What a landscaping estimate is for
Landscape estimates mix materials, plants and labor in ways customers find hard to compare. Listing plant sizes, mulch depth, edging material and soil prep turns a vague number into a plan the customer can picture. It also sets the rules for plant guarantees and watering before anything goes in the ground.
What to put on a landscaping estimate
- A short description or sketch of the area.
- Plants by variety and container size, with counts.
- Soil prep, edging and mulch type and depth.
- Removal and haul-away of what is there now.
- Hardscape lines with base depth and materials.
- Watering and plant guarantee terms.
- The deposit to order plants, and how long the plant prices hold.
A worked example
A front yard with overgrown foundation shrubs and patchy beds. The plan is to pull the old shrubs, amend the soil, plant new shrubs and perennials, edge and mulch. The mulch line carries the typical price from our lawn care calculator.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remove overgrown shrubs and haul away | 8 | each | Your price | |
| Compost tilled into beds | 2 | cu yd | Your price | |
| Shrubs, 3 gallon | 10 | each | Your price | |
| Perennials, 1 gallon | 18 | each | Your price | |
| Steel bed edging | 90 | ft | Your price | |
| Hardwood mulch, delivered and spread (cu yd) * | 2.8 | each | $161.11 | $451.11 |
Name the shrub varieties before sending; customers search them. The plant guarantee belongs in the terms, tied to the watering you ask of the customer.
* Typical price from our free lawn care cost calculator, which lists its sources. Your own costs and market come first.
Line items landscapers use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Remove existing plants and turf | sq ft | Say whether debris is hauled away. |
| Bed edging, steel or stone | ft | Material and height of the edge. |
| Shrubs, installed | each | Container size and variety, with a guarantee period if you give one. |
| Trees, installed | each | Caliper or container size, staking, and who waters. |
| Perennials and groundcover | each | Flat or pot size. |
| Soil amendment or compost | cu yd | Tilled in before planting. |
| Mulch, delivered and spread | cu yd | Type and depth. |
| Sod, installed | sq ft | Grass type, plus grading and starter fertilizer. |
| Paver patio | sq ft | Paver style, base depth and edge restraint. |
| Retaining wall block | sq ft | Face area, with drainage stone and fabric behind it. |
| Drainage, French drain or dry creek | ft | Pipe, stone and fabric; where it discharges. |
| Landscape lighting fixtures | each | Fixture type and transformer. |
| Grading and soil | hour | Machine or hand grading. |
| Utility locate | each | Call before you dig; say that it is done before work starts. |
Terms and deposit language for landscaping
- Deposit. Install and hardscape jobs take a deposit at signing to order plants, stone and block and hold the crew. Some states limit deposits on landscape and home improvement contracts, so look yours up.
- Payment. Progress payments on larger hardscape jobs at set stages, with the balance due when the work is complete and walked with the customer.
- Warranty. Plant guarantees usually depend on proper watering, so say who waters and for how long. Hardscape workmanship is covered separately, for a stated period.
- Underground utilities are located before digging; private lines such as irrigation or lighting the locate service does not mark are not your responsibility unless the customer flags them.
- Plant substitutions of equal size and value may be made if a variety is unavailable, with the customer told first.
- Equipment access may mark the lawn; say how ruts are repaired.
How to fill it in
- Put in your business details once; this browser keeps them for every template.
- Fill in the customer and the job.
- Change the line items to fit this job and add your prices.
- Set tax, the deposit and the good-until date.
- Print to PDF, download Word or CSV, or send it from Koira.
Free tools for landscaping
- Lawn care cost calculator
- Lawn square footage calculator
- Artificial turf cost calculator
- French drain cost calculator
- Land clearing cost calculator
The same estimate for other trades: appliance repair, auto detailing, carpet cleaning, chimney, house cleaning, commercial cleaning, concrete, drywall, electrical, fence, flooring, garage door, general contractor, gutter, handyman, hvac, irrigation, junk removal, lawn care, locksmith, moving, painting, pest control, plumbing, pool service, pressure washing, remodeling, roofing, septic, snow removal, solar, tree service, waterproofing, window cleaning.
More for landscapers: how landscapers run on Koira.