Now booking spring 2027 · price held, no deposit until spring (fence excepted)
Complete residential landscape construction
One crew for the whole yard — sod, grading, drainage, rock, gravel, fencing and planting. We own our equipment and self-perform the dirt work. Not lawn care.
Get a Free QuoteSpring 2027 booking
We’re booking spring 2027: get measured and quoted now. For every service except fence, your quoted price holds for a spring install and there’s no deposit until spring. A quote written from December holds once you approve it, unless the scope or material costs change. Local Lawns is booked out for fall 2026.
What we build
Every part of the yard, one crew
Pick the piece that's failing, or hand us the whole property. Same fixed written quote, same schedule, same people on site.
Sod replacement
Our biggest specialty — tear out the failing lawn, re-cut the grade, lay fresh sod that drains. A sod redo done right.
Sod installation
Fresh sod on a properly prepped base — new builds, additions and side yards.
Yard grading & drainage
Re-slope away from the house, fix low spots, add French drains.
French drains
Where water can't run to daylight — a proper sub-surface drain.
Rock landscaping
Decorative rock, boulders and beds with fabric and steel edging.
Mulch installation
Shaped beds, fresh mulch, clean edges — the low-maintenance look.
Fence installation
New and replacement fences on properly dug, concreted posts.
Garden beds & planting
Shaped beds, amended soil, and trees and shrubs that survive here.
Tree & shrub planting
The right plant, the right hole, staked and mulched to establish.
Excavation / skid-steer
Dirt work, hauling and grading for homeowners and other trades.
We also build paver patios and retaining walls — from boulder retaining and grade transitions up to built walls. Both are quoted per project after a free measure; there's no fixed range to publish because scope and materials decide it. Ask about them when you book.
What we don’t do, and who to call first: decks, pergolas and other structures — we grade and sod around and under a deck and we auger deck post holes, but the structure itself is another trade; irrigation and sprinkler installation — not our trade, we work around existing lines, which the homeowner marks before we dig; the foundation and weeping-tile side of a wet basement — we fix the yard side with grade, downspouts, swales and French drains; and stump grinding and tree felling — an arborist or stump-grinding service goes first, and once the stump is out we rebuild the hole with screened soil and replace the failing lawn. Anything else that is landscape construction, hardscape, drainage or dirt work, ask — it is almost certainly ours.
Working across Calgary and Chestermere, plus Airdrie, Okotoks, Strathmore, Langdon, Lyalta, Cochrane and Rocky View County.
Know what you want done? Get a fixed price for it.
Free measure, then a fixed written price. Under snow, we quote from plans and photos and confirm the measure at the thaw.
How it works
A professional process, start to finish
Proper quoting, deposits, scheduling and invoicing — whether it's one sod replacement or a full renovation.
On-site quote
We measure, check drainage and the slope against the house, and send a fixed written price.
Deposit & schedule
A 25% deposit books your date (spring 2027 work, fence excepted: no deposit until spring). We confirm start date and equipment access.
Removal & excavation
Old sod, beds or fencing out. We excavate and haul with our own Bobcat and trailers.
Grading & prep
Re-cut the grade to drain away from the foundation, then prep the base.
Installation
Sod, rock, gravel, fence or beds — installed to spec, seams tight, edges clean.
Cleanup & walkthrough
Debris hauled, site swept, walkthrough with you, final invoice on completion.
What the written quote covers
- The quote
- You get a fixed, itemized quote in writing.
- Included
- Every project includes removal of the debris we generate, a final site clean-up, and a walkthrough with you.
- Yard size
- Sod replacement: $2,000–$6,000 for most residential yards Smaller back yard, light regrading $2,000–$3,500 Average back yard (~1,000 sq ft), real regrade + topsoil $3,500–$6,000 Large yard, or regrade plus a drain $6,000–$12,000 A larger yard or drainage runs higher, priced after the measure.
- GST
- All prices and ranges are before GST.
After you say yes
- Deposit
- A 25% deposit confirms your spot in the schedule and covers materials ordering (spring 2027 work, fence excepted: no deposit until spring).
- Balance
- The balance is due on completion, after the walkthrough.
- Start date
- Start dates are confirmed once the deposit is received.
- Changes
- If the scope changes — you add work, or we find something underground that can’t be worked around — we’ll price the change in writing before doing it.
- Watering
- Sod projects include a watering schedule for the first few weeks.
- Warranty
- Local Lawns warrants its installation work against defects in workmanship for one year from completion. If something we built — grading, seams, edging, drainage, hardscape — fails because of how we built it, we come back and fix it at no charge. Because establishment depends on watering we can’t control, we don’t warranty sod or plant survival — but a watering problem never excuses a defect in how we built the job; that stays covered by the workmanship warranty above.
FAQ
Common questions about our landscaping services
Are quotes free?
Yes — a free on-site measure across Calgary and Chestermere, and a fixed written quote, no obligation to book.
Is there a minimum job size?
Around $2,000 for standalone work. Smaller jobs — one or two trees, a mulch top-up, a short rock border — are usually bundled into a bigger project in the same yard, and Harman decides case by case on the call.
Do you subcontract any of the work?
No. Removal, excavation, grading and installation are all done by the same Local Lawns crew, with our own Bobcat and trailers — no hand-offs.
How do I pay?
A 25% deposit books your date (spring 2027 work, fence excepted: no deposit until spring), with the balance due on completion. E-transfer, cheque, or credit or debit card. Local Lawns quotes one fixed written price — there are no discounts or promotions, no financing or payment plans, and every range we publish is before GST.
Do you build patios or retaining walls?
Yes, both — paver patios, and retaining from boulder grade transitions up to built walls. They're quoted per project after a free measure rather than from a published range. In Calgary, the City requires a permit for a retaining wall holding back 1.2 m (4 ft) or more of soil. In Chestermere, a retaining wall 1.2 m or taller — or any wall abutting the lake — needs a development permit. We flag either before we start.
Do you install sprinklers or build decks?
No — irrigation and deck building are separate trades. Local Lawns grades and sods around and under a deck and augers deck and fence post holes, and we work around existing sprinkler lines. The rest of the yard — sod, grading, drainage, rock, beds and fencing — is ours, across Calgary and Chestermere.
Do I need to be home while the crew works?
No. What Local Lawns needs is clear access for the equipment — our Bobcat MT100 fits through a standard 3 ft gate or an open side yard — and any private lines (irrigation, low-voltage lighting, invisible dog fence, septic) pointed out before we dig. We call when we're on our way and again when the job's done.
What should I do before the Local Lawns crew arrives?
Four things, and none of them take long:
- Clear the access path — our Bobcat MT100 fits through a standard 3 ft gate or an open side yard, so keep that route clear.
- Point out any private lines — irrigation, low-voltage lighting, invisible dog fence, septic. We call Utility Safety Partners (formerly Alberta One-Call) for public utilities before we dig, but private lines are yours to mark or tell us about.
- Make sure we can reach water — new sod needs watering from the day it goes down, so an outdoor tap the hose reaches matters.
- You don't need to be home. We call when we're on our way and again when the job's done.
What happens if it rains on my scheduled landscaping job?
Landscape work is weather-dependent — heavy rain, frozen ground or unsafe conditions can push a start date. We keep you updated and reschedule promptly. Sod installation and planting (trees, shrubs and beds) stop by mid-October; grading and other dirt work continue until the ground freezes hard. New work is booked for spring 2027, measured and quoted now. For every service except fence, the quoted price holds for a spring install and there’s no deposit until spring; a quote written from December holds once you approve it, unless the scope or material costs change. If your yard is under snow, we quote from property plans, satellite measurements and photos, and confirm the measure on site once the snow melts. For 2026 we’re booked out for fall. Full scheduling and deposit terms are on our contract terms page.
What happens if something Local Lawns built fails after the job?
Local Lawns warrants its installation work against defects in workmanship for one year from completion. If something we built — grading, seams, edging, drainage, hardscape — fails because of how we built it, we come back and fix it at no charge. It doesn't cover damage caused after we leave, or sod and plant survival, which depends on watering once the crew is gone. Full detail on the contract terms page.
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