How Much Does Landscaping Cost In 2024?

Landscaping occurs when you modify a piece of land, whether by subtracting or adding elements. You may hire someone to remove trees or build a backyard kitchen—all of it counts and can be organized into four main categories: maintenance, softscaping, hardscaping and xeriscaping. Any of these tasks can increase your property value and give your grounds a makeover.

Cost by Square Foot

Manicuring an acre of land will require more time and labor than a lawn with typical square footage. While prices may vary, you can expect to pay, on average, $10.75 per square foot. Your yard’s accessibility and condition indicate whether that price will be bumped up or down.

Cost by Hour

Landscaping, above many other home-makeover tasks, remains incredibly labor-intensive. Homeowners tend to pay $50 to $100 per hour. Labor costs rely on your location since urban areas are more expensive than rural ones. The rates of most businesses are calculated by the hour, so if you have a sprawling lawn you can expect your prices to skyrocket.

Cost by Project

When it comes to services that upgrade your outdoor space, the sky is literally the limit. With that in mind, a landscaping project can cost as little as $90 or more than $60,000. Planting a tree won’t cost much compared to constructing an underground pool. We’ve broken down the specific price ranges for the work you may want done.

Cost by Type of Landscaping

Softscaping

Three main types of landscaping work may require different budgets. Softscaping refers to installing plants and other foliage in your yard, such as grass, trees or shrubbery. These projects tend to cost less than hardscaping or xeriscaping and are valued between $800 and $10,000.

Hardscaping

Any non-horticulture elements such as fire pits and patios fall into the category of hardscaping. Given the extreme range in project size, you may spend between $300 and $45,400.

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping pertains to homeowners in hot climates who may want to maximize the water efficiency in their yards. Tasks may include adding native plants that require less water intake or investing in artificial grass. On average, xeriscaping costs $13,800 to $19,000.

Endless landscaping projects, small and large, can keep you busy this year. It may be time to undergo a landscaping endeavor if you’re looking to improve your yard’s aesthetics or for general maintenance purposes. Anything from installing an underground pool to simply spraying grass seed fall under the umbrella term of “landscaping.”

While constructing patios and removing trees may seem straightforward, many other projects can require much more planning and labor.

Landscape Design

Maybe you have a vision for your yard but not the means to actually make it happen. A landscape designer can help you work out exactly what you need by evaluating your outdoor space and helping with a plan of what type of landscaping style you’re going after. They may mockup blueprints or work closely with your contractor. Hiring a designer or architect costs $4,400 on average.

Landscape Curbing

Curbing or edging, gives your lawn a polished quality by creating crisp lines where your grass kisses your flower beds or walkways. Curbing is one of the least bank-breaking projects and is the easiest way to add curb appeal to your home. Depending on style and scope, edging typically costs $700 to $2,100.

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls control water drainage, prevent erosion and spice up your lawn by retaining soil to its slope. These structures, often built with stone or concrete blocks, can be a gorgeous option for tiering your garden or a practical solution for unwanted pooling after rainfall. You can expect to pay around $3,550 to $9,750 for a retaining wall.

Drainage Systems

Whether due to poor architectural design or the natural slopes of your property, your yard may experience excess pooling or slow drainage of rainfall. If this is the case, you may want to research options to keep the foundation of your house away from water damage. Some solutions include land leveling, French drains and yard pipes. On average, these systems cost between $2,000 and $6,000.

Many hidden fees associated with landscaping can jump out from the shrubbery and attack you, but we’ll help you spot them ahead of time. Know what you’re walking into when you launch your lawn restyle, such as extra costs for yard size, materials, labor and obstacles in your lawn.

Size of Project and Yard

If you need a few flowerbeds touched up or a couple of trees removed, your final bill will be far from the cost of a brand new gazebo. The scope of your landscaping dream determines your overall payment. Not only does the complexity of the task affect the price but also the square footage of your yard will, too. Many soft scaping projects tally the price based on acreage or square footage, such as the installation of sod and grass seed.

Material and Shipping Costs

Consider not only the task at hand but the material required for the finished product. Lumber and exotic marble cost more than concrete and cement blocks. (Since many tools and materials need to be imported from other countries, you should also factor shipping costs into your price range.)

Labor and Machinery Fees

Labor fees vary by location but are generally charged by the hour. Some landscaping projects consume more time than others and others may require extra workers on site. Not only will skilled labor cost more, but also the upkeep of machinery and the labor required to haul supplies can affect price. Some equipment needs gasoline or extra maintenance, so when the cost of gas, oil and repairs rise, so will your bill.

Yard Health and Characteristics

Your final charge will be hefty if your yard requires extra groundwork before your project begins. An abundance of trees and other obstacles, such as weeds, slopes and a malnourished lawn add to the estimate. If your yard is tucked away without easy access, this makes excavation for pools, patios and other hardscaping tasks trickier as well.

Maintenance costs for your landscape can vary significantly depending on several factors. The property’s size, the landscaping’s complexity, the region where you live and the specific maintenance services required all factor into the price you pay. If you’re hiring a professional, you can typically expect to pay:

• Lawn mowing: $50 to $250 per service
• Tree trimming: $300 to $700 per tree
• Yard cleaning: $150 to $400 per service
• Lawn aeration: $50 to $300 per service

Maintaining your yard can be a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. By consistently focusing on cleanliness, regular trimming and overall upkeep, the existing elements in your yard are likely to maintain their beauty. 

There are three prominent categories of landscaping: softscaping, hardscaping and xeriscaping. Each landscaping type brings its own unique elements and principles to create a well-designed and functional outdoor area.

Softscaping

Softscaping, an integral component of landscaping, involves integrating living elements such as plants, trees, flowers and soil into outdoor spaces. Through carefully selecting and arranging these components, softscaping enhances the visual appeal of outdoor areas and creates a harmonious and welcoming space for you to enjoy. Typically, these softscaping come with a lower price tag than hardscaping or xeriscaping, falling within the range of $800 to $10,000 depending on the intricacy of the project.

Hardscaping

In contrast to the organic nature of softscaping, hardscaping focuses on non-living, human-made elements within landscape design. This involves incorporating structures like patios, walkways and walls, made from concrete, stone or wood. In addition to enhancing the visual aesthetic of your landscaping, hardscaping also introduces a structural framework to map out the overall landscape. Considering the wide spectrum of project sizes, your hardscaping elements can vary anywhere from $300 to $45,400.

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping is a specialized landscaping technique tailored for warm climates with limited water resources. This approach emphasizes using drought-tolerant plants, efficient irrigation systems and sustainable practices. The primary goal is establishing a thriving landscape while minimizing water usage and aligning with environmentally responsible principles. On average, the typical cost of implementing xeriscaping ranges from $13,800 to $19,000.

Different landscaping tasks will make more sense to do during different times of the year, but the bulk of your work should be completed in the fall or spring if your landscaping plan requires planting. Autumn planting may lead to lush growth in the spring, depending on location. Other locations and crops may require spring planting, instead.

Fall weather is also conducive to remodels, as workers don’t have to deal with the springtime’s fluctuating temperatures or the summer’s extreme heat.

If your landscaping entails a new family of trees, spring is your best bet for maximum growth. That way they’ll have a healthy dose of April showers. Hardscaping tasks can be done during the summer, but beware shorter workdays when heat may halt progress. Doing it yourself provides more flexibility in terms of a timeline, but weather, material delivery and planting times will still limit the progress you can make in the wrong season.

The benefits of landscaping go beyond enhancing the visual appeal of outdoor spaces, as it offers numerous advantages. A thoughtfully landscaped property not only stands out as visually pleasing but also serves as a deliberate investment in enhancing the overall space.

Curb Appeal

Skillfully designing your landscape is a major home endeavor with the potential to significantly enhance the curb appeal of your property. With meticulous planning and regular maintenance of plants, trees and various features, your home can achieve an attractive and visually appealing exterior, making a lasting impression on visitors, neighbors and potential buyers. Additionally, paying attention to your landscaping details establishes a positive curb appeal and contributes to a welcoming place you’ll want to come home to.

Property Value

Landscaping is crucial in improving your home’s property value, making it a top priority for homeowners. Given that landscaping is one of the first impressions of your home, prospective buyers are often attracted to homes with captivating outdoor spaces, recognizing the aesthetic and functional benefits. Therefore, landscaping is an investment that can result in a higher return when selling the property. The careful attention to your home’s curb appeal showcases a sense of care and pride, establishing a lasting and positive impression that resonates with potential buyers.

Landscaping offers multiple environmental benefits, including enhanced energy efficiency and reduced air pollution. These advantages not only contribute to a healthier and more sustainable environment but can also lead to cost savings and a more enjoyable outdoor space.

Boosts Energy Efficiency

Landscaping offers a valuable opportunity to save money on energy bills and minimize your environmental footprint. Energy-efficient landscaping refers to the design and implementation of landscape features that help conserve energy and reduce reliance on artificial heating, cooling and lighting. Some key elements of energy-efficient landscaping include:

• Strategic tree placement: Planting deciduous trees strategically around your property can help you save money on your energy costs and keep your home cooler during the summer months and warmer during the winter, according to the Department of Energy.
• Windbreaks: Windbreaks are one of the easiest, most effective ways to protect your home from winter’s cold winds. By blocking or redirecting the wind via trees and shrubs, windbreaks reduce heat loss from your home, improving energy efficiency and lowering heating costs.
• Efficient irrigation: Invest in an efficient irrigation system to avoid water waste. Drip irrigation, for example, delivers water directly to plant roots and minimizes evaporation and runoff. Also, consider using rainwater systems to collect and reuse rainwater for irrigation purposes.

Reduces Air Pollution

Landscaping is not only an important part of any garden or yard, but it can also help reduce air pollution in your neighborhood. The trees, bushes and flowers that make up your landscaping are all-natural air purifiers. The trees and plants will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen, improving air quality, according to the USDA.

Improves Water Quality

Landscaping is one of the best ways to improve water quality since it helps prevent stormwater runoff from entering the storm drain system. This is especially important in areas that receive a lot of rain or snowfall, which can lead to flooding and water pollution if not properly managed.

Giving your property a facelift doesn’t always call for professional calvary. There are a dozen mini landscaping projects you can tackle without a professional eye. Sealing driveway cracks, mowing the lawn and turning the vibrancy of your gardens up with fresh mulch are all wonderful ways to get your hands (and knees) dirty. If you have the time, you can boost your lawn with small tasks, but it may be worth leaving large-scale remodels and additions up to the pros.

If what you’re planning involves excavation or elaborate construction, you might need some extra hands on deck. This is especially true for tasks that require electrical work or digging since they can be dangerous without expert knowledge. Depending on your geography, they will likely require permits as well. Ultimately, your path ahead relies on your project’s scale.

Landscaping can be a costly operation, but there are ways to pinch pennies at every corner. Be assured that you’re completing your remodeling the smart way with the following suggestions.

Consider Materials

If you’re working with a tight budget, avoid expensive materials and unnecessary accessories, such as swimming pools or gazebos. Beyond avoiding expensive tastes, try less-expensive plants such as moss phlox and snow glories, which eat up large areas of space for a small amount of money. Young plants also tend to sell for less than more mature ones.

Plan Ahead

We recommend outlining a budget before you dig in. Shop around for the right contractors to determine the best prices and to help you fully understand your options—that way you won’t be surprised by the final outcome. Prepping your yard before crews arrive by clearing out debris and mowing can also save cash over the course of your project.

Do What You Can

Labor costs can eat up a big portion of your budget. For small projects, such as mulching or planting flowers, a DIY approach is an easy way to save money. Renting machinery may also be cheaper than paying for others to operate it.

Get Crafty

Maybe you already have most of what you need at home. Repurposing existing material is a great way to slash costs. For example, retired tires make stellar flowerbeds and rocks from one part of the yard can help line a path for a fraction of the cost of hauling in something else. Another tip: hunt for seeds from neighbors or locally-sourced materials before you go buy them.

When it comes time to sell your home, you want to ensure that you have done everything possible to increase its value. One way to do this is by landscaping your yard. Landscaping can add a ton of curb appeal and value to your home and is an investment that keeps on giving, as it improves the look of your house and makes it more inviting to potential buyers. In fact, a survey from Virginia Tech found that landscaping can increase home value and that value may continue to grow as your plants literally grow.

However, it’s important to remember that not every home will benefit from every type of landscaping work. Before you start spending money on plants, flowers and trees, it’s important to consider whether your particular landscaping design will actually make a difference for the better when it comes time for you to sell your house. Consulting with a landscape designer can help you come up with a plan.

To arrive at the average costs in this article, 14 sources were surveyed on national and local levels. These include 10 cost databases and four other surveyed websites. All averaged figures were correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.