Landscaping in Big Timber, MT
Big Timber sits at 4,095 feet where the Boulder River meets the Yellowstone, with the Crazy Mountains to the north. Ranch country: large lots, about 17 inches of precipitation a year, and chinook winds that swing the temperature thirty degrees in an afternoon. CW Designs designs and builds landscapes for those conditions, concentrated where you will actually use them.
Locally Owned Since 2012
5-Star Reviews
Award-Winning Landscape Design
Full-Service Design & Build
Recognized for Quality Landscape Design & Construction
Built for Big Timber Acreage
Big Timber is Sweet Grass County ranch country, and most properties here have more ground than anyone wants to maintain. The design question is not how to fill the yard. It is where to concentrate the landscape so it reads as intentional, holds up in the wind, and does not commit you to watering ground you never walk on.
Why homeowners choose CW Designs:
Designed for Wind, Water and Wide-Open Ground
Every landscape is customized to fit your home’s architecture, terrain, and natural surroundings.
Complete Design & Build Services
We handle every stage of your project, from initial concept through professional installation.
Exceptional Craftsmanship
We build landscapes that remain beautiful, functional, and durable for years to come.
Responsive, Honest Service
You’ll always know what to expect, with clear communication throughout your project.
Complete Landscape Design & Outdoor Living Solutions
CW Designs was founded on a simple belief: homeowners deserve a landscaping company that communicates well, delivers quality workmanship, and genuinely cares about every project.
Founder Chuck Wissenbach has more than 34 years of landscape experience and holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Design and Contracting. Since opening CW Designs in 2012, he has helped homeowners throughout Billings transform outdated landscapes into beautiful outdoor living spaces.
Whether your project is a complete landscape renovation or a new patio, our team is committed to making the process enjoyable from the first consultation through the final walkthrough.
Trusted by Homeowners Throughout Billings
Frequently Asked Questions
Turn Your Property Into Your Favorite Destination
Turn Your Property Into Your Favorite Destination
What Big Timber Properties Need
Big Timber sits at 4,095 feet in Sweet Grass County, where the Boulder River meets the Yellowstone and the Crazy Mountains stand up to the north. It is ranch country: large lots, long sight lines, about 17 inches of precipitation a year, 55 inches of snow, and chinook winds that swing the temperature thirty degrees in an afternoon.
Wind, first
Chinooks moderate the winters here, but they also desiccate evergreens, topple young trees that were not staked properly, and make an exposed patio unusable on the wrong afternoon. Windbreak placement and shelter are design decisions, not afterthoughts.
Designing the acre, not the lot
Most Big Timber homes have more ground than anyone wants to maintain. The move is a defined outdoor living zone near the house, built properly, with the transition to native grass handled deliberately instead of by accident.
Water that has to be earned
At roughly 17 inches of precipitation a year, often on well water, irrigation efficiency is your water budget rather than a talking point. We zone sprinkler systems so the areas that need water get it and the rest is not carrying the cost.
Views you should not block
The Crazies and the Boulder River valley are why people build here. Plant height, bed placement and structure location get planned around sight lines from inside the house, which is where you spend the winter looking at your landscape.
Snow and wind loading on structures
Around 55 inches of annual snowfall plus open exposure means pergolas, shade structures and fences take real load. They get built for it or they come down.
Big Timber Landscaping Questions
Is Big Timber inside your service area?
Yes. Big Timber is roughly 80 minutes from Billings and within the area we serve. We plan travel so the crew works in consistent stretches rather than short trips.
Do you work on acreage and ranch properties?
Yes, and it is some of our favourite work. The approach differs from a subdivision lot: define the spaces you will actually use, build those properly with patios and retaining walls, and handle the transition to native ground on purpose.
What holds up in Big Timber wind?
Species selected for wind tolerance, planted with proper staking and root establishment, plus structures engineered for the load. We also use grading and plant massing to create shelter rather than fighting the wind head on.
Can you do phased projects?
Often, on larger properties. We build a master plan, then construct it in stages so the whole thing works together even though it goes in over several seasons.
