Get matched with top landscapers in Columbus Junction, IA

The best way to landscape your front yard on a budget is to invest in hiring a professional for hardscaping—things like upgrading walkways, redoing driveways, and installing partitions around garden beds. You can often do the softscaping yourself—think laying down mulch, caring for your lawn, removing weeds, and planting flowers and shrubs. It’s also almost always worthwhile to pay a professional for routine yard maintenance, as this dramatically improves curb appeal and delivers above 100% ROI in most cases.

There are many factors to consider when building an in-ground concrete pool. This includes the pool’s primary purpose (relaxation or exercise) if you live in a warm or cold climate (how often it’ll be used), and if you have the budget for chemical treatments and pool maintenance. In-ground pools are often more costly than aboveground pools, but they’re considered more luxurious and hold more value.

The average cost for landscaping is around $3,500, but prices can range from as low as $200 for simple DIY projects to $14,000 or more for extensive work. Several factors influence the final price, including your geographic location, yard size, project scope, chosen materials, site preparation, and the type of landscaping involved. Professional landscaper labor costs typically range from $50 to $100 per hour.

For a smaller budget, you can focus on softscaping projects like adding mulch, flowers, and shrubs, which might only cost a few hundred dollars if you do the work yourself. A budget of around $5,000 could cover projects like a simple patio, new plants and tree trimming, or a water feature. More extensive hardscaping projects, such as pergolas, patios, and walkways, can push the budget to $14,000 or more. For example, a flower bed installation averages between $800 and $3,000, while landscape lighting installation can cost from $2,000 to $6,000.

While both fall and spring are suitable times of the year for planting trees, fall is typically the better option. Soil stays warm long enough to allow tree roots to establish in fall before they go dormant, while spring might give way to intense summer heat before spring-planted trees have time to grow strong roots.