A black pergola over an outdoor dining table on a pale paver patio, with an outdoor kitchen and a fire pit, behind a white brick home at sunset

The backyard you’ll use
every night of the year.

We design and build patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and lighting for homes around Charlotte. You see your yard in 3D before we start, and our work has a 2-year warranty.

You see your yard in 3D before we start, and our work has a 2-year warranty.

See recent projects

4.9 from 88 Google reviews
Locally owned since 2014
(704) 698-8888

What do you want built?

Book your site visit in about a minute.

What homeowners say about RK Preferred

Six of RK’s 88 Google reviews, word for word.

4.9

88 Google reviews

Read all 88 reviews

“The communication from beginning to end was excellent and much appreciated.”
RK Preferred did an amazing job transforming my backyard. The sod and stone installation was exactly what I wanted. The guys were very professional and cleaned up after all work was completed. The communication from beginning to end was excellent and much appreciated. I would highly recommend RK Preferred and will absolutely use them again.

Lanae W.Sod and stone · Google review · 2026

“The design team helped us create the backyard we could only imagine.”
Working with RK Landscaping was smooth and effortless. The design team helped us create the backyard we could only imagine. Once the project started, Hardy, Paulo and Marcelo did a great job of being timely and tidy. We are completely enjoying the transformation.

Glen T.Backyard design and build · Google review · 2026

“Hardy the manager came everyday and checked with me on any concerns I had.”
I want to give 5 stars to Paulo and Marlon they work hard!!! in the heat and humidity with the sun on them.Excellent workers polite answered all my concerns very knowledgeable in their work. Hardy the manager came everyday and checked with me on any concerns I had.Very happy.Beautiful!!! Rob thanks for everything great 3D design and communicating to make sure the design was everything I wanted.

Theresa G.3D design and build · Google review · 2026

“He was friendly and spent time in my yard with me, discussing observations and options.”
Our French drain project was completed yesterday and we couldn’t be happier with RK Preferred. Rob was quick to respond to my initial quote request. He was friendly and spent time in my yard with me, discussing observations and options. Hardy was great with communication, including when rain pushed our project back. The two guys who did our work were friendly, informative, and careful.

Lisa T.French drain · Google review · 2024

“They were very professional and did great work!”
We highly recommend RK! They were very professional and did great work! We had a back patio installed with full landscaping in both our front and back yard. It was beautiful! Thanks so much Rob, Hardy & crew!

Erin K.Patio and full landscaping · Google review · 2023

“Rob works with you to make sure your objectives are well understood (and even offers good suggestions).”
Rob works with you to make sure your objectives are well understood (and even offers good suggestions). The costs are clearly articulated ahead of the job. Workers are on time and respectful. The quality of the final product is excellent. Highly recommend. Will use again.

Louis S.Google review · 2024

What we design and build

Patios, walls, kitchens, fire pits, pergolas, planting, lighting and drainage. Our design team draws it all together, and our crews build it.

01Patios & walkwaysPaver patios, walkways and steps 02Retaining wallsBlock walls that hold the slope 03Outdoor kitchensKitchens, grills and bars, built for hosting 04Fire pits & fireplacesFire pits, fire tables and fireplaces 05PergolasCedar pergolas and arbors 06Landscape design & planting2D plans, 3D renderings, beds, trees and sod 07Landscape lightingLow-voltage LED lighting for after dark 08DrainageEngineered for Charlotte’s red clay

Also: 12-month lawn and landscape care, plus snow and ice

Recent projects

Real RK jobs around Charlotte. Open one to see the photos and everything we built. See all our work

Large-format paver patio along a screened porch with seat walls at the edge

Paver patio and outdoor kitchen in WeddingtonPatio, seat walls, outdoor kitchen and planter

Oval paver patio with a dark hardtop pavilion and a fire table behind the house

Oval paver patio with a pavilion and fire tablePatio, hardtop pavilion, fire table and planting

Two fire bowls on a round stone base beside a paver patio

Patio, fire pit and fire bowls off a screened porchPaver patio, fire pit, fire bowls and front beds

New home with a block retaining wall, steps and fresh planting

Retaining walls, stone steps and planting for a new homeRetaining walls, stone steps, planting and trees

“We highly recommend RK! They were very professional and did great work! We had a back patio installed with full landscaping in both our front and back yard. It was beautiful! Thanks so much Rob, Hardy & crew!”
Erin K. · Google review

Book a site visit or call (704) 698-8888

How a project runs

Step 1 of 6

The qualifying call

Maffe, our client relations coordinator, calls every new inquiry, learns about your project and budget, and books a site visit with Rob, our project consultant.

Every inquiry gets a callBooks your site visit

The site visit

Rob walks the property with you and looks at the grade, the drainage and your style. He gives you a ballpark so you know it fits your budget. If it’s a fit, we start the design that same day.

No chargeA ballpark on the spot

Design

Our design team builds a 2D plan and a 3D rendering of your yard. Rob presents it, and we revise it with you until it’s right. The design is a paid step, and every dollar is credited toward your build on projects of $10,000 and up.

2D plan and 3D renderingWith revisions

Proposal

Rob presents the final proposal. Signing and a deposit lock in your start date. Francesca, our client success coordinator, handles invoicing and keeps you updated before we start.

Final proposalStart date locked in

The build

Your project manager runs the crew and the schedule, and builds to the drawings with proper base, grading and drainage underneath.

Project managerBuilt to the drawings

Final walkthrough

Your project manager walks the finished project with you. Then we send a care guide for your new landscape and your warranty details.

Care guide2-year workmanship warranty

Smaller jobs like drainage, sod and cleanups skip the design and get a direct quote.

Every material is named before we build

Your drawings list exactly what goes in: the stone, the lumber, the fixtures and what sits underneath. This is the level of detail in every RK design.

The surface

Same terrace, four surfaces. Tap one to see it in place.

Unilock Beacon Hill Smooth

Book your site visit

Everything above it

Tap a number to see the fixture, the lumber or the base, as your drawings list it.

An outdoor dining table under a lit cedar pergola at dusk

Fixture
Kichler low-voltage LED, 2700K warm white
Control
Dimmer plus a dusk timer
Light lands on the table, not in anyone’s eyes.
Lumber
Western red cedar, rough sawn
Spacing
16 in on center
Rafter spacing sets the shade. Tighter spacing, cooler table.
Footing
Concrete, below the frost line
Anchor
Raised post base keeps wood off the concrete
The posts stay plumb and the bottoms never sit in water.
Fixture
Solid brass, LED
Layout
Aimed at trunks and canopy
Lit planting gives the yard depth after dark.
Surface
Unilock Beacon Hill Smooth, large-format
Base
Compacted crushed stone over red clay
The base is what keeps a terrace level on Charlotte clay.

Meet Rob.

Rob Kasminoff started RK Preferred in 2014, knocking on doors in Indian Trail. Twelve years later he still walks most new properties himself, so the person who designs your yard is the person who built the company.

2014Founded in Indian Trail
4.9 ★88 Google reviews
On siteAt most first visits

Book a site visit with Rob

Rob Kasminoff, founder of RK Preferred Landscaping — **Rob Kasminoff**Founder & owner

The people you’ll work with

Rob designs your project. These are the people who run it and build it, as our clients describe them.

Project managerHardy

“Hardy the manager came everyday and checked with me on any concerns I had.”

Theresa G. · Google review

Client successFrancesca

“We had the best communication with Rob, Francesca, and our amazing project manager, Hardy.”

Tara M. · Google review

Our crewsThe install crews

“They were kind, worked hard, communicated well, and cleaned up everyday.”

Seth B. · Google review

See your yard after dark

Drag from noon to night. The landscape lights come on with a dusk timer, or switch them yourself.

12:00 pmLights off

☀☾

Based in Indian Trail. Working across the Charlotte area.

Our yard is on Waxhaw Indian Trail Road. If your town isn’t listed, call (704) 698-8888 and ask.

Home baseIndian Trail & Wesley ChapelSee local projects Weddington · MarvinWeddington & MarvinSee local projects Waxhaw · Indian Land, SCWaxhaw & Indian LandSee local projects MatthewsMatthewsSee local projects Ballantyne · CharlotteBallantyne & South CharlotteSee local projects

Start with a visit to your property.

A few short questions so Rob arrives with the right information, then you pick a day and time.

01Tell us about the projectAbout a minute, online or by phone
02Book your site visit with RobGrade, drainage, your style and a ballpark
03Your design in 2D and 3DRevised with you, then your final proposal

“Working with RK Landscaping was smooth and effortless. The design team helped us create the backyard we could only imagine. Once the project started, Hardy, Paulo and Marcelo did a great job of being timely and tidy. We are completely enjoying the transformation.”

Glen T. · Google review

What do you want built?

Pick one to start. It takes about a minute.

Site visit with Rob
Your yard drawn in 3D
Financing through HFS

Rather talk now?(704) 698-88884.9 from 88 Google reviews

Questions we get a lot

Is there a charge for the site visit?

There’s no charge. Rob, our project consultant, walks your property with you, looks at the grade, the drainage and your style, and gives you a ballpark so you know the project fits your budget. If it’s a fit, design starts the same day. Design is a paid step, and every dollar is credited toward your build on projects of $10,000 and up.

What will I see before you build?

A 2D plan and a 3D rendering of your property. Rob presents it, and we revise it with you until it’s right. Smaller jobs like drainage, sod and cleanups skip the design and get a direct quote.

What does an outdoor living project cost?

It depends on size, materials and the site. Rob gives you a ballpark at the site visit, and you get a final proposal before any work begins.

Do you handle slopes and drainage?

Yes. Charlotte’s red clay, slopes and heavy rain are part of almost every project. Proper grading, base preparation and drainage are what keep a patio level and a wall standing for twenty years or more.

Do you maintain what you build?

We offer a 12-month full-service lawn and landscape maintenance program, so the team that knows your property keeps it looking the way it was designed.

From the RK blog

Side-by-side guides to patio materials and fire pits, written for Charlotte yards.

Outdoor LivingOct 29, 2026

The backyard you’ll use
every night of the year.

What homeowners say about RK Preferred

What we design and build

Recent projects