Landscape Design Studio
Plans that handle McKinney's tree permits and make the most of your watering days.
5.0 on Google, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack
Or call (214) 226-3527
Local expertise
Designs of Eden is a landscape designer serving McKinney, including Stonebridge Ranch, Craig Ranch, Tucker Hill and Adriatica Village. McKinney is the one city in our area where big trees on your own lot still need a permit, and its watering rules reward a smart controller, so we design for both. 3D design starts at $2,500, 2D site plans at $750, and the $200 consultation is credited in full.
Unique among our service-area cities, McKinney's development code (UDC §206B) requires a Tree Permit before removing quality trees of 27 inches DBH or larger even on an existing single-family lot. Smaller trees are yours to manage. Our plans identify anything near that threshold so the design never depends on a removal the city won't grant.
McKinney allows two watering days a week (your trash day plus three days later), bans sprinklers 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through October, and requires rain and freeze sensors on every system. A registered, properly programmed smart (ET) controller is exempt from the day schedule. We specify smart controllers as standard, because in this city it is the irrigation upgrade that pays off most.
Stonebridge Ranch spans seventy-plus villages at roughly a fifth to a third of an acre, with Stonebridge Estates averaging 0.84 acres, and the R43 estate district requires a full acre. The same master-planned polish that makes McKinney attractive also means design review, so the plan has to be complete enough to pass the committee.
McKinney sits on Houston Black clay, the Texas state soil. It is expansive, alkaline and slow to drain. Raised and drained beds, an engineered hardscape base, and species proven in clay are the foundation of everything we design here.
How it works
Send photos, we pull up your lot on satellite, and you get an honest read on scope and budget. No salesman in your driveway.
One to two hours on your property. We measure the yard and look at the drainage, the soil and the sun. The fee is credited in full toward any design package.
You see the finished yard on screen with every plant and paver named. We change it until you sign off, and what you sign off on is what gets built.
The crew builds from the plan you approved, with no substitutions, and the work carries a one-year workmanship warranty.
What you get
Every design package ends with three things in your hands.
You watch the finished yard on your phone before anything is planted. If a bed is in the wrong place or a plant isn't you, we change it. Nothing gets built until you say yes.
Every plant and material is named and placed on a plan you can build from. The plans are yours to keep, and any contractor can work from them.
Species, sizes and quantities, chosen for your soil and your sun, so what gets installed is what you approved.
What we build here
2D site plans for village lots, and photoreal 3D for full properties and Stonebridge Estates-scale projects, with heritage trees mapped from the start.
The designer runs the install with insured crews, with smart controller irrigation as standard equipment.
Patios and walls built on a real base, which is the only kind that holds on Houston Black clay.
Native, drought-tolerant designs that do well on two days a week, or on a smart controller's schedule.
Fire features, shade structures and lighting composed with the planting, ready for Tucker Hill and Stonebridge review.
Every one of these starts with a design you approve first. Book a free virtual consult to talk it through.
Our work
Completed Designs of Eden projects, labeled by the city they were built in.
Before you hire anyone
Five questions to ask any designer before you sign, and our answer to each.
Yes. We model the whole property in photoreal 3D, with every plant and paver named, and we change it until you sign off. What you approve is what gets built.
Yes. A 2D site plan runs $750 to $2,000 for smaller lots, a 3D Complete Vision design starts at $2,500, and the $200 on-site consultation is credited in full toward the design.
The designer does, with insured crews. One point of contact from the first day of digging to the final walkthrough, and a one-year workmanship warranty on the work.
The facts above are the ones we design to: the tree ordinance, the watering schedule, the soil under your lot and the submission your review board asks for. We prepare that package with the plan.
The 15-minute virtual consult is free. If you want us on the property, the on-site visit is $200 and it is credited in full toward your design.
Client reviews
Real reviews from Google, HomeAdvisor, and Thumbtack.
★★★★★
“Cole did an amazing job with our landscaping design! He completely transformed our outdoor space with a custom landscape plan that added curb appeal and made our yard much more functional. From garden design to patio layout and plant selection, every detail was thoughtful and professional.”
★★★★★
“Designs of Eden, specifically Cole, far exceeded our expectations for our landscaping project. The consultation was extremely thorough and Cole was very honest and forthright on what could and could not be done based on soil, roots, climate. I would absolutely use Designs of Eden for future projects, and strongly recommend to others.”
★★★★★
“Cole was very thorough and put a lot of thought into the plants for my yard. He was also great with follow-up. I have used him also for additional hardscape in the backyard. I've been very happy with every project.”
Start with a free 15-minute virtual call, or book the $200 on-site consultation. The fee is credited in full toward your design.
HOA & ARC
McKinney's master-planned communities take review seriously: Stonebridge Ranch runs modification review through its association, and Tucker Hill requires a Design Review Application for all exterior changes. We prepare the submission package so it passes the first time.
Communities we prepare submissions for include Stonebridge Ranch, Craig Ranch, Tucker Hill, Adriatica Village.
$200 on-site consultation, credited in full. Full pricing →
Common questions
A 2D Site Plan runs $750–$2,000 for lots under about half an acre with planting-and-layout scope; photoreal 3D design starts at $2,500; estate-scale projects run $4,500–$7,500+. The $200 on-site consultation is credited in full and design fees credit toward installation.
For quality trees of 27 inches DBH or larger, yes, even on your own lot. McKinney is the outlier in North Texas on this. Smaller trees on an existing single-family lot generally do not need one. We check the status during design so removals never stall a project.
Two days a week (trash day plus three days later), no sprinklers 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in season, and mandatory rain and freeze sensors. A registered smart ET controller is exempt from the day schedule entirely. We design drip irrigation in the beds and specify smart controllers so the landscape gets watered by the weather instead of the calendar.
Yes. Stonebridge modification review and Tucker Hill's Design Review Application both get a complete package: scaled plan, plant list with sizes, and materials sheets.
Design takes two to four weeks, and October and November are the best months to plant in North Texas. Book the consultation by October 1 and the design will be ready to install in that window.
Updated 2026-08-31.
