Your homes landscaping is an extension of the inside of your home and contributes greatly to your
home’s value. It gives the outside of your home personality. Landscapes can cost anywhere from
$5,000 to over $100,000 and there are many different factors which dictate the cost. As a good
starting point, a general rule of thumb is to spend at least 10% of your home’s value on landscaping.
For example, if you have a $400,000 home then a landscaping budget of $40,000 is appropriate.
This size of budget will usually give you a basic landscape foundation. As you add on different
projects to your landscape plan, such as retaining walls or a large patio, those projects will determine
the price range you can expect a landscape to cost.
Factors that Impact Landscaping Costs:
- The size of your yard
- The existing soil grades (do you need a retaining wall or a drainage plan?)
- The existing properties of your landscape (i.e. blank slate or overgrown, old exiting landscape)
- The features you desire (i.e. patio, outdoor kitchen, water feature, etc.)
- The materials and plants you select (i.e. natural stone, dense planting plan, size of trees)
When trying to decide what you are willing to spend on your landscape, there is one question which
is very important to ask yourself: What do I want out of my landscape? Do I want to create
outdoor living spaces to entertain guests? Do I want a low maintenance landscape with minimal
plants and lawn? Do I want to create a specific place for my kids to play or my dog to roam? These
types of questions will help determine how much your landscape will cost.
Discussing budget is not the most fun part of a design consultation (in fact we call it the dirty “B”
word around here), however it is very important to know so you can make sure your designer is
getting you a realistic, well thought out design. Being upfront with what you are willing to spend will
help guide the design process while suggesting materials and features within your cost range.
How much does a landscape cost? There’s really no way to tell you without seeing the site and not
knowing your ambitions. The best place to start is by calling a landscape professional and having a
conversation. Sending over a few pictures to evaluate existing conditions always helps in getting that
ball-park figure.