I recommend going the DIY route all the way if you can swing it with your job and other responsibilities. You could probably buy a landscape design program for under $50. Bartering your expert services for another person’s is even better. You create websites so building things is probably in your DNA. As you probably know, designing and creating something by yourself brings a certain level of knowledge, experience, and satisfaction that you can’t put a price tag on. I’ve designed and installed my own natural stone patio before. It may have taken 3 years off my back, but I proved that I could do it and I learned a lot about myself along the way.