Landscaping -- need recommendations (Dallas: to buy, professionals, price)

[2austin]

We want to make better use of our future backyard which slopes down quite a bit.

We are thinking the most inexpensive way to do it would be by creating two (or more) levels by either putting some kind of a retaining wall/step or putting large stone boulders horizontally.

Any recommendations on what else we could do?

We want to hire a landscaper who can show us a few options. Any recommendations for landscape professionals?

Thanks!

[mudbug]

We were in the same boat on our front yard. We went to Red Barn and paid their lady $400.00 for a plan for our yard. BIGGEST waste of cash ever. She must have spent less than 10 minutes on her computer and all the measurements were off. Then the plan cost was over $30,000 bucks!!!! We hired a guy on craigs list for around 2000.00 who did the same job. I am sorry be he moved to Dallas. Take the time and measure your yard and look at some neighbors yards.

[doctorjef]

The Gardens on 38th Street, just east of MoPac is very exclusive and pricey, but if you just want to hire a landscape pro to give you recommendations, you might negotiate an acceptable fee with them, or they might possibly do a consultation gratis if they thought you were a potential customer who would be following up with them for the actual work. I'm not suggesting that you intentionally deceive them, but rather that it would be perfectly normal for you to ask them to take a look at your yard and make recommendations about what they could do. That doesn't mean you are undertaking any obligation to employ them for the actual work. It's marketing for them, I would think, because you might always decide to buy some stock from them or use some of their services.

[woodinvilleguy]

Try www.grassact.com he charged us $350 for a design for our yard and spent a lot of time with us and stilll answers questions for us when we have them. Gary is a great guy.