Landscape Design & Installation
Complete landscape design and installation — plants, trees, irrigation, drainage, decorative rock, turf integration, and lighting.
Quick planning summary
- Best for
- Homeowners and property managers planning a full front- or backyard landscape — desert conversion, planting design, drainage, and hardscape coordination — who want one accountable team from plan to install instead of a designer who hands you a drawing and disappears
- Planning investment
- Landscape installs in the Phoenix metro typically run $6–$18 per sq ft of yard area installed, depending on how much demo, grading, drainage, hardscape, and irrigation the plan includes.
- Typical timeline
- Design and plant palette: 1–3 weeks.
- Service area
- Phoenix metro — Peoria, Glendale, Surprise, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Paradise Valley, and surrounding cities.
- AE division
- AE Outdoor Living
Ranges are planning guidance and reviewed periodically. Final figures live in your signed proposal.
See real numbers before you call.
Our pricing guide shows the planning ranges we actually see on Arizona jobs — no "call for pricing," no hidden cost drivers.
New River Resort Backyard
A full resort transformation in New River, AZ — pool with in-water basketball, raised infinity-edge spa with fire trough and rain-curtain feature wall, stacked-stone ramada with outdoor TV and fireplace, color-changing pool and landscape lighting, and shade sails framed by metal palm sculptures.
What AE currently offers for this scope
Only options we actively design, source, and build today. Ask in your intake if you don't see what you're picturing.
- Complete landscape design
- Plant & tree installation
- Irrigation & drip systems
- Grading & drainage
- Decomposed granite
- Decorative rock & boulders
- Xeriscaping
- Artificial-turf integration
- Landscape lighting
- Complete landscape renovations
Landscape scopes we build
- —Desert / low-water conversion (grass-out, decomposed granite, boulders, drought-adapted planting)
- —Full front-yard landscape with curb appeal focus
- —Backyard landscape integrated with pool, pavers, turf, and shade
- —Commercial and HOA common-area landscape
- —Drainage-first landscape rebuilds where the existing yard sheds toward the house
- —Planting-only refreshes with irrigation upgrade
What a full landscape usually includes
- —Site walk, grade check, and soil evaluation
- —Master plan (2D or design-studio 3D) with plant palette
- —Grading and drainage plan
- —Irrigation design (drip for planting, spray only where turf is used)
- —Hardscape coordination (pavers, borders, seat walls)
- —Boulder placement and rock ground cover
- —Planting and 30-day establishment watering plan
- —Landscape lighting rough-in coordinated with hardscape trenches
Use the right planning tool for this project.
Use these first, then send AE the result so we can review your project with better context.
Landscape design and installation across the Valley
Desert-adapted planting plans, drip irrigation on smart controllers, decomposed granite, boulders, and tree placement matched to sun, wind, and HOA palettes. We design for the mature look — not just install day.
- Phoenix
- Scottsdale
- Paradise Valley
- Arcadia
- Cave Creek
- Carefree
- Fountain Hills
- Peoria
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Goodyear
- Litchfield Park
- Avondale
- Chandler
- Gilbert
- Mesa
The 13 questions AE answers for every landscape design & installation project
Each link goes to the canonical AE page that answers the question — cost guide, planning tool, warranty scope, real project, or homeowner FAQ. If a question isn't yet linked, it's because we're still finalizing the source page rather than publishing anything we can't stand behind.
- What is it?
Full landscape design, planting, soil prep, decomposed granite, boulders, and architectural plant placement.
See answer - Who is it for?See answer
- Is AE the right fit?See answer
- What are my options?See answer
- What drives the cost?See answer
- What drives the timeline?See answer
- What goes wrong if it's planned poorly?See answer
- How does it hold up in Arizona conditions?See answer
- What does maintenance look like?See answer
- Permits, HOA, and engineering?See answer
- Warranty and manufacturer docs?See answer
- Show me a real project.See answer
- Is there a planning tool?See answer
The scope items that move the number
Size, selections, access, demolition, utilities, engineering, drainage, permitting, HOA requirements, site conditions, and specialty trades. We surface each one in your written scope instead of teasing a price that omits common cost drivers.
- Total square footage and how much grass or existing landscape needs demo
- Grade change and drainage work required (french drains, dry wells, swales)
- Plant sizes (1-gal vs. 5-gal vs. 15-gal vs. specimen trees)
- Boulder tonnage and placement access
- Irrigation scope — new install vs. tie-in vs. full rebuild
- Rock / DG type and depth
- Hardscape coordination (paver borders, seat walls, path lights)
- HOA plant-list and design-review requirements
- SRP or city rebate paperwork if converting from grass
What this looks like in Arizona heat, soil, and monsoon
Caliche and clay
Large parts of the Valley sit on caliche (a hard calcium-carbonate crust) and heavy clay. Both prevent proper root growth and drainage if you plant straight into them. We pot-hole and amend planting beds and, when caliche is thick, break it through with a rock bar or auger so water can move down instead of pooling.
Water budget and rebates
SRP, the City of Mesa, City of Chandler, and several Valley municipalities offer grass-removal rebates when you convert lawn to a qualifying desert landscape with drip irrigation. Rules and per-square-foot payouts change; we confirm current terms before the plan is finalized so paperwork lines up with the install.
HOA design review
Most Valley HOAs require plant lists, plan drawings, and boulder / DG color to be approved before install. We handle the submittal packet as part of design so the schedule isn't blown by a two-week review you didn't know about.
How we build it, summarized
- — Written, itemized scope before any work begins; no verbal change orders.
- — Engineering, drainage, and code review documented in the approved design.
- — Manufacturer instructions and current AZ code govern installation methods.
- — Photo documentation captured at each major milestone for the project file.
Final specifications depend on the approved design, site conditions, engineering, applicable code, manufacturer instructions, and signed scope.
See full Construction Standards →Set in your signed proposal
Your signed proposal and agreement control payment milestones, permitting responsibilities, warranty coverage, exclusions, and project scope. Pool and non-pool projects follow different milestone schedules.
What's covered, and by whom
AE provides a two-year workmanship warranty unless a signed agreement states otherwise. Manufacturer warranties apply where applicable and vary by product. Your signed agreement and manufacturer documentation control coverage.
- Landscape, hardscape, stone, paversAE workmanship: 2-year workmanship
- Plants & treesAE workmanship: 90-day replacement with proper care, subject to exclusions
Website information is for planning purposes. Your signed proposal and agreement control the scope, payment schedule, warranty, and project responsibilities.
What to clarify before choosing — common planning mistakes to avoid
- Planting before drainage — water pools around new plants and the house foundation
- Grade sloped toward the house instead of away
- Wrong plant zone (planting Bay Area or Texas favorites that fail in Sonoran heat)
- Spray irrigation on planting beds instead of drip — wastes water and stresses plants
- Rock installed too shallow (under 2") so weeds punch through in year one
- Skipping soil prep in caliche or heavy clay
Often built alongside
Ready to plan this the right way?
One accountable team — design, written scope, build, and aftercare.