Ted Carter Landscape

What Ted Carter Landscape does

Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes is a private, employee-owned (ESOP since February 2019) design-build landscape company headquartered in Buxton, Maine. Founded in 1996 by Ted Carter, who has more than 40 years of landscape design experience, the firm serves discerning homeowners in southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire, with a primary service area covering Cumberland and York counties (Brunswick, Freeport, Yarmouth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Saco, Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, Wells, Ogunquit, York, Kittery) and select coastal New Hampshire communities. The company is small (1–10 employees) and operates a single integrated service line spanning four offerings: Landscape Consultation ($500 flat fee per two-hour meeting within 40 miles of headquarters), Landscape Design, Landscape Installation, and Project Management, with the latter two often used by out-of-area or design-only clients.

The firm's core technical differentiation is a naturalistic design philosophy and specialization in natural stonework (bluestone, granite natural cleft and sawn, fieldstone, cobblestone, boulders), complemented by landscape construction services including terraces, patios, walkways, stairs, retaining walls, water features, fire pits, and plantings. The practice runs an in-house field measurement and site analysis process that produces two-dimensional site representations, grade and elevation records, and digital documentation. Crew training is sourced from specialized external partners, notably Aquascape Inc. for water feature installation and The Stone Trust for dry stone walling certification.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, professional-services revenue: bespoke design fees, installation contracts, and ancillary consultation and project management fees, with demand heavily seasonal (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Acquisition channels are referenced to local service-area presence, referrals, website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Houzz, LinkedIn), a bi-monthly email newsletter, and earned press in Maine-centric home publications. The firm actively recruits field labor, including via a 2021 radio campaign, with entry-level wages starting at $20/hour and CDL differentials.

Name

Ted Carter Landscape

Legal name

Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes

Website

https://tedcarterlandscapes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes is a private, employee-owned (ESOP) design-build landscape firm founded in 1996 and headquartered in Buxton, Maine. It provides bespoke landscape consulting, design, natural stone installation, and project management services to discerning homeowners across southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Design and Build Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Landscaping Services (561730), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Design, Build & Installation (Hardscapes/Softscapes) (BPABADAF), Landscape Installation (Plants, Sod & Soil) (HSAIABAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Landscape design services
• Landscape installation services
• Natural stone work
• Residential landscape consulting
• Design-build landscaping

Headquarters

HQ city

Buxton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Landscape Design Services: Complete landscape design services for discerning clients seeking bespoke landscapes. This includes initial consultation, site measurement, concept design, and final design delivery.
2. Landscape Installation/Construction: Design-build landscape construction services including terraces, patios, walkways, stairs, retaining walls, water features, fire pits, and plantings. Projects can be installed in stages across multiple seasons.
3. Landscape Consultation: Stand-alone consultation services for clients seeking expert landscape advice, including soil fertility assessment, plant selection, and site problem troubleshooting.
4. Project Management Services: Project management for landscape installations, primarily for design-only clients or when clients want to use alternative contractors for installation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes is a design-build landscape company that delivers landscape consulting, custom landscape design, full landscape installation/construction, and project management services to residential clients in southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire. Projects feature naturalistic styling and natural stonework, and are delivered either as a complete design-build package or as standalone services.

Product overview

Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes is a design-build landscape company offering a complete suite of services centered around bespoke landscape design and installation. The core offerings consist of Landscape Design (creating custom plans with site measurement, zoning review, and design presentations), Landscape Installation (full construction services specializing in natural stone), Landscape Consultation (initial site reviews and soil/plant advice), and Project Management (for design-only clients or out-of-area projects). All four services work together as an integrated design-build offering, with design preceding and informing the installation phase, while consultation provides the entry point and project management supports clients using external contractors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Memorial Day weekend and 4th of July are major milestones for completing projects; busy through Labor Day weekend

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Aquascape Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAquascape Inc. (based in St. Charles, Illinois) provides water feature installation training to TCIL crew members. Training included a February 2022 trip to their facility in Chicago.
• The Stone TrustminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Stone Trust (based in Dummerston, Vermont) provides dry stone walling contractor intensive training to TCIL field crew members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cataldo Landscaping: New England-based high-end residential design-build landscape firm with a comparable client profile and integrated design/installation offering - the closest geographic and service peer.
• Schill Landscaping: Ohio-based full-service landscape design and build firm for discerning residential clients, comparable in offering full landscape transformation with custom stone and hardscape elements.
• Hahn Landscapes: Massachusetts design-build landscape firm serving affluent suburban Boston clientele with comparable integrated design, installation, and construction services for discerning homeowners.
• Roundtree Landscaping: Massachusetts-based design-build firm specializing in high-end residential landscape installation and natural stone work, with comparable service depth and affluent coastal clientele.
• Sponzilli Landscape Group: New Jersey-based high-end residential landscape design-build firm offering concept-to-completion services with comparable project types (hardscape, water features, planting) to discerning clients.
• Highview Landscapes: New York-area design-build landscape firm serving high-end residential clients with integrated design, installation, and maintenance - similar customer profile and project complexity to TCIL.

Broad incumbents

• BrightView Landscapes: Largest U.S. commercial landscape services provider with a residential division; relevant incumbent benchmark for design-build capability at scale, though mostly commercial in orientation.
• LandCare: National commercial and residential landscape services company with broader geographic coverage and scale; overlaps with TCIL on residential design-build but operates at much larger scope.

Others

• Aquascape Inc. Water feature products and training provider that trains TCIL's crew; relevant adjacent ecosystem participant given TCIL's water feature specialization, though not a direct competitor.
• SiteOne Landscape Supply: National distributor of landscape and hardscape supplies - supplier to design-build firms like TCIL; an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor but relevant for understanding industry economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TedCarterLandscapes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ted-carter-inspired-landscapes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ted Carter Landscape