What Does Landscaping Cost: Beyond the Numbers

An image of the founder of Hawthorne Landscaping NW, John Walsh.
John Walsh
January 23, 2024

When it comes to landscaping costs, various platforms like Angi's List, HomeAdvisor, and others offer estimates that may not truly reflect the value of professional services. The numbers they provide often seem like a race to the bottom, potentially sacrificing quality and client experience.

These services might gather data from contractors who cut corners on pricing, but a professional contractor understands the true cost of a project. It involves considering unique overhead, labor, materials, and other variables. It's a meticulous process that, when done right, ensures not just a project's completion but also client satisfaction.

The Investment

Client satisfaction is the experience you have with a product or service you have purchased.

Have you even paid for something only to be let down? How does that make you feel?

Companies that have a good reputation care a lot about client satisfaction, this is why they are more often than not, the obvious choice.

The key question isn't just about the cost of a particular project but the value a professional contractor brings to the table. From the initial contact to the final job completion, the overall experience matters. Professional contractors with good reputation , despite not being the cheapest, provide clients with the best possible experience.

When reaching out to a contractor, it's crucial to discuss budget, scope of work, and project cost. A great contractor will

listen to you, value your input and keep your needs in mind ahead of their own.

Your ideal contractor cares about you, and adds value upfront. They help educate you without trying to sell you something, or talk about how great they are. It’s all about you!

A reputable contractor can often provide a rough estimate over the phone, helping you manage expectations and decide if an on site consultation is necessary for you. This approach saves you time by bringing education to the forefront of the conversation and avoiding unnecessary meetings.

Establishing a budget before contacting a contractor allows for informed discussions and better collaboration. A reliable company will educate you throughout the process, ensuring that your dreams and visions align with practical solutions. Effective communication and a genuine care for your best interests separates all the other contractors apart from your ideal contractor.

Service calls such as irrigation repair often start at a minimum of $250, or $100/hr for the first hour and standard hourly rates after that.

General landscape remodels involving soft scape materials such as plants, mulch , bed definition and even some rock laid average around $10-$20 per square foot.

If you’re wanting a new outdoor living space created you’re going to want to allocate an investment  of $15,000 -$25,000 to begin dreaming up a vision with a professional landscape designer.  With this we start getting into laying pavers, building a fire pit  and small to medium sized water features, entertaining the idea of having low voltage lighting installed as well. It’s a mix and match with the features above. If we’re talking all of the features above and then some…read on.

Investments go up from here and the sky is the limit when adding custom living spaces, outdoor kitchens, pergolas, koi ponds, landscape lighting and more.


In the world of landscaping, the true cost extends beyond numbers; it encompasses the experience, satisfaction, and realization of your vision. So, when considering landscaping services, remember that the value of hiring your ideal contractor is an investment that goes beyond the initial price tag.

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