Lake Nona is mostly new homes — when's the right time for a landscape redesign?

Most Lake Nona homeowners we work with start a redesign within the first 1–2 years of move-in. The builder-grade landscape looks fine on the listing but starts looking thin by year two, and that's when most homeowners realize they want to take it from default to designed.

Laureate Park has design guidelines — can I do hardscape and a new front-yard design within them?

Yes. Laureate Park's guidelines focus on the public-facing streetscape — front yard, porch, walk to the door. We design within those rules (restrained palette, walkable paths, porch-friendly heights) and the backyard is unrestricted. Most Laureate Park projects are split that way: respectful front, ambitious back.

What does a full backyard transformation cost in Lake Nona?

Builder-grade backyard to designed outdoor living typically runs $50K–$200K depending on hardscape scope and outdoor kitchen ambition. A travertine pool deck plus covered loggia with a basic kitchen is in the $80K–$140K range. A full outdoor living complex with summer kitchen, fire feature, water feature, and landscape lighting runs higher.

Do you work in Lake Nona Golf & Country Club?

Yes. Lake Nona Golf properties are regular work for us. We have the COI, vendor onboarding, and gate-access protocols set up with the community. Project scope is whatever the homeowner wants — most are full-property estate-scale designs.

My yard is brand-new — should I wait for the sod to mature before redesigning?

Most of the time, no. If the design calls for removing parts of the sod for beds, hardscape, or new plant areas, doing it early saves the cost of removing established turf later. Most Lake Nona redesigns happen within 12–24 months of closing, which is the right window.

Can you handle the pool deck rebuild at the same time as the landscape?

Yes. Pool deck replacements (travertine, porcelain pavers, or stamped concrete) are usually scoped together with the surrounding landscape so the materials, finish, and transitions are designed as one. Pool deck plus landscape together is typical scope, not an exception.

Lake Nona, FL

Landscape Design & Hardscape in Lake Nona, FL

Name: Firsthand Lawns — Lake Nona
Address: 3720 N Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL, 32804, US
Telephone: (407) 337-5191
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.9

Lake Nona is mostly new construction — the master-planned community has grown faster than almost any other in Florida, and the landscape opportunities reflect that. Most new homes here close with builder-grade landscape: a sod yard, a row of foundation hedges, three palms, done. The transformation from that starting point to a designed estate landscape is the work we do most often in Lake Nona — full-property design, custom hardscape, mature plantings, irrigation tuned to the new lot.

Laureate Park, the wellness-focused master-planned village inside Lake Nona, has design guidelines that emphasize walkable streetscapes and front-yard porches. Backyards are private and that's where most of the project work happens — pool decks, outdoor kitchens, fire features, screened lanais with integrated landscape. We design within Laureate Park's overall aesthetic while pushing the backyard ambition higher than what came with the house.

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club is a different category — invitation-only, hilltop hideaways adjacent to the Lake Nona Golf Course, custom estate homes at price points that don't show up on Zillow. The landscape standard there is whatever the homeowner wants it to be. Most of that work is full-property redesign or hardscape addition rather than maintenance.

Get a free estimate in Lake Nona Call (407) 337-5191

Where we work in Lake Nona.

Laureate Park
Lake Nona Golf & Country Club
Lake Nona Estates
Northlake Park at Lake Nona
Medical City corridor
Eagle Creek (adjacent)
VillageWalk at Lake Nona
Storey Park (adjacent)

What we do here

Every service, in Lake Nona.

The full Firsthand service lineup is available across Lake Nona. Click any service for details, pricing range, and FAQ.

Lawn Maintenance

$175–$350/month (residential)

Landscape Design & Installation

$500–$2,500 design · installs $5K–$50K

Sod Installation

$1.50–$3.50 / sq ft installed

Irrigation

Repairs $150–$800 · new install $3K–$8K

Hardscape Installation

$10–$15 / sq ft installed

Tree Trimming & Removal

Trim $300–$700 · removal $400–$3,000+

Stump Grinding & Removal

$150–$400 per stump typical

Bamboo Trimming & Removal

Trim $300–$800 · removal $1.5K–$10K+

Property Cleanup

$500–$5,000+ typical residential

Why Lake Nona

What Lake Nona homeowners hire us for.

New-construction landscape redesigns.

Builder-grade landscape on a $1M Lake Nona home shows up as a row of viburnum and three sabal palms. We replace it with a designed front entry, full backyard outdoor living, mature plant material that doesn't look like it was planted yesterday, and irrigation tuned for the actual plant palette rather than for sod.

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club estate work.

Hilltop homes adjacent to the golf course have the budget and the room for full-scale landscape projects — large hardscape, mature live oak and crape myrtle plantings, integrated outdoor kitchens, fire features, dock and shoreline landscape on the lakefront sections. We design and install at that scale.

Hardscape for backyard outdoor living.

Most Lake Nona homes have larger-than-average backyards by Orlando standards. The transformation from sod-and-screen-cage to designed outdoor room is the most common Lake Nona project: travertine or porcelain pool deck, covered loggia, outdoor kitchen, fire feature, integrated landscape lighting. We handle all of it in-house.

Laureate Park front-yard streetscape sensibility.

Laureate Park's design guidelines push for walkable front-yard streetscapes — porch-facing landscape, restrained plant palette, paver walks. We design within that aesthetic so the front of the house fits the community character, then do whatever the homeowner wants in the back.

From Lake Nona customers

Reviews from your neighborhood.

Customers across Lake Nona have rated Firsthand 4.9 stars on Google. Browse all 154 reviews to see what neighbors are saying about recent work in the area.

See all reviews

4.9

Across 154 verified Google reviews

Lake Nona on the map.

FAQ

Questions specific to Lake Nona.

Other service areas.

We work across Central Florida. Pick another area for local specifics.

Working on a property in Lake Nona?

Tell us where and what you're thinking. We'll come out, walk it with you, and write up an honest estimate — usually within two business days.

Get a free estimate (407) 337-5191