Cultivate the landscape of your dreams on a budget
The average cost to redo landscaping is around $3,500, but prices can easily climb to $6,000 or more, depending on a few factors. That means a budget of $5,000 should give you plenty of room to make a big impact, but you’ll still need to select areas to focus your spending on. Big jobs like sodding or mulching can eat up a lot of your spending power before you get to the more impactful additions like plants, trees, and water features.
A $5,000 landscaping budget allows you to carry out some projects that can significantly improve your curb appeal. Here are eight landscaping projects you can complete for under $5,000.
Nothing makes your yard look complete like a freshly mulched garden bed full of carefully selected shrubs and flowering plants. Installing a garden bed costs between $300 and $3,000, depending on the size, curbing materials, and plants you choose, so you’ll have some room left over in your budget to add a small tree or another medium-sized landscaping feature elsewhere on your property.
Make sure to plan your landscaping design before you break ground. Knowing which materials you need, what services you have to hire, and how much your budget is can save you money throughout your landscaping project.
If you don’t mind spending most of your budget in one area, you could opt for a water feature like a small pond. Installing a pond costs around $3,400, on average—you could go up to about a 4-foot-by-6-foot pond and still remain under your $5,000 budget. If you go smaller, you could reserve $500 to $1,000 to install a small waterfall or invest in koi fish to bring some life into your water feature.
Landscape curbing consists of hard borders along the edges of flower beds, patios, walkways, or other areas on your property. Landscape curbing costs between $300 and $4,200 in most cases, but you can keep your prices toward the lower end by choosing more affordable materials, like concrete blocks, bricks, or steel curbing. If you don’t mind spending your entire budget on curbing, you could upgrade to granite or natural stone for a more luxurious appearance.
Installing a fire pit costs about $850 on average—standard prices range from $120 to $5,000. If you’re looking to reserve some of your budget for other landscaping features, avoid running a gas line and go with a traditional wood-burning fire pit. Install it aboveground and choose concrete or steel for the pit itself—they are more affordable than stone and brick. With these less expensive options, you could even have your landscaper lay down gravel or marble chips around the area and put in some affordable landscape curbing for a place to relax and unwind.
If you’re dealing with an uneven or sloping property that makes the space difficult to use, the cost of land leveling or grading might be worth the investment. It costs around $2,000 and could be the perfect way to step up your curb appeal. Couple leveling and grading with other projects like walkways and sod over your newly leveled yard for the biggest impact.
Speaking of sod, this is a high-impact project that focuses on the beauty of your lawn instead of auxiliary features. Sod installation costs around $2,000, on average, leaving the bulk of your budget for installing new features, like flower beds or hardscaping.
Outdoor lighting can boost your curb appeal at night and also increase the overall safety of your walkways and yard. Landscape lighting costs an average of $4,000, so you can quickly burn through most of your budget adding walkway lights and uplighting in garden beds. You can keep costs down by using solar or battery-powered lights rather than wiring the fixtures underground, as well as focusing on the front of your home or entertainment areas based on your preference.
Finally, you can easily fit the cost to install a sprinkler system—an average of about $2,500—into your $5,000 landscaping budget—the total will vary based on your property size and layout. A system for a larger property could eat up your entire budget, but it can also keep your plants, grass, and trees alive, which could end up saving you money down the road.
While a $5,000 landscaping budget might seem like plenty to get the yard of your dreams, professional landscaping services can get expensive, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead to make sure you stay under that total while redoing your landscaping.
Consider planning one large landscaping addition and couple that with smaller projects to complement the main focus. Consider going with a pond or water feature, outdoor lighting, or a high-end garden bed in the front yard, and then using the rest of your budget for things like mulching flower beds and adding plants to provide depth and variety. You could choose two larger projects to use up your budget, but the rest of your property might not look as well-maintained if you don’t spend some money on the upkeep of existing landscaping.
While planning your landscaping projects, pay careful attention to the materials you use, too, as some luxury options like granite curbing, pavers for walkways and patios, or adding a waterfall and koi to your outdoor pond can quickly drive up costs. Opting instead for brick or concrete block curbing, poured concrete surfaces, and a smaller pond featuring without fish can have a similar impact but keep costs down. Consider working with a landscape designer near you to choose more affordable materials that will still amp up the “wow factor.” The cost to hire a landscape designer can be money well spent if you utilize their expertise.
Yes, landscaping adds value to your home because it improves your curb appeal, which creates an instantly positive impression on potential buyers. In fact, landscaping is widely regarded as one of the best home improvement projects for maximizing your return on investment. A $5,000 landscaping budget can add more than $5,000 to your home’s value, making it an excellent investment.
Yes, you should absolutely tell your landscaper if you intend to work with a specific budget. Provided you hire a reliable landscaper, they’ll be able to maximize the impact of your projects by helping you pick more affordable materials that will still boost your curb appeal and the usability of your property.
Landscaping prices are sometimes negotiable, but it depends on the professional with whom you’re working. In most cases, you’ll have a better chance of negotiating prices down the more work you have done. Your pro might be willing to discount labor if they’re guaranteed a large job. You can also ask your landscaper to recommend more affordable materials that will still bring your vision to life to save.
