A big outdoor upgrade should feel exciting, not overwhelming. Yet many homeowners, developers, and property teams hesitate because the process feels unclear: Who leads the plan, how decisions get made, what the timeline looks like, and how the finished space stays healthy over time.
At Complete Landsculpture, our work is built around clarity and follow-through. Established in 1985, our team delivers full-service landscape management and design/build across North Texas and Oklahoma, including the Dallas area, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa.
This guide walks through what you can expect during a full-service Landscape Design build project, using the same steady approach we bring to both residential and commercial work: collaborative planning, organized project leadership, and craftsmanship that supports long-term performance.
The first step: consultation and goals that match your property
Every successful landscaping project starts with listening. Your consultation is where we learn how you want to use the outdoor space, what problems you want to solve, and what “done” should look like for your property. Complete Landsculpture invites clients to share design desires, then sends an expert to help get the project started.
For a residential landscaping project, that might mean shaping an outdoor living space around gatherings, grilling, or a new patio that fits how you actually live. For a commercial landscape project, the focus often includes curb appeal, tenant or employee experience, and a landscape that supports the day-to-day flow of the site.
During these early conversations, your landscape designer also starts collecting the details that guide smart decisions later, including sunlight exposure, soil conditions, and how water will drain across the property. Those items influence everything from plant selection to drainage planning and irrigation performance.
Turning ideas into a clear landscape design process
Once goals are defined, the landscape design process moves into concepting and documentation. Complete Landsculpture has a full-time, in-house design team focused on customized residential landscape and hardscape designs, supporting clients from the initial consultation through installation and ongoing maintenance.
For commercial properties, the design scope may include conceptual design, site analysis, and 3D visualization, paired with the practical realities of construction supervision and keeping a project on time and budget.
This stage is where design ideas become a detailed plan you can react to. It also helps define the scope of the project clearly: what is included now, what can be phased later, and what tradeoffs improve performance in local weather conditions across Texas and Oklahoma.
What happens after the initial meeting?
After the initial meeting, the next steps typically include site review, accurate measurements, and early concepts that translate your goals into a workable layout. From there, the plan gets refined into a detailed direction for materials, plants, and construction. That structure keeps the landscape construction process organized.
Site analysis: accurate measurements and real-world constraints
Great landscape design respects the site that already exists. Grade changes, drainage patterns, traffic flow, and how the home’s architecture or building style interacts with the outdoor layout all matter. Complete Landsculpture’s own patio planning guidance highlights how placement depends on factors like traffic flow, sun patterns, grading, and drainage constraints.
This is also where careful planning reduces costly surprises. Testing soil conditions can prevent weak plant growth, and planning for mature plant size protects your beautiful landscape from future overcrowding.
If you are considering features like walkways, hardscapes, outdoor kitchens, or water features, site analysis helps confirm what fits, where it fits, and what infrastructure supports it, including irrigation systems and lighting.
Design development: selecting materials, plantings, and features
As the design team refines the plan, you will see decisions come together around both function and style:
- Hardscapes and gathering areas: A patio often anchors the outdoor living space. Material options may include natural stone, concrete pavers, or stamped concrete, and each choice affects durability, maintenance, and long-term appearance.
- Softscape and planting strategy: Native plants and climate-fit selections support sustainability and can reduce maintenance demands over time.
- Smart infrastructure: Irrigation and drainage planning protect plant health and preserve your investment. Complete Landsculpture emphasizes the value of a well-designed irrigation system and notes that automated irrigation systems and weather-responsive controls can improve efficiency.
- Lifestyle features: Outdoor living spaces frequently include outdoor kitchens, fire pits, and comfortable seating areas. Water features remain popular for both beauty and ambiance.
Some properties also explore low-maintenance strategies such as artificial turf or xeriscapes in areas where water use, sun exposure, or upkeep priorities call for it. The goal is always the same: quality landscaping that holds up through real use and real seasons.
Pre-construction planning: timeline, logistics, and project leadership
Before any excavation begins, a good design-build partner sets expectations. That includes the timeline, phases of work, and who owns communication.
Complete Landsculpture’s commercial approach highlights staying on time and budget, supported by the skillsets of their landscape architects and designers. In practical terms, you can expect a clear point of coordination, often a project manager, who helps keep decisions moving and keeps the construction process aligned with the approved plan.
This planning step also accounts for scheduling realities. Weather conditions can affect install windows for certain materials or plantings, so sequencing matters. Clear communication here protects the overall completion target.
Build phase: landscape construction process and installation
Now the plan becomes the site. Depending on your project, the landscape construction process may include:
- Site prep and excavation for grading, drainage, and base work
- Hardscape installation such as patio areas, walkways, retaining elements, and lighting pathways
- Irrigation installation and testing to support long-term plant health
- Softscape installation including shrubs, trees, and planting beds, selected for soil conditions and sunlight exposure
- Feature installation like water features or outdoor kitchens when included in the plan
Because Complete Landsculpture provides solutions from initial concept through construction and installation to long-term landscape management, the build phase connects directly to how the site will be cared for afterward.
For a homeowner, this is where a dream landscape starts feeling real: the patio takes shape, plantings frame views, and new landscaping changes how you move through the yard. For commercial properties, the transformation often shows up in cleaner edges, stronger entries, more usable outdoor zones, and a finished look that supports the brand experience.
Post-build and long-term partnership: protecting the investment
A landscape looks its best when it is maintained with consistency. Complete Landsculpture offers ongoing landscape management, with weekly visits and programs that include tree care with a certified arborist, horticulture programs, mulching, and more.
This is where full-service support makes a practical difference. Instead of treating maintenance as an afterthought, the long-term plan helps protect plant health, irrigation performance, and the overall look of the property across seasons.
Clients also mention the day-to-day benefits of responsive support, including help with watering and sprinkler issues through the team.
What a “full-service” experience should feel like
Whether you are planning a residential refresh in Dallas or managing a commercial upgrade in Oklahoma City or Tulsa, the value of a full-service partner shows up in the details:
- A structured landscape design build approach, led by an experienced in-house team
- Clear scope, clear next steps, and fewer handoffs between design and construction
- Organized construction supervision and long-term landscape management options
Complete Landsculpture has been providing full-service landscape design and care since 1985, with award-winning work across Texas and Oklahoma. Complete Landsculpture+1 That longevity supports the steady, dependable experience clients want when the project is too important to leave to chance.
Ready to plan your project?
If you are thinking about a major outdoor upgrade, start with a consultation and a clear conversation about goals, budget, and timeline. Complete Landsculpture’s team works with clients across North Texas and Oklahoma to take projects from concept through completion, with options for long-term management after install.
Contact us to get started today!
