# What > See exactly what a full new-build yard install includes in Utah: grading, irrigation, sod, trees, beds, edging and gravel, plus what URL: https://ylclandscaping.com/guide/whats-included-new-construction-yard-install/ Last-Modified: 2026-08-29 Guides # What's Included in a New-Construction Yard Install? See exactly what a full new-build yard install includes in Utah: grading, irrigation, sod, trees, beds, edging and gravel, plus what's standard and what's optional. Updated August 29, 2026 · 5 min read · Part of New-Construction Landscape Installation [/new-construction-landscaping/ →](/new-construction-landscaping/) ![A new-build Utah home with a bare dirt front yard mid-install and landscaping materials staged on the driveway](/images/featured/new-build-utah-home-with-a-bare-dirt-front-yard-mi.webp) ## The short answer: everything from bare dirt to a finished yard If you’ve just closed on a new-build home in the Tooele or Salt Lake valleys, the yard is probably compacted dirt with a survey stake in it. A full new-construction install takes that from where it is to a finished, irrigated, planted landscape in one coordinated job. That’s exactly what our new-construction landscaping service [/new-construction-landscaping/ →](/new-construction-landscaping/) covers. Here is the line-item scope, in the order the work actually happens. ![Crew laying irrigation lines in a freshly graded new-construction yard](/images/content/crew-laying-irrigation-lines-in-a-freshly-graded-n.webp) **Site clearing.** Construction leaves things behind: offcuts, wire, chunks of concrete, sometimes buried debris. It comes out before anything else, because anything left under the surface settles unevenly later. **Rough and finish grading.** The grade gets set so water runs away from the foundation and out of window wells, not toward them. Builders grade for construction access, not for your landscape, and marginal slopes often reverse as the ground settles in the first couple of years. Finish grading then produces the smooth, rock-free surface that sod actually needs. **Soil preparation.** New-build ground is heavily compacted by construction traffic and usually stripped of good topsoil. We rip the compacted layer, screen out rock, amend where needed, and bring in screened topsoil so roots have somewhere to grow. **Irrigation.** A designed system: mainline, valve manifold, zones, heads, wiring and controller, sized to your yard’s square footage and, critically, your actual water source. Beds and trees get their own drip zones rather than sharing the lawn’s schedule. **Sod or seed.** Quality palletized sod laid on the prepared surface with tight staggered seams, cut cleanly to bed lines and rolled in. Seed is an option where it suits the project and budget better. **Trees, shrubs and planting.** Species chosen for our alkaline soil, wind exposure and hardiness zone, placed for their mature size rather than how they look on delivery day, planted with proper bed prep. **Edging and gravel.** Steel, poly or concrete curbing to hold a crisp line, quality geotextile fabric, and decorative rock spread to a depth that actually suppresses weeds. **Programming and handover.** We set the controller for the season, walk the yard with you, and leave a written watering and establishment plan. ## What’s standard and what’s optional Standard on essentially every full install: clearing, grading, soil prep, irrigation, sod, bed edging, gravel and controller setup. Those are the elements that make the yard function, and skipping any of them creates a problem you pay for later. Optional, and priced separately so you can decide: hardscape like a paver patio or seating wall, a retaining wall or terracing where the lot has a real grade change, landscape lighting, extended planting beyond the basics, a smart WiFi controller instead of a standard timer, and drip conversions if you want more water-wise beds than turf. The one that surprises people is topsoil volume. Two lots on the same street can need very different amounts depending on what the builder left. It’s a real line item, not padding, and it’s the thing most often missing from a suspiciously cheap bid. ## Rough timeline A front yard on a standard subdivision lot is often a few days once we start: grading and irrigation, then soil and sod, then beds and edging. Front and back together usually runs about a week. Larger lots, extensive irrigation runs, or added hardscape stretch it further. Frozen or saturated ground genuinely stops sod and grading work, and we tell you as soon as that’s on the cards rather than letting a date quietly slip. ## Why bundling it avoids gaps The sequence matters more than any individual step. Irrigation has to go in before topsoil. Grading has to be right before irrigation. Bed lines have to be set before gravel. When four contractors handle those on four schedules, the seams are where things go wrong, and when something does, everybody points somewhere else. Running the whole sequence with one crew means the grade the irrigation was designed for is still the grade when the sod arrives, and there’s one number to call if anything needs sorting. It’s also cheaper per square foot, because mobilising equipment once instead of four times is real money. If you’d rather see the whole sequence step by step, our guide on the blank dirt to finished yard process [/guide/blank-dirt-to-finished-yard-process/ →](/guide/blank-dirt-to-finished-yard-process/) walks through each stage and what you decide at each one. Once you know roughly what scope you want, the next step is a free on-site visit. We walk the lot, look at the soil and the water source, and put an itemized bid together so you can see every line before committing to anything. ## Common questions Does a new-build install include the sprinkler system? Yes. Custom irrigation is a core part of a full install, designed and sized to your yard and your water source rather than dropped in from a template. It's usually the single largest line item on the bid. Can I add just part of the package? Yes. We can scope down or phase the work. Plenty of people do the front yard first for HOA compliance and the back later. Full installs are the most cost-efficient per square foot because we mobilise once, but a partial scope is entirely reasonable. Do you handle the back yard too, or just the front? Both, and the scope is your choice. The front usually drives the HOA deadline and the back is where you actually live, so most people do the front first and the back either immediately after or the following season. Next step ## Learn more about new-construction landscape installation If this is the work your property needs, our new-construction landscape installation page covers what is included, what it costs, and how the job runs. New-Construction Landscape Installation [/new-construction-landscaping/ →](/new-construction-landscaping/) Get a Free Estimate [/contact/ →](/contact/) ## Related guides ### Blank Dirt to Finished Yard: How the Process Works A step-by-step walkthrough of a full Utah yard install, from site prep and grading through irrigation, sod, planting and the final walkthrough. [Blank Dirt to Finished Yard: How the Process Works →](/guide/blank-dirt-to-finished-yard-process/) ### Choosing a New-Construction Landscaping Contractor in Utah How to choose a new-construction landscaping contractor in Utah: questions to ask, licensing and insurance checks, red flags, and why one-stop matters. [Choosing a New-Construction Landscaping Contractor in Utah →](/guide/choosing-new-construction-landscaping-contractor-utah/) ### How Much Does It Cost to Landscape a New-Build Yard in Utah? Real Utah price ranges to landscape a new-build yard by size and scope, what drives cost, and payment options. Get a free itemized estimate. [How Much Does It Cost to Landscape a New-Build Yard in Utah? →](/guide/cost-to-landscape-new-build-yard-utah/) ### Full-Yard Install vs. Phasing Your Landscaping Should you landscape all at once or in stages? Compare cost, disruption and which elements to do first, and how phasing affects irrigation and grading. [Full-Yard Install vs. Phasing Your Landscaping →](/guide/full-yard-install-vs-phasing/) ### How Long Does a Full New-Build Yard Installation Take? Typical timelines for a full Utah yard install by size, plus weather and season factors, phasing options, and what can speed the job up. [How Long Does a Full New-Build Yard Installation Take? →](/guide/how-long-new-build-yard-installation-takes/) ### New-Build Landscaping and HOA Approval Deadlines in Utah How to meet HOA landscaping deadlines in Utah subdivisions: common install windows, front-yard requirements, and how to get compliant fast. [New-Build Landscaping and HOA Approval Deadlines in Utah →](/guide/new-build-landscaping-hoa-deadlines-utah/)