Oh, the landscaping plans you have in your head.
A great new patio where you can lounge on Sunday mornings with the birds and squirrels.
An outdoor kitchen, complete with a pizza oven, so you can wow your friends with that new asparagus, potato and goat cheese pizza recipe.
Or maybe you're just tired of your scraggly junipers and lackluster lawn. It’s time for a full-scale front yard makeover.
But how much does residential landscape design cost?
Let's take a look at three common residential landscaping projects and their price ranges.
We'll show you what factors affect the cost.
Then we can take those great ideas in your head and bring them to life in your yard.
Get those pizza toppings ready.
Cost of a New Patio in Idaho Falls:: Between $9,000 and $15,000 for a patio between 400 and 600 square feet.
What factors affect the cost of a patio?
There’s a wide range of paver materials to choose from, and they vary in price.
While standard concrete pavers create a nice patio, higher end options are available in a wide array of colors and design options, with greater detail: pavers that look like a mosaic of carefully sculpted stone, that mimic natural travertine or a cobblestone courtyard.
Higher-end patio materials have a higher price tag.
The more intricate the patio design, the higher the cost of the patio. Choose a standard shape with a basic design and you can get a nice patio, including sealant, for around $9,000.
But the landscape design options are limitless. There are architectural slabs, high-end insets, border options.
These design choices mean crews spend more time cutting the pavers, so labor cost goes up.
Do the landscape crews have to take down fences to install your patio? Tear up grass they need to replace with sod?
Is your yard sloped with elevation issues? Crews may have to excavate dirt, build a retaining wall or add steps to accommodate that.
This extra labor increases the cost of the patio.
Oops! Turns out there’s an old septic tank under your old patio. Or a sewer line. Or sprinkler wire we need to re-route. Unexpected surprises will edge up the cost.
Cost of an Outdoor Kitchen in Idaho Falls: $8,000 to $150,000
What factors affect the cost of an outdoor kitchen?
A simple outdoor kitchen with a standard 10-foot island with a granite counter, a grill with storage underneath, and average lighting will cost between $8,000 and $12,500.
But the thing about outdoor kitchens is all the fun stuff you can add.
How about an outdoor fridge, a pizza oven, a kegerator to keep the beer flowing?
You’ll probably spend a lot of time out there, so you might add a fireplace, a pergola, some furniture, maybe a TV.
Suddenly, you’re looking at $75,000 to $150,000.
If you want running water out there, that will push up the cost of the outdoor kitchen. More electrical outlets? More expense.
What factors affect the cost?
If you have your heart set on an English-style garden, with beds brimming with perennials and an elegant boxwood hedge as far as the eye can see, you’ll need a lot of plants.
Opt for a more contemporary landscape design, with graceful ornamental grasses, easy on the trees and shrubs, and you’ll spend less on plants.
This can have a bigger impact on residential landscape design cost than you might think.
Simple gray river rock costs $10 to $20 a yard.
Choose decorative colored rock and the price zooms up to $80 to $100 a square yard.
Bark mulch runs $40 to $45 a yard, but here in Idaho it tends to blow around a lot, so replacing it often can actually end up costing you more than premium rock in the long run.
There’s a big price difference here, too.
Redo your lawn with standard grass seed and it will cost 4 to 6 cents per square foot.
Choose hydroseed for 10 to 14 cents per foot.
The priciest option is sod, at 45 to 55 cents a foot. But you get instant emerald green grass — no waiting.
Do crews have to tear out a lot of old plant material and haul it away before they can install your new landscaping? Are there trees to remove that involve cutting, chipping and stump grinding?
Extra labor will increase the cost of a landscaping makeover.
But we know budgets are a reality, too. How much does residential landscape design cost? We’ll work with you and your budget to design an affordable project you love.
Located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we serve residential and commercial properties in Idaho Falls, Rexburg and Pocatello, Idaho, as well as Bonneville, Madison and Bannock counties.
Contact Outback Landscape at 208-656-3220, or fill out our contact form to schedule an onsite consultation.
We’d love to hear from you.