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The average rating for Bark Landscape Designers is 4.73, based on 27,533 reviews
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This number depends on the size of your garden, the complexity of the design, and your location, amongst other things.
The average price of landscape design is $4,400 in the United States. This number depends on the size of your garden, the complexity of the design, and your location, amongst other things.
Landscape design is an essential part of making your garden look incredible. IBIS World says that the industry has grown 2.6% per year since 2018, demonstrating that homeowners consider this a valuable service to invest in.
You won’t be surprised to hear that the size of your garden is perhaps the biggest impact on the cost you can expect to pay. While some landscape designers charge by the hour, plenty price by square footage, with the average price being around $12 per square foot.
Many experts suggest that an excellent landscape design can improve your house value by anywhere up to 20%. Between 10% to 12% in growth seems to be the typical figure.
You’re in the ideal place to learn everything you could possibly need about landscape design costs. Remember that these figures are based on our data and research, and the best way to get a personalized quote is to get in touch with a landscape designer near you.
In the same way that an architect designs structural work, a landscape designer is responsible for designing outdoor space. Whether you’re looking to redesign your garden, add borders to your existing space or create an outdoor area for your business, a landscape designer can help.
Your landscape designer will work closely with you to design your dream garden. They’ll apply their specialist knowledge of plants, ecosystems, and design principles to create an idyllic outdoor space. A landscape designer can design and specify walkways, playgrounds, water features, and planting requirements.
Once they’ve created the design, your landscape designer might then project manage the program of works. This includes helping you to hire the right landscape gardener, specifying materials, and ensuring the right standard is achieved.
There are three main types of landscape design: softscaping, hardscaping, and xeriscaping. The former means that you only use living elements such as plants and grass to design your garden, while hardscaping involves man-made features such as patio or paving slabs. Xeriscaping means that your garden is designed to need as little water as possible, focusing on drought-resistant plants ideal for arid climates.
Softscaping tends to be the least costly, while xeriscaping will set you back the most. Rough price ranges can be seen below.
| Type of landscape design | Column 2 |
| Softscaping | $2,000 to $9,000 |
| Hardscaping | $3,000 to $20,000 |
| Xeriscaping | $5,000 to $24,000 |
You probably don’t want to break the bank on your landscape design project. It’s thus important that you understand exactly what contributes to the price, and how you can keep a close eye on your outgoings. Some of the main factors include:
Garden size
Design complexity
Landscape features
Location
Type of landscape design
Designer
You should consider all these things before jumping into hiring a landscape designer. Take a look at a summary of each category below.
The price of landscape design will be influenced by the size of your garden. Small gardens will come at a lower price point while larger gardens will be more costly. This is due to the amount of work involved in your design.
Your landscape design price will also depend on the complexity of your desired design. If you’re looking for grass, walkways, and borders, you’ll be looking at a lower cost than a design that features multiple levels, water features, and seating areas.
The level of complexity that you opt for will determine the amount of time that it takes to design your garden. This’ll be reflected in the price.
One of the most important details is the features that are integrated into your garden’s design. Buying these things, and then implementing them, will drive your cost significantly higher.
The average prices for installing some of the most common landscape design features include:
Pond: $2,600
Fence: $3,300
Hot tub: $6,500
Patio: $4,250
Water fountain: $2,500
Fire pit: $800
Planting a tree: $400
Swimming pool: $35,000
You might need to be selective about which elements are worthwhile. If you have any of these features already, can they be redecorated or repaired, rather than simply replacing them altogether?
You should consider whether any new features can survive in harsh conditions. It’s also worth thinking about whether it’ll survive until the time you decide to sell your house. Otherwise, it won’t improve your selling price!
Your location will be factored into the cost of your landscape design. The price of hiring a landscape designer differs between states, although it should still fall into the average price range.
Just keep in mind that some states tend to have higher prices for contractors than others. This usually correlates to the cost of living in the area. Prices are often higher in California, for example, than in Nebraska.
Many landscape designers in the US are happy to work remotely, so you may also be able to choose from landscape gardeners across the country.
You can see more details about this further above on the page. There are three main types of landscape design, each with its own price range. Softscaping is the least expensive, followed by hardscaping. Xeriscaping usually costs the most on average.
Each designer has their own pricing strategy. This is often correlated to their qualifications, experience, or the speed at which they can complete your project. Some will charge by square footage, while others focus on the time the project will take.
Another important detail is whether your designer implements the changes themselves. Are they a contractor who provides a ‘total service’, or will they bring in a separate organization, which pushes costs even higher?
It’s highly recommended that you get several independent price quotations from different landscape designers. Remember that a lower price sometimes results in a worse service – although not always! It’s a careful balancing act, and you need to do your research and understand what you’re getting for the price.
| Landscape features | Average price |
| Pond | $2,600 |
| Fence | $3,300 |
| Hot tub | $6,500 |
| Patio | $4,250 |
| Water fountain | $2,500 |
| Fire pit | $800 |
| Planting a tree | $400 |
| Swimming pool | $35,000 |
Landscape design is not the same thing as landscape architecture. You’ll encounter totally different prices for each one. It’s thus essential that you understand exactly what you’re getting for your money.
While a typical landscape designer has an hourly rate of around $50 in the USA, this rises to $150 per hour for a landscape architect. This is because landscape architects have formal degrees to their name along with more expertise in large-scale projects.
You’re often best hiring a landscape designer for your residential home. A second opinion on optimizing your garden is often sufficient. But for large commercial contracts, public parks, or multi-family residences, a landscape architect can make detailed construction plans with exact dimensions.
You should speak to experts in this area directly for more guidance on the difference between the two. If you only need support with your family’s home, you’re unlikely to need a landscape architect. But with higher levels of complexity, size and budget, they may be more useful.
You should consider the advantages and drawbacks of paying for landscape design, when planning your best route forwards.
A major advantage is that landscape design can improve your house’s value. Many experts suggest that the best projects can increase the expected figure by 10%, or perhaps even higher.
Landscape design isn’t just about increasing your selling price. You’ll be able to personally enjoy the benefits of your redesigned outdoor space. Hot tubs, fountains, ponds and decking areas are all great ways to spend time outdoors. You might find your newly designed garden incredibly relaxing and a wonderful place to spend the next few years.
A fresh perspective is invaluable when you’re redesigning your garden. Landscape designers have lots of new ideas, and attractive designs, that can be difficult to come up with by yourself.
And you should also consider the potential environmental benefits. The best landscape designers design an eco-friendly garden that protects and rejuvenates your local ecosystem.
On the other hand, the up-front cost of landscape design can turn some people away. You won’t receive a return on investment straight away. A new and improved garden also comes with more maintenance. You’ll need to dedicate time and effort to this.
There’s no guarantee that your landscape designer will install the garden themselves. You might need to bring in a difference construction contractor or gardener near you to finish it off. And if major changes are being made, your garden might be out of bounds while this happens. Young children could find this particularly frustrating!
If you have a small garden that requires a straightforward design, you may choose to design and manage the project yourself. However, for larger gardens or more complex designs, hiring a landscape designer can bring many benefits.
Your landscape designer will consider your needs, wants, and wishes, along with the wider ecosystem, when planning out the design of your garden or outdoor space. They’ll then be able to give you a shortlist of concepts to choose from which meet your needs.
You may already have several ideas about what you’d like your garden to look like. However, you need to be sure that those ideas are viable, affordable, and sustainable. If you pursue ideas that later fail, you’ll have wasted both time and money. A landscape designer will ensure that your chosen concept is possible as well as being sustainable, saving you money in the long term.
Your landscape designer is there to manage the redesign of your outdoor space, from conception to completion. They’ll ensure that your project runs smoothly and that you get your desired results. Every project has a few bumps in the road but using a landscape designer to manage your project will remove the stress and allow you to fully enjoy the creation of your new space.
You don’t technically need any formal qualifications to be a landscape designer. Most states allow you to provide this service without any licensing requirements. Although experience in landscape design is essential for homeowners to take you seriously.
This is different to landscape architecture, in which a qualification is usually needed. We outlined this in more detail further above on the page.
Anyone can attempt landscape design, but it’s extremely difficult to do it successfully. In-depth knowledge and experience are needed, which the average citizen simply doesn’t have. This includes considering factors such as soil pH levels, drainage systems, planting new trees that are cohesive with the local environment, and more. It’s thus highly recommended that you find a landscape designer near you, rather than trying to do it yourself.
It depends. You’ll find some landscape designers that don’t install the garden themselves and will pay outside contractors to do it for them. They’ll usually make this clear to you up-front, and it often translates in the price.
Other landscape designers are committed to getting their ‘hands dirty’. They might have extensive gardening experience, or simply feel that they can do the installation better than anyone else, because the design is theirs! You often have to pay slightly more if you want a landscape designer who ticks both boxes.
Around 1.3 million people across the USA are employed as landscape designers. This equates to around 649,000 businesses. It’s an ever-growing industry that more people are entering every year. Young people are also taking out degrees to invest in a future as a landscape architect (a slightly different role).
The average rating for Bark Landscape Designers is 4.73, based on 27,533 reviews
5/5
based on 27,533 reviews
