You're kidding, right? In my region you'd pay $60 - $100 for good sized shrubs from a reasonably priced nursery. You'd pay about half that for the big box storesÂand they'd be about 1/3 the size. Think waiting 2 to 3 years for the smaller shrubs to catch up. Trees? Well, they'd be a bit pricierÂIs the work being priced just for the front yard? I've received several bids for a small landscape project in my backyard that would include re-grading mistakes of the distant past. (Note: You bet there's a warning here. Poorly done grading can mean water issues.) The quotes are coming in at $5,000 to $6,500, if we go with a newly paved patio after the grading. That's for a relatively small area of my modest overall landscape. You want shrubsÂa 50' hedge rowÂgrading seedingÂetc.? I guess I'm wondering who will evaluate the grade and get the drainage right, who will plan for decks, patios, walkways? What about exterior lighting, automatic watering? Sounds to me as though you already have this as cheap as possible Believe me, for 10k you'll get what you paid forÂand it probably won't be much. How much consultation with the LA will you have? Are you just receiving some sort of "standard package" or will the LA give you personal attention and all the different kinds of plan drawings that come with a professional LA? Are you getting the feeling of "Here's your grade work. There's your seed. Here's your row of hedge row shrubs. See ya' later!" (Sound of truck driving off rapidly.) If it were me, I'd be driving over to talk to this guy's previous customers. How happy are they? What does their landscape look like? I'd be talking with friends who have done landscape work that appeals to me and asking them what it cost. Either way, you might be better off putting $5,000 toward consultation with a reputable landscape architect firm for the purpose of developing a comprehensive site-analysis and exterior plan. The work doesn't have to all be implemented at once, but can be done in phases. I'd particularly recommend such a course for someone who aims to have low-maintenance. No landscape can be maintained without some care, and it takes thoughtfulness and planning to get something that is both attractive and relatively trouble free. A really beautiful home can be made into a sad, depressed looking trollop if the exterior work is done too much "on the cheap". Mistakes can damage your home and be costly to fix later on. Think in terms of spending 10 to 20 % of the cost of your home. That's the "rule of thumb" that's out there. Wellspring, who is just a homeowner somewhere on the low-cost-of-living prairie

The outdoor structure is attached to the house as part of the roof. Removing it will change the roof structure and incur a large expense. U can update the posts but those type are very common here in Southern California. U can paint white and add cone lights to the bottom to give more light. For your yard I believe in using space for whatever u need it. Seating areas are great u can always buy a bar if u don’t want to build one in. Matching your pavement is going to be a challenge because that pavement is from the 60s. I do see play equipment. You could do synthetic if u don’t have a dog and u can always put chairs and a bar on synthetic. Also it is unsafe to put a charcoal grill under a structure. We have to put in vent hoods if we put a grill in and our grills are gas not charcoal.

I highly recommend joining your local FB garden group. Neighbors are always dividing plants and happy to share. In the meantime, walk around your neighborhood and see what plants are doing well, observe the growing conditions for similar to yours, chat up the neighbors. I’m always sharing my plants and letting my neighbors know what’s doing well in their conditions and locations (plus commiserations on the bunny and squirrel destruction!). And check out the everything is free section for sidewalk materials- I got some bluestone pavers a few years ago for free and over time installed them in my side yard path. Saved me a load of $$$.

When you are overwhelmed, you can take it in steps or hire a pro. If you want to start on steps yourself, here are some suggestions. 1. Repair the gutter with downspout. It should dump the water outside the planting bed. 2. Amend the soil with a vast amount of compost (say four-six inches deep spread on top of the soile and then dug in) and some all-purpose fertilizer. Then plant annuals that will bloom in spring, summer and fall. 3. While you see what grows well in your annual bed this year, make some plans for long lasting landscaping. You can sometimes buy a custom landscape plan from a local nursery for a few hundred dollars or you can hire a professional landscape designer for more extensive services.