How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Akron & Summit County, Ohio?
Here’s the straight answer, right up front: most smaller landscaping projects in Akron and Summit County land between $1,440 and $1,705 — that covers things like a bed renovation, a planting refresh, or a serious cleanup with mulch. Landscaping contractor labor in this market runs $50–$100 per hour. Full landscape design and installation projects typically fall between $5,000 and $25,000+, and complete property transformations — new patio, retaining walls, plantings, lighting, the works — can reach $100,000 on larger Summit County properties.
I’m Jordan Filimonuk, owner of Fili Property Maintenance, and I’ve spent over 15 years designing, building, and maintaining landscapes across Northeast Ohio — from Louisville and Canton up through Hudson, Stow, Bath Township, Fairlawn, and Cuyahoga Falls. With 130+ five-star Google reviews and a 4.9 rating, I’ve built my reputation on doing exactly what I say I’ll do — and part of that is publishing real numbers instead of making you sit through a sales pitch to get a price. Almost nobody else in this market will put dollar figures in writing. I will, because I’d rather you walk into a consultation already knowing what things cost.
One thing to understand before we get into the breakdown: Summit County is not a one-price market. What a landscape renovation costs on a quarter-acre lot in Cuyahoga Falls and what it costs on a three-acre wooded property in Bath Township are two very different conversations. Below I’ll break costs down two ways — by project type, and by area — so you can find your situation and get a realistic number.
What Does Landscaping Cost by Project Type?
Every project is different, but after 15+ years of quoting work across Summit and Stark counties, these are the ranges I see most often. All numbers assume professional installation — materials, labor, and site prep included.
| Project Type | Typical Cost in Akron / Summit County |
|---|---|
| Mulch & bed refresh (edging, weeding, 3–10 yards of mulch) | $400 – $1,500 |
| Seasonal cleanup (spring or fall, average property) | $300 – $900 |
| Typical small landscaping project (bed renovation, plantings) | $1,440 – $1,705 |
| Landscape design + installation (front or back yard) | $5,000 – $25,000+ |
| Paver patio (200–300 sq ft, standard) | $4,000 – $8,000 |
| Retaining wall (50 linear ft, engineered block) | $4,000 – $10,000 |
| Full outdoor living transformation | $25,000 – $100,000+ |
| Contractor hourly rate | $50 – $100/hr |
A few notes on those numbers, because a table only tells you so much.
Mulch and bed work is where most homeowners start. Bulk hardwood mulch from Northeast Ohio suppliers like Kurtz Bros. runs roughly $30–$45 a yard before delivery, and a typical Summit County front-yard bed package takes 5–8 yards. The labor — edging clean lines, pulling the beds back into shape, dealing with the weed pressure our clay-heavy soil loves to produce — is what moves you toward the top of that range.
Design and installation projects are where the $5,000–$25,000+ range comes in, and the spread is that wide because scope drives everything: plant sizes, bed square footage, whether we’re regrading, whether drainage needs to be corrected first. In Northeast Ohio, drainage almost always needs attention. Our clay soil is unforgiving — it compacts, it holds water, it cracks in drought, and it will drown a $200 tree just as happily as a $20 perennial if the grading is wrong. That’s why I start every project on the landscape design side before anybody picks up a shovel. A real plan built for Zone 6a and clay soil is the difference between a landscape that looks good for two seasons and one that’s built to last.
Hardscaping — patios and retaining walls — carries the biggest cost, and it’s also where cutting corners costs the most. A standard 200–300 square foot paver patio runs $4,000–$8,000 installed. A paver patio that wasn’t built with the right base depth and compaction will start shifting and sinking within two winters. Our freeze-thaw cycles guarantee it. I’ve rebuilt enough other companies’ patios and walls across Summit County to prove that point, and I’d rather you pay for it once.
Full outdoor living transformations — patio, seat walls, fire feature, plantings, lighting, sometimes a pergola or outdoor kitchen — start around $25,000 and can run to $100,000+ on larger properties. Nobody needs to start there. Most of my clients phase into it, which I’ll cover below.
What Does Landscaping Cost by Summit County Area?
Now the part nobody else publishes: how location inside Summit County changes the math. I serve all of these communities — you can see the full map on my service area page — and the honest answer is that the same project does not cost the same everywhere.
Hudson
Hudson is the most demanding landscaping market I work in, and I mean that as a compliment. With homes averaging around $500K, Western Reserve architecture, and a downtown that takes its historic character seriously, Hudson homeowners have high standards — formal bed lines, boxwood structure, plantings that complement a colonial or Greek Revival facade rather than fight it. That level of finish takes more design time and more labor. Expect Hudson projects to price in the upper half of every range above: design-and-install work commonly lands $10,000–$25,000+, and full-property projects go well past that on the larger lots off Aurora Street and out toward the township edges.
Bath Township
Bath Township is a different animal: large wooded estates, long driveways, properties measured in acres instead of square feet. The mature tree canopy that makes Bath beautiful also makes it expensive to landscape — shade-tolerant plant palettes, root competition, constant leaf and limb cleanup, and terrain that rolls enough to need real grading and drainage work. Simple per-project pricing barely applies here; a “bed refresh” on a Bath property can involve more mulch than three normal suburban jobs combined. Budget from the top of the ranges, and for full estate work, plan on $25,000 as a realistic starting point rather than a ceiling.
Fairlawn & Montrose
Fairlawn sits in the premium west-Akron corridor, where household incomes in some neighborhoods top $240K and the housing stock — much of it well-kept mid-century and newer builds off West Market Street — supports serious landscape investment. Fairlawn projects tend to be right-sized suburban lots with high expectations: polished beds, clean hardscape, low-maintenance plantings that look good year-round. Most design-and-install work here lands squarely in the $5,000–$20,000 range, with patios and outdoor living pushing higher.
Cuyahoga Falls
Cuyahoga Falls brings something the rest of the county mostly doesn’t: river valley terrain. Properties near the gorge and along the Cuyahoga deal with real slopes, and slopes mean retaining walls, terracing, and erosion control — which is exactly where the $4,000–$10,000 retaining wall range earns its keep. Flatter lots in the older neighborhoods off Portage Trail price like typical suburban work: small projects in that $1,440–$1,705 band, patios at $4,000–$8,000. But if your backyard drops eight feet toward the river valley, budget for the wall before you budget for the plants. The wall is what keeps everything else where you put it.
Stow
Stow is the most straightforward market of the five — a growing suburban community with a lot of 1990s-and-newer builds on manageable lots. That newer housing stock often comes with the classic builder-grade landscape package: a strip of foundation shrubs, thin topsoil over compacted clay, and not much else. The good news is that Stow projects usually price at the accessible end of every range: bed renovations in the $1,400–$1,700 zone, full front-yard redesigns from $5,000, patios from $4,000. It’s where a modest budget goes the furthest in Summit County.
Why Does Landscaping Cost More in Summit County Than Rural Stark County?
I’m based in Louisville and I work both counties, so I see the price difference from both sides. It’s real, and it comes down to four things:
- Property size and complexity. Bath and Hudson lots are bigger and more varied than a typical rural Stark parcel — more square footage, more bed area, more linear feet of everything.
- Mature tree canopy. Established trees mean shade-adapted designs, root-aware digging, and more cleanup, all of which add labor hours.
- Terrain. The Cuyahoga River valley and the rolling ground through Bath and Hudson demand grading, drainage, and retaining work that flat farmland simply doesn’t.
- Expectations. Summit County’s premium communities expect — and their property values reward — a higher standard of design and finish. That standard takes skilled labor, and skilled labor isn’t cheap anywhere.
What I don’t do is charge a “Hudson tax” for the same work. The ranges shift because the work shifts. I’ll give you a straight answer on what your specific property needs and what it costs — I don’t oversell and I don’t cut corners.
How to Budget and Phase a Landscaping Project
If the numbers above feel like a stretch, phasing is the honest way to get there without financing a whole transformation at once. Here’s how I structure it for most Summit County clients:
- Start with a master design. Spend a small fraction of the budget on a complete landscape design plan first, even if you’ll build it over three years. It prevents the most expensive mistake in landscaping: paying twice because phase two forces you to rip out phase one.
- Phase 1 — bones and drainage. Grading, drainage correction, and any retaining walls. Nothing you plant survives long on ground that holds water in our clay.
- Phase 2 — hardscape. Patio and walkways, while equipment access is still easy.
- Phase 3 — plantings, lawn, and lighting. The visible payoff, installed last so construction traffic doesn’t destroy it.
- Book in the off-season. My schedule fills fastest from April through June. Clients who plan in winter get first pick of the spring calendar and a smoother project.
A $30,000 vision built as three $10,000 phases ends up in the same place — it just gets there on your terms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Landscaping Costs in Akron & Summit County
What does the average landscaping project cost in Akron?
Most typical smaller projects — bed renovations, planting refreshes, cleanup-and-mulch packages — run $1,440–$1,705 in the Akron area. Contractor rates run $50–$100 per hour. Full design-and-installation projects typically fall between $5,000 and $25,000+ depending on scope.
How much does a paver patio cost in Summit County?
A standard 200–300 square foot paver patio runs $4,000–$8,000 installed, including excavation and a properly compacted base. Larger patios with seat walls, fire features, or steps scale up from there. The base is non-negotiable in Northeast Ohio — freeze-thaw cycles will sink a patio built on a cheap one.
Why are landscaping quotes higher in Hudson and Bath than in Stow?
Because the properties demand more: larger lots, mature tree canopy, rolling terrain, and a higher standard of design and finish. The same crew doing the same quality of work simply has more of it to do on a Bath estate than on a quarter-acre Stow lot.
Is it cheaper to do a landscaping project in phases?
The total is about the same — sometimes slightly more due to repeat mobilization — but phasing spreads the cost over seasons and lets you fund the project as you go. The key is building every phase from one master design so nothing gets torn out and redone.
When is the best time to schedule landscaping work in Northeast Ohio?
Plan in winter, build in spring or fall. Spring and early fall are ideal for planting in Zone 6a, and hardscaping runs from early spring until the ground freezes. Clients who reach out between November and February get first choice of the spring schedule.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. Every consultation and estimate is free. I personally walk every property, listen to what you want, and give you a real number — not a range designed to get a foot in the door.
Ready for a Straight Answer on Your Property?
Transform your Akron or Summit County property with landscaping that’s priced honestly and built to last. Whether it’s a $1,500 bed refresh in Stow or a full estate plan in Bath Township, the right project adds curb appeal, function, and real property value — and it starts with knowing the actual numbers, which you now do.
Call (330) 904-4196 now for your free Summit County landscaping estimate.
Or fill out our online contact form and I’ll respond the same day (usually within hours).
Fili Property Maintenance · (330) 904-4196 · info@filipropmaint.com · 5928 Mann Street, Louisville, OH 44641
