. 'The main factors that will impact the overall cost include the size of your yard, the features you choose to have installed, the company you hire (and how many workers the job requires), the level of service you want (basic, intermediate, advanced landscaping, etc.), and how long it takes to complete.'
According to Yamaguchi, you can expect pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars for basic service like lawn moving and plant care to tens of thousands of dollars for things like developing new garden beds, laying a new lawn, or installing hardscaping features.
'For average yards and average landscaping, it usually ends up being somewhere between $2,500 and $10,000,' he says. For elaborate designs or large yards, costs can quickly go up from there.
Simple, small back yard landscaping ideas are always going to be more budget friendly than large or complex designs.
However, spend up to 10 per cent of your home's value on landscaping and you will be getting the cost-to-value ratio about right.
But how does that landscaping cost breaks down, and what do you need to consider when budgeting for your backyard landscaping?
How much does landscaping cost monthly?
The initial spend to landscape your yard is only part of the overall cost of landscaping. Unless you've got a green thumb or don't mind spending weekends mowing the grass and pulling weeds, you may want to hire a landscaper to do monthly maintenance during the summer season.
Monthly maintenance costs can include things like mowing the lawn, pruning flowers, adding mulch to flower beds, weeding, and putting down fertilizer. It can also include annual jobs like deadheading flowers at the end of the season, cleaning up leaves, and giving your yard a spring cleanup.
Depending on where you live and the size of your yard, expect to pay anywhere from $30-$100 a week to have a landscaper mow your lawn, or about $120-$400 a month.
For other tasks, estimate a range of about $50-$100 per hour.
Costs for common landscaping jobs
Pinchev, of FieldPulse, gives the below estimates for common landscaping jobs.
- Pond installation: $1,300 - $6,000
- Water fountain installation: $1,000 - $5,000
- Sod installation: $1,000 - $3,000
- Landscape design: $2,000 - $7,000
- Retaining wall installation: $1,500 - $6,000
- In-ground pool installation: $39,000 - $70,000
- Solar panel installation: $3,500 - $35,000
- Lawn seeding: $400 - $1,500
- Landscape curbing: $750 - $2,000
- Lawn mowing: $50 - $200
- Tree trimming: $75 - $1,500
- Lawn grading: $1,000 - $3,000
- Mulching: $100 - $300
- Pond installation: $1,300 - $6,000
- Water fountain installation: $1,000 - $5,000
- Sod installation: $1,000 - $3,000
- Landscape design: $2,000 - $7,000
- Retaining wall installation: $1,500 - $6,000
- Lawn aeration: $75 - $250
- Gravel installation: $180 - $1,80
Consider the cost of landscaping materials
Jose Chavez – who has owned and operated Chavez Landscaping and Concrete in the greater Santa Rosa, California area since 1995 – says backyard landscaping costs are based on the customer's needs and the materials associated with those needs.
'The materials are a big part in why the cost is so high,' he says, pointing out that it's not just the hard landscaping but extras, such as outdoor speakers, integrated lighting and luxury pool ideas, that add to the costs dramatically.
Include landscaping material shipping costs
With many materials now being imported from retailers in India, Singapore and other countries, the cost for the consumer is also modified to account for shipping – and this is something you should incorporate into your budget when planning how to landscape a backyard.
According to Home Guide’s 2021 estimates, that could lead to new landscaping installation costing anywhere from $3,000 to $15,950, depending on the yard size and amenities.
Chavez estimates even higher costs, citing projects he’s worked on going up to $250,000 – but believes that high price tags often correlate more with amenities over square footage.
Include costs for extra landscaping elements
As much as these items can quickly add up, it’s important to remember the fun and beautiful aspects of a backyard's landscape, on top of its functionality.
As we’ve seen with recent trending patio ideas, an outdoor seating space is a basic element – but adding an extravagant water fixture or a bocce ball court could tack on hundreds if not thousands of extra dollars.
'I can’t stress enough the importance of taking care of the functional aspects first –and then start thinking about flower bed ideas and your favorite plants,' Linda Greenberg, principal for Linda Greenberg Landscape and Design says.
Search terms such as 'geology,' 'swimming pool,' and 'fire pit' all saw increased popularity via Google Trends in the last year as well — and each of these options require different budgetary considerations.
'Custom landscape is when the price goes up – especially stonework, because it’s so time-consuming,' Chavez explains.
Consider how your site will add to landscaping costs
Backyard landscaping costs will be higher if your space is difficult to access, needs extensive clearing or has awkwardly sited drains.
Sloping garden ideas can also be more expensive to landscape.
Additionally, city dwellers are likely to pay a premium that those outside of urban areas can largely avoid.
Additionally, connecting with a more seasoned landscaper could drive up cost – but could also provide a better-quality experience and longer-use space. Greenberg has over 25 years of experience as a horticulturist and a landscape designer, so her services may differ from those of a newer expert.
'If chances are good, some of the best investment decisions a client makes will outlive me,' she says.
How do I estimate the cost of landscaping?
To estimate landscaping cost, you need to consider the following:
- The must-have elements you can't live without – whether a dining area, outdoor kitchen or garden room.
- Material costs – your choice of landscaping materials, from stones to lighting, can elevate or lower your budget, and this is where you can choose to spend or save.
- Plant costs – it is always worth investing in a few larger, mature plants or trees to anchor your scheme. Although more expensive in the long run, they can be a wise investment because you will need fewer smaller plants, the cost of which can add up quickly.
- Design and labor costs – asked for fixed costs in these areas to stick to a budget, and keep a tight record of any extras you ask for.
- Furniture costs – if you are landscaping, it's likely you will need to reserve some of your budget for furniture.
As we said above, the cost of landscaping a garden will vary, depending on what you want to achieve from the space. If you have a firm budget in place and know exactly what you want, you can tailor the garden to suit spending limitations, for example opting for deck ideas over more expensive stone pavers.
Linda Greenberg agrees. Typically, she meets with her clients for one to two hours at the initial meeting, with hourly on site consultation and/or design fees costing $175 per hour.
With the majority of her work in the Charlotte, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina region, Greenberg notes that most clients have an HOA or ARB that shows specifics on the work allowed for individual homes.
What should you spend on backyard landscaping?
Ultimately, each yard is going to require different things, and thus different budgets. Chavez says: 'We design according to the budget of the client – normally, they do have a budget they want to work with and a designer’s estimates,' he says.
'I’ve landscaped yards that are considered large that have cost substantially less than yards a quarter of the size – what matters is what the client wants.'
He recommends that interested clients first work with a designer to better assess items they need – horticulture, outdoor furniture – and then assess what fun items they can incorporate in with the remaining budget – bocce ball courts, outdoor kitchen ideas, and the like.
'It boils down to what customers want – on price points, that’s all dependent on what they would want to spend,' he says.
'It is luxury, really, that you’re willing to pay for.'
Linda Greenberg agrees: 'A smaller space can be as expensive as a larger garden, because each one has so many moving parts, from the functional aspects like soil preparation, electrical grading, drainage and lighting.'
Is landscaping worth the money?
Landscaping is worth the money if you get the cost-to-value balanced. This means spending up to around 10% of your home's value on your garden ideas, to be as sure as you can be that you haven't over-spent and that you will recoup a good percentage of your spend when you sell your home.
However, whether landscaping is 'worth the money' shouldn't be looked at merely as a financial transaction. Linda Greenberg agrees, noting that it’s imperative that the client understands the investment an updated or renovated landscape offers not only to the value of the home, but to their lifestyle. Garden zoning, for instance, can provide spaces for tranquil escapism or sociable outdoor dining.
'We’ve seen an incredible uptick in time spent at home. With a backyard, and even front yard, offering reprieve from the working hours, it only makes sense to extend your living space to the literal living land outside your home’s doors.'
Grace Stetson is a full-time housing and affordability correspondent based in the Santa Cruz region of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Alongside her full-time work, she has worked on many topics in the housing realm — from data-driven real estate stories to lifestyle-focused how-tos — for publications including Apartment Therapy, Homes & Gardens, and Real Homes.
Landscaping of a plot of 7 acres in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region │ Oreshnik Landscape Studio
In order for the backyard area to be comfortable, beautiful, it is better to order landscape design of 7 acres in advance before landscaping. So you can save your time, fully embody ideas for organizing a garden, vegetable garden, barbecue area, and other buildings.
Benefits of landscaping a plot of 7 acres:
- Preliminary design allows you to visualize the layout, even at the stage of drawing up the concept to find out the features, disadvantages, advantages of the site;
- Selection of plants in advance increases their survival rate, allows you to create optimal conditions for their life. It is always better to plan a landing in order to know exactly what communications are needed, where the garden area will be located, and where are the walking areas;
- We will also prepare an assortment list for you, costing materials, services. You will be able to find out in advance how much the landscaping will cost, adjust the plan and order of work;
- The implementation of a holistic project always increases the chances of the maximum implementation of the plan, even in the smallest details. For example, considering the territory as a whole, it is possible to better choose a lighting scheme, develop an irrigation system, soil drainage, and it is more convenient to arrange objects.
An experienced landscape architect will help with the design of a country house, dacha, cottage, select a list of plants that take root. He will tell you how to correctly place buildings on the cardinal points, solve a lot of problems of improvement.
What is included in the landscape design of 7 acres?
- We will prepare an agreed project for you. Its content depends on the selected tariff, the characteristics of the site, the required communications. A landscape architect, engineers, and a dendrologist are working on the preparation of the document.
- After receiving the preliminary design, approving the concept and costing, we proceed to engineering work and construction. We lay electrical networks, irrigation, drainage systems, install lighting fixtures, carry out work with the soil.
- Landscaping - planting large-sized trees, shrubs, sowing a lawn or planting a turf lawn. Landscaping of a plot of 7 acres may also include planting fruit plants, vertical gardening, planting plants on alpine hills, in artificial reservoirs.
Studio "Oreshnik" is ready to carry out the landscaping of the territory on a turnkey basis, or you can apply for any of the listed services separately.
How much does the landscaping of a suburban area of 7 acres cost?
Many factors affect the cost:
- Remoteness of the site, its shape, total area;
- Selected style and design concept;
- Availability of communications, soil composition, groundwater level;
- Terrain slope;
- Species composition of plants;
- Mode of use of the property and your wishes for care.
Landscaping of a suburban area of 7 acres is calculated individually. We will try to offer the most suitable concepts, taking into account the allocated budget and conditions.
Despite the fact that such an area is relatively small, it is very important to properly organize the site. It is necessary to correctly place objects on it, create favorable conditions for plants in order to improve their survival.
Consultation and assistance of the designer will help to make your house, garden and yard harmonious, emphasize the uniqueness. Proper design decisions must be supported by engineering, so landscape design is strongly tied to communications, site preparation, drainage, and irrigation systems. At the Oreshnik studio, we draw up projects in such a way that in the future you will spend little time and effort, but you can enjoy the natural beauty of the views around you.
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Examples of work
what is the cost of the project
Anyone who plans to order landscape design is interested in prices for specialist services. At the same time, most of the potential customers are sure that the registration of the site will cost a substantial amount.
How much, in fact, will you have to pay for landscaping the garden, and what makes up the cost of certain works? Read about it below.
Let's compare the cost of landscape design with the cost of a car
For clarity, let's try to conduct such a small comparative analysis. Suppose you are planning to buy a used car of an inexpensive brand, for example, Tavria or Moskvich. Naturally, you will have to shell out several thousand dollars for the car. Not satisfied with the used Tavria? Want to drive exclusively in a Porsche? No problem, except that you will have to increase the amount of several thousand dollars by 50 times! The situation is similar with landscape design.
Its cost can be very different, it all depends on the wishes and capabilities of the customer.
To give you a better idea of what to start from, let's designate the approximate price per hundred square meters, which will be about $1,000. The price can go down or up, but it all starts with it.
To find out more about landscape design figures, you will need to draw up a project with an estimate for work and materials.
In this case, the customer will be able to get acquainted with the prices for each type of work, calculating the costs. But even in this case, one cannot be one hundred percent sure that the cost of the work will be final. In practice, no one is immune from force majeure situations, during which additional work may be required. However, even if this happens, the final figure will not change much, by a maximum of 10-20% of the total initially declared value.
The whole problem is that it is important for the client to find out about the cost of services before starting the project. Then, in order to indicate the exact amount, the landscape designer must draw up a project, and this costs money. In addition, it may turn out that the project for some reason does not satisfy the customer, which means that the money for its preparation will be wasted. Anyone who carefully studies the information in this article with approximate prices for the services of specialists can try to avoid useless expenses.
Stages of creating landscape design and prices
At the initial stage, a project, estimate, master plan is drawn up, agreed with the customer. After their approval, specialists begin to carry out land work, planting plants, lawns. How much will all this cost? In order about each item.
Design is not the most costly type of work, but the most responsible one. The approximate cost of the project is from 10 to 20 dollars per hundred square meters. It all depends on the complexity of the project, the inclusion of a flower bed plan, irrigation system, etc. in it. If the site is small, it will be possible to achieve certain discounts, while a detailed plan with many flower beds will cost more.
Land works will be valued according to their volume. The most expensive option is building on sand. In this case, clay is imported for the construction of a clay castle and it will cost about 45 dollars per hundred square meters. After that, soil will be brought in with a layer of 20-30 cm - this is another 250 dollars, and work on planning the site will be carried out - another 150-250 dollars.
If the land on the site was originally fertile, then the cost of land work will be reduced by an order of magnitude.
Automatic watering system can also cost differently. It all depends on how complex the system will be, on the height differences of the site. The more elaborate the irrigation system, the more expensive it will be. The average price of watering a summer cottage is about $ 250 per hundred square meters.
Landscaping prices also fluctuate and depend on the choice of plants. On average, the cost of planting a 5-6 year old tree will be $ 60, a coniferous shrub - $ 20-30, an ornamental small shrub - $ 10, a perennial - $ 5.
The price of a lawn will be directly related to its type. If it is a rolled lawn, then it will cost several times more. A sowing lawn will cost about $300 per hundred square meters.
Results
Now that you know about the approximate prices for the services of landscape designers when carrying out certain works, you can draw up a rough plan for the site project, based on financial capabilities.
