How to price landscaping jobs (patios, turfing and more)

Knowing how to price landscaping jobs well is what separates landscapers who stay busy and profitable from those who stay busy and broke. Landscaping jobs vary hugely, from a small turfing job to a full garden build, and the costs that catch people out are usually the hidden ones: digging out, waste and access.

This guide gives you a method. Your prices depend on your costs, suppliers and area.

Measure properly

Accurate measurements are the start of every good landscaping quote:

Areas in square metres for turf, patios, paving and planting.
Lengths for edging, walls, fencing and steps.
Depths for excavation and sub-base.
Levels and slopes, which change the work a lot.

Take photos from several angles, and note access and where waste and deliveries will go.

Price each element separately

Break the job into parts and price each one:

Site clearance and excavation: time, machine hire, waste removal.
Sub-base and preparation: materials and labour.
Hard landscaping: paving, walls, steps, edging.
Soft landscaping: turf, topsoil, planting, mulch.
Extras: lighting, drainage, raised beds, fencing.

Pricing elements separately makes it easier to adjust when customers change their minds, and to offer options.

Don’t underestimate waste and access

Excavated soil takes up more room than you think. Include skips or grab lorries, tip fees and the time to move material. If everything has to go through the house or a narrow side gate, labour goes up a lot. See how to price a job for the general method and our free pricing calculator.

Add contingency for groundwork

Buried rubble, roots, old foundations and drainage problems are common. State your assumptions and include a contingency or a clear rate for extra work.

Offer options

Landscaping customers often have a dream and a budget that don’t match. Offer options:

different paving materials;
doing the project in phases;
the customer doing some work themselves, such as planting.

Options help customers say yes rather than no. See what to say when a customer says “that’s too expensive”.

Give a range before the visit

Homeowners rarely know whether a new patio costs $2,600 or $19,500. A ballpark range based on size, materials and access brings better enquiries. An instant estimator for landscapers asks those questions on your website. Read how to give a ballpark price.

Questions

Should I charge for landscape design?

Many landscapers charge for detailed designs, sometimes deducting the fee from the build price. See should tradesmen charge for quotes?

How do I price a patio?

Work out area, excavation depth, sub-base, paving material, laying pattern, edging, drainage and waste, then add labour, overheads and profit.

Should landscaping quotes include tax?

If you charge tax, show it clearly: homeowners in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand expect prices that include it, and in the US and Canada tax is usually added on top. See should prices include tax?

For winning more work, see how to get more landscaping clients.