Front yard and back yard landscaping cost in 2026, priced by the size of your actual yard
What a landscaping refresh, a full yard renovation and a design-build cost on a 500, 1,000 and 2,000 sq ft yard, how to measure your front and back yard from satellite, and where the money goes.
Landscapers price by the square foot, so a quote is only as good as the measurement under it. Most people guess their yard size, and most guess wrong. Measure it first, then see what a refresh, a renovation and a design-build cost on it.
Measure your yard
Enter your address in our free landscaping quote. It outlines your whole yard, the front yard and the back yard from public building footprints and street maps (halfway to each neighbour, stopping at the street), and shows how much of it is green in the aerial photo. Drag the outline to fit your property line before it prices anything. It is an estimate, not a survey.
Typical sizes: a front yard of 400–800 sq ft on a city lot, a back yard of 800–2,000 sq ft, and much more on larger suburban lots.
What landscaping costs by yard size
| Type | 500 sq ft | 1,000 sq ft | 2,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh | $2,237 | $4,124 | $7,897 |
| Full renovation | $5,382 | $10,413 | $20,476 |
| Design-build with hardscape | $10,413 | $20,476 | $40,603 |
- Refresh: beds edged and mulched, tired plants replaced, everything trimmed. A tidy-up, not a redesign.
- Full renovation: grading, soil preparation, new beds and fresh sod. The yard rebuilt from the ground up.
- Design-build: planting plus paths, a patio, lighting and irrigation, designed and built as one project.
Priced by the same engine our quote tool uses, at its starter rates; landscapers set their own. For what each material costs per square foot, see landscaping cost per square foot.
Just the lawn?
If the beds are fine and only the grass has failed, new sod is far cheaper than a renovation:
| Type | 500 sq ft | 1,000 sq ft | 2,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sod | $1,206 | $2,213 | $4,225 |
| Sod + soil preparation | $1,640 | $3,081 | $5,961 |
| Sod + grading + irrigation-ready | $2,087 | $3,974 | $7,747 |
Front yard or back yard first?
- Front yard if you are selling within a few years: it is what buyers see in the listing photo, and it is smaller, so it costs less.
- Back yard if you are staying: it is where you spend time, and it is where a patio, shade and irrigation pay off.
- Drainage first, wherever it is. If water runs toward the house, fixing that is the project; planting over it wastes the plants.
Common questions
How much does it cost to landscape a front yard?
About $2,237 for a refresh and $5,382 for a full renovation on 500 sq ft.
How much does backyard landscaping cost?
On 1,000 sq ft: about $4,124 to refresh, $10,413 to renovate and $20,476 for a design-build.
How do I measure my yard?
Enter your address in the free landscaping quote and adjust the outline it draws.
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