Landscaping estimates work best when the client can picture the result and see what each part costs. Here's how to write one for an install, a cleanup or a maintenance contract.
1. Measure the area
Measure the beds and lawn areas so you can price materials accurately: square feet of sod, cubic yards of mulch or soil at the depth you'll lay it, and the length of edging.
2. Price materials by the unit
Mulch and soil by the yard, sod by the pallet or square foot, rock by the ton or yard, and plants by size and count. Unit prices make the estimate easy to check and easy to adjust if the client wants more or less.
3. Price labor by the job or by crew hours
Flat prices work for regular services such as mowing visits or a spring cleanup. For installs, estimate crew hours and say how many people for how long.
4. Include site prep and haul-away
Removing old plants, sod or rock, grading, and hauling away green waste all take time. List them so they're paid for.
5. For maintenance, spell out the schedule
Say what each visit includes, how often you'll come, how weather delays are handled, and how you'll bill (per visit or monthly).
6. Say what's guaranteed
If you guarantee plants for a period, say for how long and what the client has to do (usually watering) for the guarantee to apply.
7. Send it while you're still there
The best time to send an estimate is before you leave. The client is still thinking about the job, and you're not competing with the next quote they get.
Text or email a link they can open on their phone and approve with a tap, rather than a PDF they have to print, sign and scan.
A sample landscaping estimate
Here’s the kind of estimate these steps add up to, made in Invoizr. Names and numbers are made up.
Common mistakes
- Guessing material quantities instead of measuring.
- Leaving haul-away out of the price.
- Offering a plant guarantee with no conditions about watering.
Free landscaping estimate template
A printable PDF with the lines landscapers need most, ready to fill in by hand. No sign-up needed.
Or write it on your phone: Invoizr builds the estimate from your saved prices, sends it as a link the client approves with a tap, and turns it into an invoice when the job is done. See how Invoizr works for landscapers, or try it free for 14 days.