How to Develop a Landscaping Plan for Your Yard

Experts agree a well-done landscape can add more than 100 percent of the money spent to your home’s value. But how much should you budget for this visionary transformation?

Between 10 to 15 percent of your home’s value is a great rule of thumb for establishing an overall budget for landscapes.

Keep in mind, this is for both front and back yards. The split is generally accepted to be about 65 percent allocated to the backyard, with 35 percent allocated for the front yard. 

What gets complicated is how to allocate funds to the landscaping elements you desire and what to expect to get for your investment. Before you meet with a landscape contractor, get clear on your needs and the features you envision.

If you’re married or have a partner, that means both of you.

Prioritize your list in writing. Be honest when you disagree, and write it all down — sometimes you can have it all! Consider needs like drainage issues, long-term maintenance of the added features and strategically placed shade.

Write down what elements you dream of including in your landscape: patio, patio cover, water feature, fire pit, entertaining and relaxation areas, outdoor kitchen, night lighting, misters or foggers, wood-fired outdoor oven … whatever you want.

Also, think about your personal style: What style is reflected in your interior decorating? What style is your home’s architecture? These preferences, coupled with your budget, will inform the choice of materials available for your project. 

When you meet with a landscape designer or architect, be open about your desires and budget, particularly budget limitations. If that 15-percent budget guideline took you by surprise, you’re probably under budget to actually build all your desires in one project; however, a good designer can help you strategize to both fulfill your vision and your budget.

Be open to suggestions. The designer may have insights into material choices that will lower the project cost, or scale down the size of elements like patios to help make them more affordable.

But if you really want to have it all, think in terms of phasing the installation over several projects or years. Your designer can help you establish a design you love, along with a strategy and cost allocations for future work. Having a complete design plan is pivotal for successfully phasing a landscape project.

Wading deeper into this subject we begin to consider the distribution, concentration and investment of your funds towards your desired landscape elements. For each element, there are low, middle and high-cost choices — each representing different levels of quality, size and customization. And each element has a standard range of associated costs. 

Plants and irrigation are the most affordable and easily manipulated costs of a landscape, as plants can be purchased in a large range of sizes. And the concentration of plant materials can be scant or dense as budget and design allow.

Within the budget for plants, concentrate funds on buying larger trees. Shade trees offer a big return on investment. They add more value to your home than other plant choices, plus well-placed trees can reduce your energy usage, and planting a larger shade tree now makes your new outdoor space livable faster.

Another tip: Don’t add one without the other. Adding plants without irrigation is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Hardscapes like patios, walls, seat walls and raised planter beds are more costly. So, if the transformation you envision involves these elements, expect to spend healthy chunk of your overall budget on them.

The choice of material here is a huge cost factor. Patios, for example, can be made simply with concrete pavers, while high-end materials include tile or travertine.

Shade and other custom structures add both livability to your space and value to your project. Special elements like barbecues, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, foggers, outdoor furniture and pools are high-value additions as well.

Then there are totally customized designs involving custom cabinetry, artwork, lighting and electronics, which add yet another layer of cost and customization to your project.

At this level, the only limitation is your imagination and your pocketbook. Expect your overall budget to be well over the 15 percent rule of thumb discussed earlier.

Whether you want a simple landscape addition, have an empty yard, or want to completely remodel, we hope this information will empower your decisions and your outdoor transformation. 

Editor's note: This is an updated version of article originally posted on Oct. 14, 2014.

What else should you consider when developing a landscaping plan for your yard? Share your ideas with us in the comments section below.