About Landforms Design Inc

Meet Darin Chamberlin

Darin Chamberlin is the owner and lead designer of Landforms Design Inc, bringing 42+ years of horticultural and landscape construction expertise to every project in Cedar Rapids and across Eastern Iowa. Darin founded Landforms Design Inc in February 1995, and for more than 31 years he has personally designed and built the outdoor spaces that Iowa families live in every day — patios, retaining walls, drainage systems, and the backyard transformations the company has become known for statewide.

Long before he founded the company, Darin was already deep in the trade, having started working in horticulture and landscape construction in the early 1980s. That extra decade of hands-on experience, on top of the 31+ years running Landforms Design Inc, is why Darin is often described by clients and fellow contractors alike as one of the most experienced landscape professionals in the state. He has seen how Iowa's clay soils, freeze-thaw winters, and unpredictable spring rains punish poorly built landscapes, and he has spent four decades learning exactly how to build so they don't.

Darin is also a licensed FAA Drone Pilot and aerial photographer, a credential he uses to capture precise aerial site surveys, drainage assessments, and finished-project photography that most landscape companies simply can't offer. Combined with his use of the Uvision 3D Landscape Creator design software, Darin can show homeowners a realistic rendering of their finished yard — grading, plant placement, hardscape, and lighting — before a single shovel goes into the ground.

Perhaps Darin's best-known body of work is the 300+ Backyard Sports Center™ he has designed and built across the USA — a trademarked concept for custom home sports and recreation spaces that has made Landforms Design Inc a sought-after name well beyond Cedar Rapids. Darin is a true traveling landscaper: while his home base and the majority of his work remain in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he regularly takes on specialty projects nationwide for clients who want his specific expertise in sports-center design, aerial-informed grading, and premium hardscape construction.

Darin's work earned national recognition when Landforms Design Inc was featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition alongside host Ty Pennington, a milestone that remains one of the proudest moments in the company's history. Despite the national attention, Darin has stayed rooted in Cedar Rapids since 1995, where he continues to install premium Unilock pavers and select northern-grown plants bred specifically to survive and thrive in Iowa's climate.

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Our Company History

Landforms Design Inc's story didn't begin with a business license — it began with Darin Chamberlin working the trade, learning horticulture and landscape construction from the ground up starting in the early 1980s. That foundation of hands-on skill eventually grew into a company built to serve Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa the right way: with honest pricing, real craftsmanship, and designs built to survive Iowa's toughest seasons.

• 1984 — The Beginning Darin Chamberlin begins his career in horticulture and landscape construction, developing the hands-on skills that would eventually define Landforms Design Inc's reputation for quality.
• February 1995 — Landforms Design Inc Founded Darin officially founds Landforms Design Inc in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, bringing over a decade of field experience into his own company as owner and lead designer. Originally operating as Chamberlin Landscaping, the business grew into the full-service design and construction company it is today.

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• Ongoing Growth — 500+ Projects Completed Over three decades, Landforms Design Inc completes 500+ landscape design and construction projects throughout Cedar Rapids, Marion, Iowa City, and the surrounding communities.
• National Recognition — Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Landforms Design Inc is featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with host Ty Pennington, bringing national attention to Darin's design and construction work.
• Today — 300+ Backyard Sports Center™ Nationwide Darin has designed and built more than 300 trademarked Backyard Sports Center™ across the USA, while continuing to serve Cedar Rapids as his home base since 1995.

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As Seen on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition — 5 Episodes

Darin Chamberlin appeared on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition alongside host Ty Pennington not once, but five times — one of the most appearances by any single landscape contractor in the show's history. Each episode showcased Darin's ability to design and build stunning outdoor spaces under extreme time pressure, delivering results that impressed national audiences and set a benchmark for landscape craftsmanship on television. From Cedar Rapids to projects across the country, Darin brought the same hands-on expertise and creative eye to every reveal — the same standard every Landforms Design Inc client receives today.

What We Stand For

Credentials & Certifications

What Our Clients Say

Serving Cedar Rapids & Eastern Iowa

Landforms Design Inc is based in Cedar Rapids, IA, and the majority of our landscape design and construction projects are completed throughout Cedar Rapids and the surrounding Eastern Iowa communities. Because Darin has lived and worked in this area since founding the company in 1995, every design accounts for our specific clay-heavy soils, drainage challenges, and freeze-thaw winters — details that out-of-town or inexperienced contractors often miss.

Beyond our Eastern Iowa service area, Darin also takes on select specialty projects nationwide — particularly custom Backyard Sports Center™ — for clients across the USA who are looking for his specific design and construction expertise. Wherever the project is, it's backed by the same 42+ years of experience, the same attention to drainage and materials, and the same commitment to building landscapes that last.