Landscaping Cost Calculator

The calculator's default front-yard refresh — 12 medium shrubs, one 10–15 ft shade tree, steel edging, 300 sq ft of mulched beds and 6 path lights — prices out at about $3,066 installed at national-average rates. Angi's national data puts full landscaping projects anywhere from $200 to $14,000, averaging around $3,500, so scope is what moves the number.

Tree size (a 15–25 ft ball-and-burlap tree costs several times a 6–10 ft one), rock beds instead of mulch (roughly 3.5× per sq ft here), machine-set boulders, and irrigation zones that sit far from the water main so trenching runs get long. Tight side-yard access that forces hand-carrying materials adds crew hours too.

About $500–$1,500 per in-ground spray zone installed, with drip zones at roughly $300–$1,200 — this calculator uses $1,000 and $600. Four spray zones price out near $4,000 including the controller share, before your state adjustment. Most cities also require a permitted backflow preventer on the tie-in.

Planting labor is about 40% of a shrub's installed cost here, so self-planting saves roughly that share — but check three things first. Crews source stock at trade prices, so the "retail savings" can shrink to nothing on the same plant. Most contractors void their establishment warranty (typically one season) on customer-supplied material — a dead $550 shade tree is a real loss. And size is labor: a 15-gallon container with root ball weighs 60–80 lbs, which is part of what that labor share pays for. The middle path stands: let the crew plant everything you buy from them, and DIY only the cheap annuals.

Designers typically charge 10–20% of the build cost or $50–$150 an hour. Below about $5,000 of work, a drawn plan rarely pays for itself; above that, or when grading, drainage or a phased multi-year plan is involved, the 10% fee this calculator models ($350 minimum) usually saves more than it costs in do-overs.

Spring and early fall, when roots establish before weather stress: sod wants 2–3 weeks of near-daily watering to knit to the soil, and balled-and-burlap trees transplant best while dormant. Summer installs are possible but raise plant-loss risk, and many contractors won't warranty summer-planted material — which is why a plan with plants should price its irrigation zones first; the line items in this calculator are meant to be selected in that order. Crews are also busiest in exactly those two windows, so book 4–6 weeks ahead. Winter works for dormant trees and hardscape, but not for sod.

Planting and mulching almost never do. Irrigation tie-ins usually require a plumbing permit and a backflow-prevention device inspected by the water utility; some HOAs also approve bed plans and tree species before work starts. Always call 811 before any digging — irrigation trenching included — to locate buried lines; it's free and it's the law.