Landscaping · Eastham, MA

Landscaping in Eastham, Massachusetts

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50 contractors serving Eastham — including 1 based in town.

Contractors serving Eastham

Landscaping in Eastham — what to know

Site & seasonal factors

Eastham is Eversource electric territory, so Mass Save applies for building-side work. For landscaping, Mass Save isn't the relevant program.

The binding rules in Eastham are environmental: the Wetlands Protection Act, the Cape Cod Commission, and — for properties inside it — Cape Cod National Seashore regulations. The Eastham Conservation Commission enforces 100-foot buffers around the town's many kettle ponds (Great Pond, Herring Pond, Depot Pond) and along the bay and ocean shores. Coastal banks have their own no-disturbance zones. Expect ConCom review for almost any hardscape, grading, or significant planting outside the immediate house footprint.

Permits in Eastham

Eastham follows the MA State Building Code for retaining walls — 4 feet and taller need an engineered plan and a Building Department permit. Beyond that, the local gatekeeping is environmental. The Conservation Commission reviews work within 100 feet of any wetland, pond, or coastal resource. Properties inside Cape Cod National Seashore boundaries face additional National Park Service rules on tree removal and exterior changes. Permitting timelines on the Cape are typically longer than the rest of MA — plan 8–12 weeks for ConCom-eligible projects.

Typical project cost

Cape Cod landscaping prices run 15–25% above the state average. Labor and material logistics over the bridges are part of it; the rest is demand from the seasonal-home market. Weekly mow service on a typical Eastham lot runs $65–$110. A 300 sq ft shellstone or bluestone patio runs $12,000–$22,000 installed. New irrigation on a half-acre runs $5,000–$9,000. Anything that requires bringing in fill or screened loam costs more here because it's all trucked from off-Cape.

About Eastham homes

Eastham is an outer-Cape town of 5,724 year-round residents but a remarkable 6,393 housing units — more dwellings than people, the signature seasonal-housing math of the Cape. Median home age is around 50 years, with a lot of the stock being mid-century summer cottages that have been winterized.

Lots are sandy, often partly wooded with pitch pine and scrub oak, and large portions of town fall inside the Cape Cod National Seashore boundary. Whether a property is inside the Seashore or just adjacent changes what you can legally do in the yard — including clearing brush, building decks, or expanding lawns.

Common questions — Landscaping in Eastham

Can I cut down trees in my yard if I'm inside the National Seashore boundary?
Possibly, but you need to check first. The National Park Service has rules about tree removal and clearing on Seashore-adjacent and Seashore-inholding properties, and they're enforced. A Cape-experienced landscaper will know which parcels are subject.
Why does the Eastham ConCom get involved in so many yard projects?
Because so much of Eastham is within 100 feet of a kettle pond, salt marsh, coastal bank, or bay shore. The Wetlands Protection Act buffer covers a huge share of the buildable land here, so most non-trivial yard work crosses ConCom jurisdiction.
Will grass even grow well on my sandy Eastham lot?
It can, but it needs help. The native soils are fast-draining and low in organic matter — most successful Eastham lawns get a heavy topdressing of compost on install, drought-tolerant fescue mixes, and zoned irrigation. Or, increasingly, owners go native and skip the lawn entirely.
Do I need a permit for a paver walkway between the house and the driveway?
A walkway at grade doesn't need a building permit. If it falls inside a wetland buffer or near a coastal bank, it still needs ConCom review. Most Eastham contractors run the wetlands check before quoting any hardscape.
What's the realistic install window on the outer Cape?
April through November for most work, with the design-build queue heavily booked May–July. Frozen ground is uncommon enough on the Cape that some contractors will do limited winter work, but ConCom-eligible projects are essentially a spring-through-fall calendar.

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