Landscape Desgn & BuiLd Pricng

Landscape design is an essential aspect of creating a beautiful and functional outdoor living space. Whether you need a landscape plan for a newly-built home, or considering a backyard transformation, this guide will give you everything you need to know. First, we’ll explore the factors that affect the cost of a landscape design/build in Vancouver and give you a rough estimate of what you can expect to pay:

1. The Design

The price point of landscape design typically depends on the size, scale and intricacy of the project. In general, landscape designs at Turf Team start at $500 and can run as high as $10,000. Typically, a basic 2D design at the lower price point will suffice, but more intricate 3D designs make the vision tangible and give you an excellent preview of what your yard will look like when it’s complete, these more detailed renderings are recommended for higher budget projects.

2. Basic Hardscape Essentials

Regardless of the design and materials you choose, there are some functional things that you will need to add into your landscape no matter what. This could include paved sidewalks, patios, lawns, fences, stairs, decks, driveways, trees, etc. These functional items are the starting point for building out the design or estimating the costs 

3. Materials

The materials you select play a big role in the overall cost of a larger-scale project. It is recommended to have an approximate budget in mind so that your designer or contractor can suggest materials that fit in with that budget. Some people are looking to build a “Ferrari” backyard with all the bells and whistles, while others may be looking for a “Honda” backyard that covers all the basic necessities at a lower price point. We can build both and anything in between, but just realize there is a wide spectrum of different materials available depending on your needs and budget.

4. Plants, Trees and Gardens

In most municipalities across the lower mainland of Vancouver, there are bylaws for the percentage of your landscape that must remain “permeable”. What this means is that you will likely need to include some garden space, plants and/or trees into your design. Again, there is a very wide spectrum of plantings depending on your budget and priorities for the landscape. It’s important to clarify your vision for the yard ahead of time so that your designer/contractor can help you select the right plants (ex. Do you want a flourishing garden full of colour, or more low-maintenance evergreens?) At Turf Team, we specialize in low-maintenance landscaping but we can also build the garden of your dreams!

4. The Complexity and Logistics of the Installation:

This encompasses many factors such as site access, soil type, drainage, grading, design, amount of cutting, and many more. Access to the work area can make a huge difference, as we typically need to get a mini-excavator into the yard and transport several tons of materials and aggregates back and forth from the trucks.

5. “Nice-to-Haves”

Lastly, we have a myriad of different add-ons we can use to enhance the function and aesthetics of your yard. These are typically the items that “expand” the initial budget, but add tremendous value and personalize your yard to fit the needs of your family. Things such as hot tubs, fire pits, putting greens, pergolas, sports courts, water features, etc. not only give you a pleasing aesthetic, but will actually boost your property value and effectively increase the usable square footage of your home. While these may not be absolute essentials, they should certainly be considered if the budget allows.

What you can expect to pay:

The short answer is that full landscapes can run as little as $20,000 to as much as $2 million. The average landscape design and build in Vancouver from our portfolio has come out to between $75,000 to $200,000.

After assessing your situation and needs based on the previous 5 variables, you can begin to narrow down this price range with our help. It’s good practice to do your own research ahead of time, create an inspiration board or sketch of your yard and look through some catalogs to build out the vision so you can begin pricing everything out in line with your budget. If you haven’t done a large-scale landscaping project in a while, you may be shocked to learn what inflation has done to the price of hardscape products and services in recent years. You may also be pleasantly surprised by the incredible advancements in our industry as a whole, and Turf Team continues to stay on the cutting edge of new products, tools, techniques and designs so we can bring your dreams into reality with an unmatched client experience.

If you would like some help with planning or pricing out your upcoming project, please reach out to us right here.