Custom Landscape Design in Denver, CO
If you've spent a few years redesigning your yard in your head, a custom landscape design is when it finally starts to look like a plan you can build.
Custom Landscape Design in Denver Metro
Most people think a new yard starts with a plant list or a photo of a patio they saved months ago. That’s usually where a landscape goes sideways.
A custom landscape design starts with the thinking: how the whole property should work, where you’ll actually sit, walk, and gather, and how every piece connects. All of it gets worked out before anyone orders plants from the nursery.
Here at Land Designs by Colton, owner Jonathan designs every project himself. The person planning your yard is the same one who studied landscape architecture and has drawn hundreds of properties around town.
And because the same in-house crew that builds our projects works straight from Jonathan’s drawings, the person who draws your landscape is connected to the people who install it.
See Recent Denver Landscape Designs
What a Custom Landscape Design Includes
Our landscape design services across Denver Metro start on paper first, so you can plan your yard while it’s still easy to change your mind. Here’s what you actually get:
- A site plan and layout. Measured drawings of the whole property that place the patio, beds, walkways, and grade, so every piece is placed in relation to the rest.
- 3D renderings. Views you can walk through, which is how most people finally see the finished result while it's still on the screen.
- A plant plan. This is the custom garden design inside the larger plan, with beds and borders chosen for Colorado's sun, wind, and clay soil and placed where they'll thrive. When water use matters, that leans toward water-wise and native planting suited to the Front Range.
- Materials and hardscape selections. We pick and price pavers, stone, and edging for your hardscape work up front.
- A staging plan. The order of the work, from grading to irrigation, which is what keeps a big project moving. It's the backbone of our design-and-build timeline.
3 Things That Shape a Custom Landscape Design
Site Conditions and Microclimates
- Sunny and shady zones get mapped so sun-lovers and shade plants land where they belong.
- Soil and drainage get analyzed across the whole lot, since Denver clay and the way a yard sits decide what survives and where water goes.
- Wind and exposure get factored in, because an open Front Range yard is hard on anything delicate.
How You'll Actually Use the Space
- Seating, dining, and play areas get placed before the planting, so the shape of the yard fits your day.
- Pathways and sightlines connect the parts of the property so it flows from the back door out to the far corner.
- A pergola, fire feature, or water feature sits where it pulls the space together and gets used.
Year-Round Interest
- Plants get chosen so something is doing the visual work in every season.
- Evergreen structure and winter texture get built in so the yard doesn’t go bare for half the year.
- Bloom times get staggered so color carries through spring, summer, and fall.
The Cost of Custom Landscape Design in Denver, CO
We scope and quote each custom landscape project, since a front-yard refresh and a from-scratch backyard are different animals.
Design work starts with a design fee from $1,200, and when we oversee the build, we typically fold it into the project as a percentage of the total.
Individual planting beds are more predictable, and they run roughly by size:
| Bed Size | Average Installed Cost |
|---|---|
| 3' x 6' | $350 to $1,200 |
| 3' x 10' | $600 to $2,000 |
| 4' x 4' | $300 to $1,000 |
| 4' x 8' | $650 to $2,100 |
| 5' x 10' | $1,000 to $3,200 |
| 8' x 8' | $1,300 to $4,200 |
| 8' x 10' | $1,600 to $5,200 |
| 8' x 16' | $2,600 to $8,300 |
Once we’ve seen your property, the design puts a real number on the whole plan, so you know what you’re building toward.
Why Work With a Design-Build Team on Your Landscape
One Designer From Start to Finish
An In-House Crew That Builds the Drawings
The team that installs your yard is our own, working straight from the plan, which means the people on site already know why a wall lands where it does or why a bed is graded the way it is. That’s the whole point of a landscape design and build company under one roof.
One Plan, One Number, One Timeline
Your Neighbors Love Working With Us
Rebecca Moore
I’ve been very happy working with Jonathan so far.
He recently installed an irrigation system and sod for me. The work was well done and he and his team were easy to communicate with and very helpful.
Looking forward to continuing to work with him as I finish my yard.
Francisco Africano
It was great working with Jon, Flavia, and the team. Jon provided a reasonably priced quote, made some recommendations, and completed the project in a timely manner.
I look forward to working with Land Designs by Colton again in the near future.
B
Brendan Mahoney
Jonathon and his crew were excellent. They are experienced, professional and reasonably priced. They started on time and finished on time.
They did design, demolition and installation of both hardscape and sod at our property as well as install a new fence around it. They also repaired an old sprinkler system with new equipment. Jonathon is friendly and approachable and worked with us to adjust our budget during the process. We highly recommend!
FAQ: Custom Landscape Design in Denver
Start with your conditions, meaning sun and shade, soil, and how exposed the yard is to wind, then choose plants that fit those spots and your appetite for upkeep. Colorado State University Extension has practical guidance on water-wise gardening for Colorado yards, and a plant plan pulls that thinking into a design that still looks good in every season.
We do both. Some yards get a full redesign from the ground up, and others are landscape renovations that keep what’s working and rebuild the rest around it.
Plan lighting alongside the layout so the yard still works after dark, with path lights, uplighting on features worth showing off, and softer light around seating areas. It’s easiest when landscape lighting is drawn in from the start, so the wiring and fixtures are part of the plan.
See Your Landscape In 3D Before We Build It
Call us at (720) 580-3677 or fill out the form, and we’ll set up a time to walk your property and talk through your custom landscape design.