What Does a Complete Backyard Cost in Boise?
Most complete backyards we design and build in Boise and the Treasure Valley invest $75,000–$130,000 in 2026, design and build included. That's a yard of about 1,500 to 4,000 square feet with a patio and fire, lawn or garden, paths, planting, irrigation and lighting, in refined finishes on a mostly level lot. Compact yards typically run $60,000–$115,000, and a large yard in natural stone $120,000–$215,000. Your real figure is set in design, once we've measured the site and drawn the plan.
- Typical project
- $75k–$130k for 1,500–4,000 sq ft
- Design fee
- Set after the site visit
- Where
- Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Star, Kuna and the Treasure Valley
For a complete backyard of about 1,500–4,000 sq ft, with refined finishes on a mostly level site, most projects like this invest between $75,000 and $130,000. Link to this range
How Much Does a Backyard Remodel Cost in Boise?
Each row is a whole backyard, designed and built by one team from the first drawing to the last plant. Rows assume refined finishes on a mostly level lot unless they say otherwise.
| Project | Typical Investment | What's Usually Included |
|---|---|---|
| A compact backyard | $60,000–$115,000 | Up to about 1,500 sq ft: a patio with a fire pit, a small lawn or garden, planting, irrigation and lighting. |
| A typical backyard | $75,000–$130,000 | About 1,500–4,000 sq ft: a terrace sized for dining and fire, lawn or garden, paths, planting beds, irrigation and lighting. |
| A typical backyard on a sloping lot | $85,000–$150,000 | About 1,500–4,000 sq ft on ground that slopes or is hard to reach, with more grading, steps between levels and drainage carried away from the house. |
| A large backyard in natural stone | $120,000–$215,000 | About 4,000–10,000 sq ft in natural stone and custom details: several rooms linked by paths, with more planting and more light. |
What Moves a Backyard Up or Down the Range?
- How much is built, and how much is planted. Paving, walls and steps take more material and labor than lawn and beds, so the balance between them moves the number more than the yard's size alone.
- The finish. Choosing natural stone over pavers or concrete raises the whole range, not just the patio, because the steps, caps and edges follow the same choice.
- What you add to it. A gas fire pit is part of most backyards we build. A pergola or covered patio, a fireplace, a kitchen or a water feature each adds to the range, and the planner shows what they do together.
- What comes out first. An old patio, tired sod, overgrown shrubs or a builder's rough grade has to go before the new yard goes in.
- The ground. Treasure Valley soils tend to be lean and alkaline. Soil that needs amending, or a yard that drains toward the house, adds work before anything is planted.
- Water. Many yards here water from pressurized irrigation on canal water, others from the city supply. A system designed for your source, with drip for the beds, is part of every complete backyard.
- Access. A yard reached through a narrow side gate means smaller machines and more work by hand.
What Does a Backyard Range Include?
- DesignA measured site plan, a concept, 3D renderings, and the planting, lighting and irrigation plans the crew builds from.
- Outdoor LivingA patio or terrace sized to how you'll use it, usually with a gas fire feature and seat walls.
- Lawn or GardenSod, water-wise beds or a mix, on ground that has been graded and amended first.
- Paths and StepsLinks from the back door to the patio, the side gates and the garden.
- PlantingTrees, shrubs, grasses and perennials that take high-desert heat, cold and dry air.
- IrrigationNew or reworked zones, set up for pressurized irrigation or city water.
- LightingLight on the paths, the steps and the patio, with the cable laid before any paving.
- ApprovalsPlans for your HOA's review and any permits the work calls for.
The range doesn't include a pool or spa (we design the setting around one with your pool builder), outdoor furniture, or any fee your HOA charges for review. A kitchen is priced with the space around it: see what an outdoor kitchen costs.
How Can a Backyard Budget Go Further?
- Build the hard parts first. Grading, drainage, paving and the irrigation mainline are the hardest to add later. With the whole yard designed, planting, shade or a kitchen can follow a season later without digging anything up.
- Keep what's worth keeping. A healthy mature tree, a sound slab or good topsoil can stay and be designed around. Our Craftsman garden terrace is built around an old tree.
- Plan over the winter. A backyard designed in fall or winter is ready to build as soon as the ground allows, and planting lands in spring, once irrigation water is back on.
- Put stone where you sit. Natural stone on the terrace you use every evening; gravel or mulch paths at the back of the yard, where nobody lingers.
How Does a Range Become a Price?
- Design Consultation. A call with a designer about your goals and a comfortable range.
- Site Visit. We walk and measure the property, then send a design proposal with a fixed fee.
- Design. The investment estimate is updated at every design meeting.
- Fixed-Price Proposal. Once the design is final, the price is too.
These ranges come from the same model as the investment guide and the planner above. How we build them.
About Backyard Budgets.
Something else on your mind? Ask a Designer
How much does a complete backyard cost in Boise?
Most invest $75,000–$130,000, design and build included. That's a typical yard of about 1,500 to 4,000 square feet, in refined finishes on a mostly level lot. A compact yard runs $60,000–$115,000, a sloping one $85,000–$150,000, and a large yard in natural stone $120,000–$215,000.
Why don't you price backyards by the square foot?
Because two yards of the same size can land at opposite ends of the range. One is mostly lawn and planting; the other is mostly stone, steps and walls. A per-foot figure hides that difference, so we price the whole design, and the estimate is updated at every design meeting.
Is the design fee part of these ranges?
Yes. Every range covers design and build together. Your design fee is set in a written agreement after the site visit, based on the size of the site, its grade and how much you want to build. It's fixed before design starts, and it won't rise if the build budget does.
What if we only want a patio and a fire pit?
Then an outdoor living space is the closer fit, and most invest $50,000–$85,000. That's a designed terrace with fire, seat walls, lighting and the planting around it. What an outdoor living space costs covers it in detail.
Does a pool fit within these ranges?
The setting around it can; the pool itself is separate. We design the decking, planting and lighting around a pool or spa with your pool builder. Pool surroundings add to a backyard's range: add them in the planner to see the whole project move.