Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What landscape design & installation is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
Landscape design and installation is a project in which a background-checked local pro walks your property, draws a plan that fits your sun, soil, slope and climate, and then builds it: grading, soil preparation, planting, mulch, edging and the connections to irrigation, lighting or hardscape. Landscape Design & Installation in Los Gatos is booked through pros who cover its 4 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as Downtown Los Gatos, Almond Grove, and Belgatos. In Los Gatos, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain. You review the plan before work starts, and each pro sets their own price and warranty.
What a landscape design & installation visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Site walk, goals discussion and measurements
- Design plan with plant list and layout
- Soil preparation and grading
- Plants, trees, mulch and groundcover installed
- Irrigation, lighting or hardscape coordination
- Final walkthrough and care instructions
Pick what is on your landscape design & installation list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Planning and site work
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a landscape design & installation job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
Choosing a planting approach
The look you want and the maintenance you accept decide the palette. These are the common directions and what each asks of you. Tap an option to compare, then add your pick to your job notes.
What the design stage produces
Before installation starts, the pro should show you what will be built. What each pro provides can differ, so confirm these items when you compare pros.
- A plan view of the yard showing beds, paths, lawn and hardscape locations
- A plant list with common names, mature size, sun and water needs
- Notes on soil preparation, grading and drainage
- A list of what is included in the installation and what is left to other trades
- A phasing option if you want to build the yard in stages
- A care sheet covering first-season watering and pruning
What is not part of landscape design & installation
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- Any landscape project that reaches $1,000 in labor and materials goes to a licensed contractor, and NorTech flags it before you book.
- Retaining walls, patios, decks, fences and pergolas. These are separate trades with their own pros and often need a permit.
- New outdoor electrical circuits and gas lines for fire features: licensed trades done by pros who hold the license, not part of the planting scope.
- Large tree removal, stump grinding and work near power lines: those belong to tree-care services.
- Major regrading, drainage systems or foundation moisture problems. These have their own services and may need engineering.
- Pest or disease treatment of existing trees beyond planting new ones.
License and permits for landscape design & installation
Planting and bed work is done by landscape pros, but several parts of a full yard project fall under licensed trades: outdoor electrical, gas for fire features, retaining walls, drainage and larger grading. Pros who take those pieces hold the license for that work.
Permits are commonly needed for retaining walls above a certain height, new electrical circuits, gas lines, grading that changes how water leaves the lot and removal of large protected trees. Rules vary a lot by area, so ask your pro and your local building office early.
Check each pro profile for license information, and ask for permit copies on any structure, wiring or gas portion before work starts.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking landscape design & installation works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book landscape design & installation
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Photograph the yard at different hours
Take photos in morning, midday and evening, plus a shot of the whole yard from each corner. Sun and shade shape every plant choice, and photos let pros see them before the walk.
Write down how you use the space
List who uses the yard, whether pets or kids play there, where you want shade, privacy or a seat and what you dislike about it now. A pro designs better from a use list than from a plant wish list.
Find your utilities
Know where the water shutoff, meter, gas, electric lines and septic or cleanout covers sit. Pros will call for utility marking before digging, but your notes save time and prevent surprises.
Check HOA and water-agency rules first
Ask for written landscape rules, plant lists, tree limits and rebate programs. A plan that follows them from the start avoids rework.
Decide your maintenance appetite
Be honest about how much time you will spend watering, pruning and weeding. Tell the pro, because the same yard can be built for weekly attention or for a few visits a year.
Ask to see plant sizes and spacing
Ask what size each plant is at installation, how big it gets and how far apart it will be placed. Crowded planting looks full on day one and needs removing within a few years.
Say where in Los Gatos you are
Add your neighborhood, for example Downtown Los Gatos, Almond Grove, and Belgatos, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes landscape design & installation
Best time to book landscape design & installation
Roots establish best when the soil is workable and the weather is mild. In freeze-thaw climates plant after the last hard frost or early in fall. In hot, dry climates fall planting lets roots grow through the cooler months before summer stress arrives. In Los Gatos, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain.
Together
Book landscape design & installation with your neighbors
Every home on the street gets the pro’s neighbor rate, and each one books and pays on its own.
Start a Street Day- Start one
Pick the job, your street, a day and a pro who offers a neighbor rate.
- Share the link
Send it to neighbors. Only the city is ever shown publicly, never your street.
- Neighbors join
Neighbors on your street book the same pro on the same day.
- Everyone saves
Each home gets the pro’s neighbor rate, a percent off the pro’s own price, and books and pays on its own.
Often booked together with landscape design & installation
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
New planting needs a watering plan designed with it, so zones match each plant group.
Path and accent lights are easiest to run before mulch and plants cover the trenches.
A fresh mulch layer after planting holds moisture and finishes the look.
Fixing water that pools in the yard before planting protects the new beds.
Around Los Gatos
Where in Los Gatos the work happens, and the cities close by.
Landscape Design & Installation across Los Gatos
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near Los Gatos
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in Los Gatos
Each one has its own page for this city.
Oak-lined streets and wooded hillside lots above the Creek Trail drop heavy leaf litter, so keeping Los Gatos gutters clear protects foundations and hillside drainage through the wet season.
See pros in Los GatosHillside homes in Belgatos and the surrounding foothills lean on decks for indoor-outdoor living, and sun exposure plus winter rain means regular refinishing keeps boards safe and looking sharp.
See pros in Los GatosWhether refreshing an Almond Grove craftsman or a modern custom home, crisp interior painting is a high-impact upgrade for Los Gatos sellers and remodelers.
See pros in Los GatosDriveways, patios, and walkways pick up moss and grime in shaded foothill neighborhoods, and pressure washing restores curb appeal on both historic downtown lots and hillside estates.
See pros in Los GatosFrom downtown historic buildings to newer hillside homes, an up-front handyman visit handles the running punch list of repairs, mounting, and small fixes Los Gatos homeowners put off.
See pros in Los GatosInstallation of automatic sprinkler and irrigation systems by a licensed landscape contractor: zones, valves, heads, controllers, backflow and a water-wise design.
See pros in Los GatosTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
Los Gatos homeowners
Landscape Design & Installation reviews in Los Gatos
Verified landscape design & installation reviews from Los Gatos homeowners will appear here.
Be the first landscape design & installation review in Los Gatos
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell Los Gatos how your pro did.
Book Landscape Design & Installation in Los GatosFrequently asked