Landscaping Services
Landscaping is consistently among the highest-return exterior investments — well-designed outdoor spaces raise curb appeal, usable living area, and resale value at once. Professional landscapers bring what weekend projects can't: grading and drainage judgment, plant choices matched to your soil and sun, and hardscape construction that stays level through winters.
What Landscapers Do
Landscaping spans one-day cleanups to multi-phase outdoor construction:
- Design and installation: Planting plans, beds, trees and shrubs, mulch, and lawn establishment — from a single foundation bed to a full-yard redesign.
- Hardscaping: Paver patios, walkways, retaining walls, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens — the structural side of the yard.
- Lawn work: Sod installation, seeding and overseeding, aeration, and grading to fix bare or swampy sections.
- Drainage solutions: French drains, dry creek beds, downspout extensions, and regrading to move water away from foundations.
- Irrigation: Sprinkler and drip system installation, repair, and seasonal service.
- Maintenance: Mowing, edging, pruning, seasonal cleanups, and bed care on weekly or monthly schedules.
The best results start with a plan — even a modest one — so plantings mature together and hardscape phases build toward one design instead of accumulating piecemeal.
Landscaping Costs
Costs scale with scope, materials, and site conditions. Typical ranges:
- Full landscape design + installation: $3,000-$16,000 for a typical front or back yard; large or steep lots run higher
- Professional design plans: $500-$3,000 depending on property size and detail
- Sod installation: $1-$2 per square foot installed — $2,000-$4,000 for a typical lawn
- Paver patio: $2,500-$10,000 for most sizes; natural stone runs more
- Retaining wall: $40-$100+ per face foot depending on height and material; walls over 3-4 feet typically need engineering
- French drain: $1,500-$5,000 for most residential runs
- Recurring maintenance: $100-$300 per month for typical mowing-plus-beds service
Phasing is the standard way to manage budget: grading, drainage, and hardscape first (they're disruptive), then planting, then finish layers like lighting and mulch.
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Hiring a Landscaping Contractor
Landscaping quality shows up a year later, so choose for process and plant knowledge:
- Ask what thrives — and what fails — locally. A good landscaper talks about your soil, sun exposure, hardiness zone, and deer pressure before showing you glossy photos.
- Get drainage addressed in the plan. Water is the quiet destroyer of yards and foundations; every regrade, wall, and patio bid should say where water will go.
- Insist on a written plant list and warranty. Reputable installers warrant trees and shrubs for at least one growing season and specify sizes (container or caliper) so bids compare apples to apples.
- Check hardscape credentials separately. Base depth, compaction, and edge restraint determine whether a patio stays flat — ask how each is handled, and look at walls and patios the company built several winters ago.
- Confirm licensing and insurance, especially for wall construction, irrigation (backflow permits), and any work near utilities — reputable crews call for utility locates as a matter of routine.
Questions homeowners ask us first.
Short answers to the things we hear most in landscaping intake conversations.
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How much value does landscaping add to a home?
Industry studies consistently put well-executed landscaping's return at 100% or more of cost at resale, with curb-appeal improvements among the strongest levers a seller has. Mature, low-maintenance plantings and clean hardscape read as move-in ready; overgrown or patchy yards discount otherwise strong homes.
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When is the best time of year to landscape?
Spring and fall are prime planting windows — cooler temperatures and rain help roots establish. Hardscaping can run through most of the year outside of frozen ground. Booking design work in winter often gets you earlier spring installation slots and sometimes off-season pricing.
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Sod or seed for a new lawn?
Sod costs several times more but delivers an instant, erosion-resistant lawn and can be installed through most of the growing season. Seed is far cheaper per square foot and offers more grass variety, but takes a season of watering and care to fill in and is vulnerable to washouts and weeds meanwhile. High-visibility front yards often get sod; large back areas get seed.
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Do I need a professional for a paver patio?
The pattern is the easy part; the base is the job. A lasting patio needs 4-8 inches of compacted base, correct slope for drainage, and restrained edges — skipped steps show up as heaving and sunken spots within a couple of winters. DIY suits small, well-drained areas; larger patios and anything near the foundation warrant a pro.
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How do I fix standing water in my yard?
Start with where the water comes from — short downspouts and grading toward the house cause a large share of soggy-yard and wet-basement problems and are cheap to fix. Persistent low spots usually need regrading or a French drain to a daylight outlet or dry well. A landscaper who talks about slope percentages and outlet locations is the one to hire.