What actually drives the cost of a landscape design and installation in Dallas

The short answer on landscape pricing

The cost of a landscape design and installation is driven mostly by how much hardscape is involved, how much hidden infrastructure has to be built or rebuilt (drainage, irrigation, lighting and electrical), the size and maturity of the plants and trees specified, and how easy the site is to work on. Planting is usually not the largest line. Two homes with the same lot size can land far apart because one needs a retaining wall, regrading and a new irrigation layout and the other needs mostly new beds.

At Southern Botanical we do not publish price lists for residential design-build, and we do not quote over the phone, because the factors below change from one property to the next. What we can do is explain how a proposal is put together so you can plan a realistic budget, decide where your money matters most and compare bids fairly.

Why a site visit comes before any number

A good proposal starts with the ground itself. On a site visit a designer looks at where water goes after a storm, how the lot slopes toward the house, which areas get full afternoon sun, where the mature trees and their roots are, where utilities run, and how equipment and materials will get into the backyard. Each of those observations moves the price, and none of them shows up in a satellite photo or a phone description.

Our free consultation exists for that reason. After a request, a local expert contacts the owner within 24 hours to schedule a 30-minute site visit, and the proposal that follows is built around the budget, timeline and goals discussed on site. Owners are sometimes surprised that we ask about budget early. We do it because a design that ignores the budget wastes everyone's time, and an honest range lets the designer put money where it will show.

The cost drivers, roughly in order of impact

Every property is different, but in our experience the following factors account for most of the difference between one landscape proposal and another. The first three usually matter more than the plant list.

• Hardscape scope: patios, walkways, retaining walls, steps, seat walls, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and fireplaces. Stone, masonry and concrete work is labor-heavy and permanent, so it carries the most weight.
• Structures: pergolas, arbors, fences and gates, which need footings, framing and often electrical.
• Grading and drainage: moving soil, correcting slopes toward the foundation and installing systems that carry standing water away.
• Irrigation: revising an old system to match a new layout, or installing a new one with proper zones for lawn, beds and trees.
• Lighting: landscape and architectural lighting needs a design, transformers, wiring runs and fixtures placed before planting covers the routes.
• Plant size and quantity: larger trees and shrubs give an immediate finished look but cost more to buy, move and establish.
• Access and protection: tight side yards, finished pools and mature trees that must be protected all add labor and time.

The work underneath a beautiful yard

The parts of a landscape you notice are the stone, the planting and the lighting at night. The parts that decide whether it still looks good in five years are mostly invisible: soil that drains, irrigation zoned for what is planted, drainage that keeps water out of beds and away from the foundation, and roots of existing trees that were protected during construction. That hidden work is a real share of most proposals, and it is the first thing a low bid tends to leave out.

Tree protection is a good example. The International Society of Arboriculture warns that grading, trenching, paving and compaction from heavy equipment inside a tree's critical root zone can damage roots, and that construction damage can take years to show. On a property with mature oaks or elms, planning the walls and paths around root zones, fencing those zones off during the work and adjusting irrigation afterward is part of the cost, and it is far cheaper than losing a tree that took decades to grow.

Soil is the third. Much of North Texas sits on heavy clay that holds water after rain and shrinks and cracks in a dry summer. Beds built on unimproved clay tend to stay wet in spring and bake in August, so new planting areas usually need soil preparation, and that labor is part of the proposal even though nobody will ever see it.

Irrigation is another. If the new design moves beds, adds lawn or plants new trees, the old sprinkler layout rarely fits. We cover what a homeowner can and cannot safely adjust in our guide to sprinkler repairs and licensed irrigators.

Where to spend and where you can save

If the budget has to stretch, protect the bones first. Drainage, irrigation, soil preparation and the main hardscape are expensive to redo once plants and lawn are in place, so they deserve the money up front. A patio poured over poorly compacted base or a bed built on top of a drainage problem will cost more to fix than it would have cost to do right.

Savings are easier to find in the parts that can grow into place or be added later. Smaller container plants fill in over a few seasons. Seasonal color can be added once the structure is built. Lighting can be designed now with conduit and wiring routes placed during construction, then fixtures added in a later phase. Phasing a large property over two or three seasons is common, and a good designer will draw the whole plan first so each phase fits the next.

• Spend on: grading and drainage, irrigation layout, soil, structural hardscape and protecting existing trees.
• Phase or scale: plant size, seasonal color, decorative features and lighting fixtures.
• Avoid cutting: base preparation under paving, and the design itself, which keeps every phase consistent.

What upkeep adds after installation

Installation is a one-time cost. Keeping the landscape at the standard it was built to is an ongoing one, and it belongs in the budget conversation from the start. Maintenance cost depends on the size and complexity of the property, how much detail you expect, and what is included, from weekly mowing and bed care to irrigation management, seasonal color, plant health care and tree work.

Our residential maintenance runs on 52-week plans with a dedicated account manager who is on site weekly. Maintenance clients get a smart irrigation controller installed at no additional fee and monthly system inspections, and our maintenance page cites studies showing 20 to 40 percent water savings in the first year after that kind of upgrade. In our experience a well-designed landscape costs less to keep than a poorly designed one, because plants are in spots where they can thrive and water goes where it is needed. We explain that relationship in more depth in why large landscapes slide without a plan.

Reading a proposal so you compare like with like

When two proposals for the same project are far apart, the difference is almost always in scope, not in markup. One includes drainage and irrigation revision, the other assumes the existing system will work. One specifies larger plants and natural stone, the other smaller plants and a different paving material. One includes lighting conduit, the other leaves it for later. Lay the proposals side by side and check each of these before you compare totals.

Ask each company who does the design, who does the construction and who will maintain the result, and whether any of that is subcontracted. Ask what happens if they find something unexpected once digging starts, such as buried debris or a broken line. We list the full set of questions we would ask in what to ask a landscape company before you hire.

Finally, ask what happens after the crew leaves. Who do you call if a plant fails in the first season, or a valve sticks a month after the irrigation is revised? We stand behind our work long after completion and close each design-build project with a final walkthrough, and any company you consider should be able to explain in writing what its own guarantee covers.

• Is drainage included, and what exactly will be built?
• Is irrigation being revised or replaced, and is the work done by a licensed irrigator?
• What are the plant sizes and quantities, not just the species?
• What hardscape materials and base preparation are specified?
• Is lighting included, or at least the wiring routes?
• How are existing trees protected during construction?

Getting a number you can plan around

The fastest way to a realistic number is a site visit with a designer who also builds and maintains landscapes, because they price the design knowing what it takes to install and keep it. Before the visit, write down how you want to use the space, which areas matter most, any plans for a pool or addition, and a budget range you are comfortable with. Photos of landscapes you like help more than a long description.

From there we prepare a detailed proposal with room for feedback and revisions, and there is no obligation to proceed. If you do, our in-house team builds the project and keeps you updated daily while work is underway. If you want to see how a project runs from that first meeting to the final walkthrough, read what to expect from a design-build project. Most of our residential work is in the Park Cities, Preston Hollow and the northern suburbs of Dallas.

Questions people ask me