Owning a home in DFW means owning a yard, and owning a yard means dealing with everything that comes with it. The heat, the clay, the water restrictions, the HOA letters, the sprinkler head that snapped off when you backed over it. It adds up fast.
This is the complete guide to every outdoor service a Dallas-Fort Worth homeowner might need. What each service actually involves, what it costs in this market, and how to find someone who'll show up when they say they will. No fluff. Just what you need to know.
Lawn Care and Mowing
This is the baseline. If you do nothing else, you mow. In DFW, the growing season runs from late March through mid-November. Bermuda grass grows aggressively from May through September and needs weekly mowing during that stretch. Skip two weeks in July and you'll be dealing with a scalped, stressed lawn that takes a month to recover.
A professional mowing service includes cutting at the correct height for your grass type (1.5 to 2 inches for Bermuda, 3 to 4 inches for St. Augustine), edging along all hardscapes, and blowing clippings off driveways and sidewalks. Every visit. Consistency is the whole point.
What it costs: Weekly mowing for a standard DFW residential lot runs $35 to $65 per visit. Larger properties in Prosper, Fairview, or Lucas with half-acre to acre-plus lots go $75 to $120. Most companies offer a monthly rate that works out slightly cheaper than per-visit pricing.
Lawn Fertilization and Weed Control
Mowing keeps the lawn neat. Fertilization keeps it healthy. North Texas soil is alkaline clay that locks up nutrients, especially iron. Without a proper fertilization program, even well-watered lawns turn yellow-green and thin out by midsummer.
A professional program typically includes four to six applications per year: pre-emergent in late winter, two to three fertilizer rounds during the growing season with iron supplementation, targeted post-emergent weed treatment, and a potassium-heavy winterizer in October. The timing and products matter more than the brand name on the bag.
What it costs: $50 to $80 per application for standard residential lots. Annual programs run $250 to $450 total. That includes all product, labor, and spot treatments between scheduled visits.
Sprinkler and Irrigation Repair
Every DFW home built in the last 20 years has an in-ground sprinkler system. Most of them have problems. Broken heads, leaking valves, misaligned rotors, zones that don't come on, and controllers set to schedules that waste water and still leave dry spots.
Common irrigation repairs in DFW include replacing broken or stuck spray heads, adjusting rotor coverage and arc, fixing leaking zone valves, replacing solenoids, repairing mainline and lateral pipe breaks, and reprogramming controllers for seasonal efficiency. Most repairs take one to two hours.
The bigger issue is design. Builder-installed systems in DFW subdivisions are notorious for poor head-to-head spacing and inadequate coverage. If your lawn has persistent dry patches that don't respond to watering, the problem is usually the sprinkler layout, not the watering schedule.
What it costs: Basic sprinkler repairs (head replacement, valve fixes, minor pipe repair) run $75 to $200 per visit. Full system audits and rezoning cost $150 to $400. Complete irrigation installs for new systems or major overhauls start around $2,500 and go up based on property size and zone count.
Irrigation Installation
New construction without an existing system, or properties where the old system is beyond repair, need a full irrigation install. This involves trenching lines, setting heads and rotors, installing zone valves, running wire, and programming a smart controller.
In DFW, a properly designed system uses rotary nozzles or rotors for large turf areas and fixed spray heads for narrow strips and beds. Drip irrigation goes on flowerbeds and foundation plantings. Every zone gets matched precipitation rates so the whole yard waters evenly without runoff.
Permits are required in most DFW cities for new irrigation installs. A licensed irrigator handles the permit, the backflow preventer, and the inspection. Don't hire someone who skips this step.
What it costs: Full residential irrigation systems in DFW run $2,500 to $5,000 for standard lots. Larger properties or systems with drip zones, rain sensors, and smart controllers run $4,000 to $8,000. Always get the backflow preventer tested annually, which runs about $50 to $75.
Sod Installation
New sod is the fastest way to transform a yard. In DFW, the two dominant grass types are Bermuda (full sun, low water, aggressive growth) and St. Augustine (shade-tolerant, higher water needs, softer texture). Zoysia is a third option that handles partial shade and moderate traffic but grows slowly and costs more.
The best time to lay sod in Dallas is mid-April through early June for warm-season grasses. The ground is warm enough for roots to establish before the brutal heat of July and August. Fall installations (September through mid-October) also work but give the grass less time to root before winter dormancy.
Proper sod installation means more than rolling out grass on top of dirt. The existing surface needs to be graded, debris removed, and a thin layer of topsoil or compost tilled into the clay to give roots a fighting chance. Seams need to be tight, edges staked, and the whole thing soaked immediately after install. Then watered twice daily for two weeks.
What it costs: Sod installation in DFW runs $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot installed, including sod, soil prep, and labor. A typical 3,000 square-foot front yard costs $4,500 to $7,500. Bermuda is the cheapest option. St. Augustine runs about 20% more. Zoysia is the most expensive at roughly $2.00 to $3.00 per square foot installed.
Tree Trimming and Removal
North Texas has a mix of native and planted trees that all need different care. Live oaks are the backbone of most DFW landscapes and should be pruned in summer (never February through June, when oak wilt spreads). Crepe myrtles get trimmed in late winter before new growth. Bradford pears, which are everywhere in older DFW neighborhoods, split in ice storms and high winds and are increasingly being removed and replaced.
Proper tree trimming is structural. It's not about hacking branches to make the tree smaller. It's about removing dead wood, thinning the canopy for wind resistance, lifting the crown off rooflines and fences, and cutting back limbs that rub against the house or power lines.
Tree removal is a separate category. It requires insurance, equipment, and experience. A 40-foot oak next to a house and a power line is not a weekend project. If someone quotes you $200 to take down a large tree, they're either underinsured or planning to leave you with the stump and the mess.
What it costs: Tree trimming in DFW runs $150 to $500 per tree depending on size, species, and access. Small ornamental trees and crepe myrtles are $100 to $200. Large shade trees (oaks, elms, pecans) are $300 to $800. Tree removal starts at $500 for small trees and runs $1,500 to $4,000 or more for large removals. Stump grinding is usually $100 to $300 per stump.
Landscaping and Flowerbed Design
Landscaping in DFW is all about heat tolerance and water efficiency. The plants that thrive here are not the same ones that work in Atlanta or Charlotte. DFW landscapes need plants that handle 105-degree days, alkaline clay, and occasional hard freezes in winter.
Proven performers for DFW flowerbeds include knockout roses, salvia, lantana, plumbago, Mexican feather grass, autumn sage, and dwarf yaupon holly. For shade areas, cast iron plant, Persian shield, coleus, and ferns work well from April through October. Foundation plantings typically use boxwood, dwarf nandina, loropetalum, and Texas sage.
A good landscaping crew doesn't just plant whatever looks nice at the nursery. They consider sun exposure, drainage, mature size, and how the bed will look in January when half the plants go dormant. The goal is a yard that looks good twelve months a year, not just the week after planting.
What it costs: Basic flowerbed refresh (soil amendment, mulch, and seasonal color plants) runs $300 to $800 depending on bed size. Full landscape design and installation for front-yard beds starts around $1,500 and runs up to $5,000 or more for custom stone borders, large plantings, and irrigation additions. Mulch alone costs $50 to $75 per cubic yard installed, and most residential properties need 3 to 8 yards.
Stone Edging and Borders
Stone edging separates the lawn from the flowerbeds and gives the yard a clean, finished look. In DFW, the most popular materials are chopped limestone, Oklahoma flagstone, river rock borders, and stacked stone. The right choice depends on the house style, the existing hardscape, and budget.
Chopped limestone is the most common and fits the North Texas look. It's clean, uniform, and holds up well in the heat. Flagstone is more rustic and works well with natural or cottage-style landscapes. River rock is low-maintenance but tends to migrate into the lawn if not contained with a metal or plastic edge behind it.
What it costs: Stone edging installation in DFW runs $8 to $20 per linear foot, depending on the material and design. A typical front yard with 60 to 100 linear feet of bed edging costs $500 to $2,000 installed. Stacked stone borders with two or three courses run higher, typically $15 to $30 per linear foot.
French Drains and Drainage
Standing water is one of the most common yard problems in DFW. The heavy clay soil doesn't drain well on its own. Add flat grading from the builder, downspouts that dump water right next to the foundation, and a few years of settling, and you get puddles that sit for days after every rain.
French drains are the standard fix. A trench is dug along the path where water collects, lined with landscape fabric, filled with gravel and a perforated pipe, and routed to a pop-up emitter or the street. The water goes underground instead of sitting on the surface.
Surface drains and channel drains handle concentrated flow from downspouts and patio edges. Regrading fixes low spots. Sometimes the solution is a combination of all three.
What it costs: French drain installation in DFW runs $25 to $50 per linear foot. A typical residential drain system covering one problem area (50 to 80 feet of trench) costs $1,500 to $4,000. Surface drain tie-ins and downspout extensions add $200 to $500 each. Complex multi-drain systems for properties with severe grading issues can run $5,000 to $10,000.
Pipe Repair
Irrigation pipe breaks are inevitable in DFW. The clay soil expands when wet and contracts when dry, and that movement cracks PVC pipe at joints, fittings, and anywhere the pipe runs close to the surface. Mainline breaks flood the yard and spike the water bill. Lateral breaks cause one zone to lose pressure while the rest work fine.
Most pipe repairs are straightforward. Dig down to the break, cut out the damaged section, glue in a new fitting, and backfill. The job takes one to two hours for a simple break. Breaks under driveways, sidewalks, or patios require tunneling or rerouting, which adds time and cost.
What it costs: Standard pipe repair in DFW runs $100 to $250 for a simple break. Breaks under hardscape or in hard-to-access areas run $250 to $500. Mainline repairs and reroutes can go higher depending on depth and distance.
How to Hire the Right Crew
DFW has thousands of lawn and landscaping companies. Finding one that actually does good work and shows up consistently is harder than it should be. Here's what to look for:
- They answer the phone. Or at least call back the same day. If you can't reach them before they start working for you, you definitely won't reach them when something goes wrong.
- They give a specific price, not a range. "It'll be somewhere between $800 and $2,000" is not a quote. It's a guess. A crew that's done enough DFW yards should be able to look at your property and give you a number.
- They carry insurance. General liability at minimum. Workers' comp if they have employees. Ask for the certificate. If they hesitate, walk away. One chainsaw accident or broken window without insurance and you're the one holding the bill.
- They're already in your area. A crew that services other properties on your street or in your neighborhood is going to be more reliable than one driving 45 minutes across the metroplex to get to you. They're already nearby. Your property is a five-minute detour, not a special trip.
- They don't require long-term contracts for basic services. Month-to-month mowing should be month-to-month. If someone needs you locked into a 12-month contract to mow your lawn, they're more worried about keeping customers than earning them.
- They know the local conditions. DFW is not Houston. It's not San Antonio. The soil is different, the grass types are different, the watering restrictions are different. A crew that's worked North Texas yards for years will spot problems that a generic franchise won't.
Why One Crew for Everything
The biggest advantage of working with a full-service landscaping company is continuity. When the same crew mows your lawn every week, they notice when a sprinkler head is broken, when a section of grass is thinning, when a tree limb is rubbing the fence. They catch problems early because they're on the property regularly.
Compare that to hiring a different contractor for every job. The mowing guy doesn't talk to the sprinkler guy. The sprinkler guy doesn't know about the drainage issue in the backyard. The tree trimmer doesn't know you're planning to extend the flowerbed next month. Every contractor starts from scratch because nobody has the full picture.
One crew, one point of contact, one phone number. That's the simplest way to keep a DFW yard in shape without managing five different vendors.
DFW Lawn Care Pros handles all of this. Lawn care, fertilization, sprinkler repair, irrigation installs, sod, tree trimming, landscaping, stone edging, French drains, and pipe repair. Vincente runs every crew and answers his own phone. We service Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, Fairview, and Lucas. Call or text for a free estimate.