Yard landscaping in Boise, Idaho

Yard landscaping in Boise usually comes up when a homeowner walks outside and doesn't know where to start. Maybe it's a new build with bare dirt and a builder's strip of sod. Maybe it's an older home with an overgrown front yard, a side yard full of weeds and a backyard that never got finished. Either way, the yard feels like one big problem instead of a list of jobs.

Yard landscaping means planning and building the whole yard as one connected space, not one corner at a time with no plan. I look at the front, back and side yards together, figure out what each one needs to do for you, and build it in the order that makes sense. I'm the one on site from the first consultation through the last plant, so nothing gets lost between a planner and a crew.

Starting from bare dirt or starting over

The two most common yards I see call for different approaches.

A new build often has compacted builder fill, a rough grade, a basic sprinkler system or none at all, and very little planted. The good news is you get to start fresh. The work is mostly building up: fixing the grade, loosening the soil and adding everything else.

An older yard has a lot already there. Some of it is worth keeping, like a healthy shade tree or a solid patio. Some of it, like an overgrown hedge, a failing lawn or a sprinkler system patched too many times, needs to come out. The work starts with sorting what stays from what goes.

Front, back and side yards do different jobs

Each part of the yard has its own job, and I design them that way.

• The front yard is about curb appeal and getting people to the door. It needs a clear walkway, clean edges, plants that look good all year and a smart plan for the strip by the street. My driveway landscaping page covers the space along the drive.
• The backyard is where you live. It's patios, lawn for kids and dogs, shade, privacy and maybe a fire pit or water feature.
• The side yard is usually narrow, shady and forgotten. It often carries water from the roof and the neighbors, so it needs good drainage, a path you can walk and plants that handle shade. You can see one I redid in my side yard remodel in Harris Ranch.

The order the work happens in

The biggest mistake I see in yard projects is doing things out of order. Someone lays new sod, then digs it up for a patio, then digs it up again for sprinkler lines. Here's the order I build a yard in:

• Grading and drainage. The ground gets shaped first so water moves away from the house. See yard grading.
• Underground work. Sprinkler main lines, drip lines and sleeves under future paths go in next, along with wiring for lighting.
• Hardscape. Patios, walls, walkways and steps get built while the yard is still open for equipment.
• Trees and large shrubs. These go in before smaller plants because they need the biggest holes.
• Beds and smaller plants. Perennials, groundcovers and mulch or rock.
• Lawn last. Sod or seed goes down once heavy work is done, so it doesn't get torn up. More on that at lawn landscaping.

Building a yard in phases

Not everyone wants to do the whole yard at once. That's fine, as long as there's a plan for the whole yard first. A landscape plan lets you build the front yard this year and the backyard later without undoing work. I put in sleeves under paths for future pipe and wiring, and I leave room for later features so the next phase connects to the first one.

What a Boise yard has to handle

Yards in the Treasure Valley deal with a lot. Summers are hot and dry. Winters freeze and thaw over and over. The wind can dry out plants and blow mulch away. The soil is often clay, usually alkaline and in new subdivisions packed hard. Many people also want less lawn to cut water use. Good yard landscaping plans for all of it: plants that handle heat and cold, drip irrigation for beds, solid bases under hardscape and lawn only where it gets used.

What changes the cost

The price of landscaping a yard depends on:

• How much of the yard is part of the project
• How much has to be removed first
• Grading, drainage and soil work
• New or reworked irrigation
• Hardscape like patios, walls and paths, and the materials
• How many plants and trees, and their sizes
• Lawn, rock or other ground cover
• Whether you build all at once or in phases

I give a price after we walk the yard and talk about how you want to use it.

Yards across the valley

I take on yard landscaping in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton, Kuna, Garden City, Hidden Springs, Sun Valley and Ketchum. For a full list of what I install, see my landscape installations page or my landscaping services overview.

If your yard feels like too much to figure out alone, let's start with a plan. Schedule a consultation for yard landscaping in Boise, or call me at (541) 961-7269, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.