The short version
- There is no single "landscaping" price — it ranges from a few hundred dollars (bed refresh) to $50k+ (full design-build).
- A useful rule of thumb: many homeowners invest 5–10% of their home's value into landscaping over time.
- Labor and site prep — not the plants — are usually the biggest line items on any real project.
- A large project can be phased over 2–3 seasons to spread the cost without losing the overall design.
"How much does landscaping cost?" is a little like asking how much a car costs — the honest answer is "what kind, and how much of it?" A weekend bed refresh and a full backyard rebuild are both "landscaping," and they're two orders of magnitude apart. So instead of a fake single number, here's how to actually budget for it in Lincoln.
Ballpark ranges by project
| Project | Typical Lincoln range |
|---|---|
| Bed refresh — mulch, edge, cleanup | $300–$1,500 |
| Front-yard bed redesign + planting | $2,000–$8,000 |
| Paver patio or walkway | $3,000–$15,000 |
| Retaining wall | $3,000–$12,000+ |
| Privacy fence | $3,000–$9,000 |
| New lawn (sod or seed) | $1,500–$8,000 |
| Full backyard design-build | $15,000–$60,000+ |
Most homeowners we work with aren't doing one of these in isolation — they're combining a couple (say, a patio plus the beds around it) into one project, which is usually more cost-effective than hiring out each piece separately a year apart.
The 5–10% rule of thumb
A common guideline from the landscape industry: plan to invest roughly 5–10% of your home's value in landscaping over the years you own it. On a $350,000 Lincoln home, that's $17,500–$35,000 of cumulative outdoor investment — not all at once, but across patios, beds, trees, and lawn over time. Done well, quality landscaping is one of the few home improvements that both improves daily life and holds resale value.
Where the money actually goes
Homeowners often assume plants and materials are the big cost. On most real projects, they're not — labor and site prep are. A few things that move the number more than the plant list:
- Site prep and access. Demolition, hauling out old material, fixing grade, and how easily a crew can get equipment into the yard. A locked-gate backyard with wheelbarrow-only access costs more than an open lot.
- Drainage and grading. If water doesn't move the right way, that gets solved first — and it's underground work you don't "see" in the finished yard. (See our guide on fixing a soggy yard.)
- Material grade. Standard concrete pavers vs. natural stone, builder-grade plants vs. mature specimens — same design, very different invoice.
- Hardscape vs. softscape. Patios, walls, and fences (hardscape) cost far more per square foot than beds and lawn (softscape). A design that's heavy on hardscape costs more.
Design-build vs. piecing it out
You can hire separate people for design, hardscape, planting, and lawn — or hire one crew to design and build the whole thing. For anything beyond a single element, design-build usually wins: one plan that accounts for drainage, sun, and how the spaces connect, built by one accountable crew, with materials ordered once. Piecing it out tends to produce a yard that looks like three projects that don't quite talk to each other — and you pay mobilization costs every time a new crew shows up.
How to phase a big project
Getting a real number for your yard
The ranges above are for budgeting. The only way to get a real price is to walk the actual yard — slope, soil, access, and what you want all change it. We do free on-site estimates across Lincoln and put everything in writing, itemized, so you can see exactly where the budget goes and decide what to do now vs. later. Start with our landscape design process or request an estimate.
Got a project in mind?
Request a Free Estimate
