Concept
A clear, build-ready plan you can take anywhere.
$1,350/ design
- Site analysis
- 2D site plan
- Concept moodboard
- 1 revision round
Service
Luxury Landscape Design & Architecture — Orange County
A licensed design-build firm — architecture-grade plans you can actually build.
What's included
Every project, every time.
- ✓
Outdoor Living Rooms
Custom patios with comfortable seating areas, shade structures, and pergolas designed for year-round entertaining and relaxation in the Orange County sun. - ✓
Outdoor Kitchens & BBQ Islands
Chef-grade built-in grills, countertops, sinks, refrigeration, and bar seating designed for serious outdoor cooking and entertaining guests. - ✓
Fire Features
Custom fire pits and outdoor fireplaces in natural stone, concrete, or tile finishes. Gas and wood-burning options designed as focal points for evening gatherings. - ✓
Water Features
Elegant fountains, garden ponds, cascading water walls, and bubbling rock features that add soothing sound and visual interest to any outdoor space. - ✓
Landscape Lighting
Custom low-voltage lighting plans with pathway illumination, architectural uplighting, tree accents, and smart controls to extend outdoor enjoyment after dark. - ✓
Hardscape & Softscape
Premium pavers, natural stone, retaining walls, and concrete paired with drought-tolerant native plants, ornamental grasses, and California-adapted landscaping — zoned for weather-aware drip irrigation and layered hedges where privacy matters. - ✓
HOA Submittal Package
Drawings, material boards, and elevations formatted for Architectural Review Board review across OC communities (Irvine, Newport Coast, Laguna, Coto de Caza, etc.). - ✓
Construction-Ready Documents
Dimensioned plans, planting schedules, material specs, and details ready to hand to any reputable OC builder if you choose design-only.
Deliverables
What you actually receive.
Before / After
From bare dirt to a finished front yard.
Drag the divider, swipe on touch, or use ←/→ keys when the handle is focused. Left: the same front yard the day the house was handed over. Drag to reveal the planting, planters and path lighting.
Before image: an AI visualization generated from the finished-project photo, for illustration only. After image: an actual NHG HOME project photo.
Three ways to start
Pick the package that fits your scope.
Fixed-fee design tiers. Build cost is separate (typical range $40K–$250K+). See our full Orange County landscape design cost guide →
Signature
The package most clients pick when they intend to build.
$2,800/ design
- All Concept deliverables
- 3D rendering (1 angle)
- Planting plan
- Lighting plan
- 2 revision rounds
Estate
Full architectural integration with HOA-ready package.
$5,200+/ design
- All Signature deliverables
- 3D rendering (2 angles)
- Full material specifications
- HOA submittal package
- Construction-ready docs
- Unlimited revisions
Design fees only. Permits, HOA filing fees, materials, and construction quoted separately.
Design fees
How much does landscape design cost in Orange County?
Landscape design in Orange County is a flat fee of $1,350 to $5,200+ depending on how much documentation the project needs. That fee buys drawings, not construction — build cost is separate and typically runs $40,000 to $250,000+.
Percentage-of-construction pricing is the other model in this market, generally 10–15% of build cost. On a $120,000 backyard that works out to $12,000–$18,000 in design fees, which is why our flat tiers come in well under the percentage model on most projects.
| Package | Fee | Deliverables | Revisions | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concept | $1,350 | Site analysis, 2D site plan, concept moodboard | 1 round | A build-ready plan you can take to any contractor |
| Signature | $2,800 | Everything in Concept plus 3D rendering (1 angle), planting plan, lighting plan | 2 rounds | Clients who intend to build within the year |
| Estate | $5,200+ | Everything in Signature plus 3D rendering (2 angles), full material specifications, HOA submittal package, construction details | Unlimited within scope | Full architectural integration and HOA-governed properties |
The design fee is credited back against construction when you build with us. Full market comparison is in our Orange County landscape design cost guide.
Build cost
What does the construction itself cost?
Design and build are separate numbers, and conflating them is the most common source of sticker shock. Once drawings are approved, an Orange County landscape build runs $25 to $75 per square foot for planting, hardscape, lighting and irrigation, and $75 to $150+ per square foot once an outdoor kitchen, engineered shade structure or pool deck enters the scope.
| Scope | Installed cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Surface refresh | $25,000 – $60,000 | Planting or turf swap, small patio, path lighting, irrigation retrofit. No permitted structures. |
| Full backyard remodel | $50,000 – $150,000 | Demo and re-grade, full hardscape, planting, lighting, irrigation, one shade structure. |
| Outdoor-living build | $150,000 – $300,000 | Adds outdoor kitchen, engineered shade structure and fire feature. |
| Pool and spa addition | +$85,000 – $150,000 | Shell, decking, equipment, safety fencing and pool-side rework of the landscape plan. |
Where the money actually goes on a $120,000 build: hardscape $40,000, shade structure $18,000, kitchen and fire $16,000, planting and turf $13,000, site prep and drainage $12,000, lighting and electrical $7,000, irrigation $5,000, design and project management $5,000.
FAQ
What people ask about landscape design.
How much does landscape design cost in Orange County?
Landscape design costs in Orange County depend on project scope and lot size. Design-only packages start at $1,350 for our Concept tier, $2,800 for Signature, and $5,200+ for Estate with full HOA-ready construction documents. Full design-build projects range from $30,000 to $150,000+ depending on features, materials, and complexity. NHG HOME provides free on-site consultations with transparent, itemized estimates so there are no surprises.
How long does a landscape design project take?
The design phase typically takes 2-4 weeks, including site analysis, concept development, 3D renderings, revisions, and final construction documents. Construction timelines range from 6-16 weeks depending on project scope, permit requirements, and material lead times. A complete landscape project from initial consultation to final walkthrough averages 3-5 months. We provide a detailed schedule during your consultation.
Do you handle HOA approvals?
Yes. The majority of Orange County communities are governed by HOAs that require architectural review before any exterior modifications. NHG HOME handles the entire submission process, including preparing detailed drawings, material sample boards, and responding to committee feedback. Our extensive experience with HOAs across Irvine, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Coto de Caza, and other OC communities helps streamline approvals and avoid common rejection issues.
What areas of Orange County do you serve?
NHG HOME provides landscape design services throughout all of Orange County. Our most active areas include Irvine, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Tustin, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Newport Coast, Shady Canyon, Corona del Mar, Coto de Caza, and Ladera Ranch. Contact us to confirm service availability for your specific location.
Can I take your design and hire my own contractor?
Yes. Our Estate package ($5,200+) ships with construction-ready documents — dimensioned plans, planting schedules, material specs, and details — that any reputable contractor can build from. Many clients choose us for design-build because the same team that drew it knows how to build it, but design-only is fully supported.
How is this different from "Backyard Design"?
Backyard Design is the same craft applied to one yard. Landscape Design — Orange County is OC-wide and includes whole-property design (front yards, side yards, sport courts, multi-zone properties). The package prices and deliverables are identical; the scope and cross-property coordination is what's different.
Is the design fee credited toward construction?
Yes. When you build with us, the full design fee is credited against the construction contract, so the drawings effectively become free. If you take the plans elsewhere, the fee stands on its own — you own the drawings either way, which is not true of every design-build firm in Orange County.
How does a flat fee compare to percentage-based design pricing?
Most Orange County firms charge 10 to 15 percent of construction cost for design. On a $120,000 backyard that is $12,000 to $18,000. Our Concept, Signature and Estate tiers at $1,350, $2,800 and $5,200+ come in well below that on any project above roughly $50,000 in build cost.
What does the design package actually include?
Concept delivers site analysis, a scaled 2D site plan and a materials moodboard with one revision round. Signature adds a 3D rendering, planting plan and lighting plan with two rounds. Estate adds a second rendering angle, full material specifications, the HOA submittal package and construction details.
Your yard is the room you don't have yet.
Three minutes of questions. We come back with a recommended package, a build cost range, and a date to walk the lot.