Creative By Design is a small, family-run landscaping company serving Nanaimo and surrounding areas since 2005. We handle every stage of Nanaimo landscaping — from initial landscape design through to build and ongoing maintenance — including irrigation, paving stone installation, retaining walls, artificial turf and garden care. Whether you need a full landscape design or a single service like drainage or lighting, our Nanaimo landscaping team can help.

5 out of 5 stars

20+ Years Serving Nanaimo
Licensed & Insured · WorkSafe BC Registered

Landscapers Nanaimo — Landscape Design, Build & Maintenance

Building beautiful landscapes in Nanaimo

A stylish modern landscape is a great way to update your outdoor space by Creative By Design Landscaping, a small family business in Nanaimo since 2005.

We specialize in residential landscape design, installation & maintenance, which includes services like installing pavers and retaining walls, drainage, excavation, artificial turf installation, sprinkler installation & repairs, planting, garden maintenance, lawn mowing and hedge or tree pruning.

Get in Touch

    landscape with outdoor lighting and topiary pines - North Jingle Pot

    We take pride in not just caring for our client’s landscape, but also building relationships with them, while working in the small community of Nanaimo.

    Our team is dedicated to bringing customers and clients, the highest results in every area of construction & maintenance. We strive for a positive customer experience along with the comfort of a job well done, for any task that we undertake on your home or at your premises.

    Residential Landscaping Services in Nanaimo

    Sprinklers • Hedge Trimming • Lighting • Seasonal Cleanups • Flagstone Work • Drainage • Excavation

    Let us care about your home, as much as you do

    north nanaimo landscapers - design build and maintenance

    How much does landscape design cost?

    Landscape Design in Nanaimo.

    Every project starts with a landscape design tailored to your property — we walk the site, discuss how you use the space, and put together a plan that balances function, style and budget.

    Our Nanaimo landscape design process covers everything from small garden refreshes to full residential landscape
    transformations, and every design is built by the same team that installs it, so what you approve on paper is exactly what gets built.

    • Experience and knowledge: Our experienced staff have been delivering first class installations in Nanaimo, since 2005.​
    • Customer-driven Service: Client satisfaction is our main focus, ensuring each project meets your individual needs and daily lifestyle.​
    • Uncompromising dedication: Our team takes pride in being friendly, professional and responsible, especially when it comes to maintaining and  creating the concepts that you dream of.

    Your budget can vary a lot, depending on the size, as well as factors such as access, site and ground conditions and design complexity.

    If your existing landscape is old and in need of our expertise, then excavation and disposal is always possible but will increase your installation costs. When we provide a landscape quote, usually the quoted cost wont change unless extra work is asked for. 

    Site conditions will contribute to increased project cost; for example, groundwater, drainage issues or if you’re working on bedrock and need to use machinery or if access  (i.e., slope) creates difficulty with the job. Certain parts of Nanaimo have particularly challenging site conditions; for example, the Hammond Bay area and the Foothills where many homes are built on steep, rocky land.

    landscape planting and stepping stones hammond bay

    Landscape consultations are free – site measurements & grades are $195, with 2D designs starting at $650, and they come with a digital copy and a quote with detailed breakdown of our costs.

    We also offer 3D designs starting at $1500, but are based on the property and the size of the project.

    Testimonials

    “We contacted Creative By Design to look at landscape installation options for our new home in North Jingle Pot. We knew they offered detailed modern designs that worked well with our style of home. The drawings they produced, complimented the overall scheme, on many different levels, from the patios and walkways, right down to the plants and lighting. They brought some great ideas to the project and It was a pleasure to work with the team. Now they provide us with weekly garden & lawn maintenance work, at a reasonable cost.”

    M Rodgers – North Jingle Pot

    “Having recently moved into our home, and we wanted someone to come in and tidy up the yard front and back. Our property had been vacant for while and was very overgrown. My son recommended i contact Creative By Design, as he had used them previously for a installation, and was very pleased with their results. We contacted them to ask for a quote. Phil came round and met with us to discuss our vision of exactly what we wanted, offering some creative ideas and solutions as well. The plans they showed us were clear and concise, and the quote was very detailed with breakdowns for each part of the project. Their landscapers are reliable, thorough, conscientious, proactive and friendly. Everything is cleaned up at the end of each working day leaving everything safe and tidy for our dog. They gave us updates regularly as to what was happening. We have been more than pleased with the landscape they have refreshed for us. The change to the property has been a total transformation to when we moved in. If you’re looking for a company to design your outdoors, i would have no hesitation in recommending these guys to anyone.”

    G Parry – Hammond Bay

    outdoor kitchen and patio - north nanaimo landscaping 2007

    “Our waterfront property needed a significant landscape renovation to beautify the outdoors, create usable living and planting spaces and better access to the beach. This company truly captured our vision and needs. With their suggestions, expertise and outstanding attention to detail, the landscape came to life much better than we ambitioned! The installation of new walls to create level raised beds with stairs to get to the beach. Also, on the upper level, they created a beautiful paver patio with a new space for the hot tub. They exceeded our expectations, and we are happy to recommend them to anyone looking for work around your home!”

    M Booth – Departure Bay

    “Creative By Design did the installation of our new yard this spring. We’re super pleased with the results. He built a fence, a wall and a stone patio. He installed the sod in the front and back gardens and built a beautiful planter box perfect for our potato plants. Literally – if you can dream it they can create it. They presented us with the design quickly after listening to our vision. It turned out exactly as we imagined. We wouldn’t let anyone else touch our outdoors after working with Creative By Design. The quality of his work shows. They construct things to last. Thanks for a wonderful result !”

    J Dwyer – Dover Bay

    TESTIMONIALS
    5 star landscaping reviews
    best of north nanaimo
    5 star facebook reviews

    ADDRESS: 8060 Musgrave Street, Crofton BC, Canada, V0R 1R0.​

    Professional landscaping in Nanaimo

    Imagine a beautifully crafted landscape that adds value to your property’s elegance and efficiency.

    At Creative By Design Landscaping, we specialize in building outdoor spaces that our clients are very proud to display.

    contact us

    A good rule of thumb is to calculate the projected area, and multiply it by $12 -$15 per sq.ft. This will give you a good idea of the budget required, for a good quality in-depth landscape installation with some hard and softscapes.

    EXCAVATION 

    Excavation for your landscaping work can vary depending on job size, access, machines required, material type and haulage fees. Excavation with mini-excavators and skid-steers is usually priced around $100 per hour plus fuel in ideal ground conditions. Where large amounts of bedrock is to be removed, we may outsource to a company with larger machines and rock breakers. 

     

    WATER FEATURES

    Building water features in Nanaimo, can add a great sound to any garden. A small concept, such as a bubbling rock or pond less water feature can cost around $2000 to $5000, if you’re looking for a grand water feature with lighting and waterfalls than your cost would be around $10,000 and up.

     

    HARDSCAPES

    Patios, pathways, custom outdoor kitchens and block walls can really enhance your home, but can significantly increase the project cost. Pavers average at $35 per installed sq.ft. Walls are a great addition for creating level areas but can cost from $65 to $95 for face square foot, depending on product style. Any poured concrete surface will be a lower price but not as fancy. Natural stone walls and outdoor kitchens can be more expensive, depending on the style and stone type. Also remember many products have to be brought in from Vancouver or further, so delivery and shipping prices can affect schedules and installation costs. We are certified installers with many years of installation and design experience, so you’re in good hands.

     

    SYNTHETIC LAWN

    Synthetic lawn is usually installed at a price of around $18-22 per square foot depending on lawn size and type. The larger the area, will sometimes make it cheaper. Remember this product is installed like carpet, so it comes in rolls of 6ft and 13 ft wide, and can often have a lot of wastage, if your looking for more creative lawn shapes.

     

    LIGHTING

    Outdoor lighting is a great way to enjoy your yard in the evening, without breaking the bank. Lights start at around $120-150 per fixture, with a transformer ranging from $600 to $800 depending on if you require a smart controller. Wire, marrets, delivery and labour also have to be factored into your system costs.

     

    SOFTSCAPES

    Lawns are great for a quick and low maintenance alternative to weeding, though they do require more watering. Our lawn soil is a local premium blend of soil, free of weed seeds, installed at a recommended depth of 4inch plus. With sod provided by a local premium sod supplier, you can usually expect to get a beautiful lawn at a cost of $5-8 per square foot plus delivery. We do recommend sprinklers for any softscape installation. Seeding for a new lawn isn’t a service we offer at this time.

    Soil for garden beds are a similar cost depending on bed depth, We recommend 12 inches if you don’t have any good quality growing medium to start with. 6 inches of soil, if your just amending to existing garden beds.

    Prices for plants, shrubs and trees are dictated by size and quality of the plants you would like. Some homeowners like to start small and grow with their landscape, others want the instant finish, which means a bigger budget and sometimes machinery as well. We only buy our plants from reputable nurseries like Dinter’s and Green Thumb, where we know they’ve got a good history of plant health.

     

    IRRIGATION

    In Nanaimo, we find irrigation is very important for any thriving quality garden. Not only does it keep your lawn green and plants vibrant, it also keeps water wastage down and gives you more free time to do more important tasks. Sprinkler cost is around $1350.00 per zone installation, depending on ground conditions. System size is dictated by gallons per minute and PSI. We are a certified installer and many years of experience installing sprinklers, micro, drip systems with perfect coverage. Any work undertaken inside the house or from the street, will require a certified plumber, which is an additional cost.

     

    WORKING WITHIN A BUDGET?

    That is not a problem. When it comes to budget, quotes and pricing, we are honest and upfront about costs, and can work with you to find many different price points and materials. We are happy to discuss project phases to make your plan more manageable. We are fully licensed and insured, which does not allow us to cut corners or have homeowners ‘assist’ toward project completion. We are a professional installation company that thrives on ‘building it right, building it once’, so you don’t have to get us back for repairs!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What areas does Creative By Design Landscaping serve?

    We serve Nanaimo and surrounding communities including East Wellington, Hammond Bay, Jingle Pot, and Duncan, providing residential and commercial landscaping installation and maintenance.

    What landscaping services does Creative By Design offer?

    We offer full landscape design and build services including irrigation, hedge trimming, landscape lighting, seasonal cleanups, flagstone work, drainage solutions, excavation, paver patios, retaining walls, artificial turf, water features, and general garden maintenance.

    Is Creative By Design Landscaping licensed and insured?

    Yes. Creative By Design has over 20 years of experience serving Nanaimo, and is fully licensed, insured, and WorkSafe BC registered for both residential and commercial projects.

    Do you offer free consultations?

    Yes, we offer free consultations for landscape design and installation projects. Contact us to discuss your yard and get a plan tailored to your budget.

    • ADDRESS: 8060 Musgrave Street, Crofton BC, Canada, V0R 1R0.​
    • HOURS: MON – FRI: 7am – 7pm / SAT: 8am -1pm / SUN: Closed.​

    Copyright 2026 © Creative By Design Landscaping. All rights reserved.