$50,000–$75,000 · 5 weeks
Pecan grove backyard, Seguin
Near the Guadalupe River, Seguin · finished 2025 · led by Jen Alvarez
Landscape Design · from $45,000–$150,000
Backyard design in New Braunfels and the Hill Country
A backyard is where you'll spend the money, and where the pieces have to fit: the patio has to drain, the pergola has to shade the patio, the lights need conduit under the stone before it's set, and the beds need drip lines before the mulch goes down. Designing it all at once is how you avoid tearing out last year's work to do this year's.
We start with how you'll use the space. Weeknight dinners for four? Saturday crawfish for thirty? A dog that runs the fence line? Then we lay out rooms: a place to eat, a place to sit by a fire, a play lawn, planting to screen the neighbors, and paths that connect them.
Who it's for
Who backyard design is for
Homeowners planning more than one improvement, even if they'll build in phases. If you want a patio this year and a kitchen in two, the design makes sure the gas line, electrical and drainage for the kitchen go in under this year's patio.
It's also for difficult lots: flat clay yards in Seguin that hold water, steep yards in Boerne and Canyon Lake that need walls, and shady yards under big live oaks or pecans where grass won't grow.
Materials and options
Backyard building blocks and typical installed costs
| Element | Common materials | Typical installed cost |
|---|---|---|
| Patio | Flagstone, porcelain pavers, concrete pavers | $18–$32 per sq ft |
| Shade | Cedar or steel pergola, roofed patio cover | $14,000–$70,000 |
| Fire feature | Limestone fire pit, gas or wood | $4,500–$12,000 |
| Lawn | Zoysia, Bermuda, buffalo grass sod | $1.60–$2.80 per sq ft |
| Planting and drip | Native shrubs, grasses, trees | $12–$22 per sq ft of bed |
| Drainage | French drain, dry creek bed, regrading | $45–$110 per linear ft |
What it costs
What backyard design costs
$45,000–$150,000
for most installed backyards, design credited
A backyard with a flagstone patio, new beds, drip and lighting usually lands between $45,000 and $80,000. Add a pergola or patio cover, an outdoor kitchen, retaining walls or major drainage work and most projects fall between $90,000 and $150,000.
If that's more than you want to spend at once, we'll phase it. The design shows the finished yard, the proposal splits it into phases, and each phase is priced and fixed on its own.
Timeline
How long it takes
Most backyards take four to nine weeks to build after a two-to-three-week design.
- Site walk and design2–3 weeks
- Permits for structures, if needed2–4 weeks
- Grading, drainage and utilities1–2 weeks
- Hardscape and structures2–5 weeks
- Irrigation, planting and lighting1–2 weeks
The order we build in
Water first, then stone, then plants. We fix grading and drainage before anything else, run sleeves and conduit under where the patio will go, build hardscape and structures, then install irrigation, plants, mulch and lights last so nothing gets trampled. Your project lead keeps that order on schedule and tells you each Friday what happens next week.
Case study
Pecan grove backyard, Seguin
A flat half-acre under five mature pecans that held water for days, regraded with a French drain, new Zoysia, garden beds and a cedar fence.
Read the case study“We got 4 inches of rain in an afternoon in June and the yard was dry by the next morning. That alone was worth it. The dogs haven't gotten out once.”
Questions
Backyard design questions
Can we live at home during a backyard build?
Yes. Almost everyone does. We work 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, keep a clear path to your back door, and clean up every afternoon. Dogs need to stay inside or in a run while crews and equipment are on site.
How do you protect existing trees?
We fence the root zone before equipment arrives, hand-dig near large roots and keep grade changes outside the drip line wherever possible. Live oak pruning is scheduled outside February through June to reduce oak wilt risk.
Do we need a permit for a backyard project?
Patios and plantings usually don't. Roofed patio covers, decks over 30 inches, retaining walls over 4 feet and new gas or electrical lines usually do. We pull the permits, schedule inspections and include the fees in your price.
What if we only want part of it right now?
Build in phases. We design the whole yard, then price phases separately so the first phase includes the pipes, conduit and grading the later phases depend on.
Where we build this most
Free · 45 minutes · no obligation
Start with a free site walk
Forty-five minutes on your property with a designer. You'll leave with honest numbers and a clear next step. A fixed-price proposal with a 3D render follows within two weeks.