Landscaping Quotes: What To Look For (And What To Avoid)

25 Oct Landscaping Quotes: What To Look For (And What To Avoid)

Posted at 11:16h in FAQ's, Landscaping, Uncategorized by Paul Baker 0 Comments

Every landscaper will have their own way of calculating and presenting landscaping quotes. But how do you know if a quote is fair? and more importantly? What should ring alarm bells with you?

I (Paul) recently took part in a Roots To Revenue podcast in which we discussed the importance of managing expectations in terms of pricing. Whilst on the one hand, Holland Landscapes is not the cheapest landscaper in Essex, our pricing structure supports high quality workmanship.

Fair pricing benefits everybody involved in a garden makeover. It’s the only way a business can survive to give back to the community in terms of offering secure employment to skilled teams, supporting local suppliers and building the very best gardens possible.

But what IS fair pricing? Is the cheapest quote the fairest because the landscaper is making less of a margin? Or do lower prices mean something has been missed off the quote?

At the risk of upsetting industry colleagues, I’m about to reveal how, at Holland Landscapes, we calculate and present our landscaping quotations. I’m even going to share with you a real life quote – anonymous of course, and this garden has never been built.

What should landscaping quotes include?

Other than prices, a landscaping quote should help you to gain a thorough understanding of what you’ll be getting for your money. Now, every firm is different but we like to think that our quotes are fairly informative. We spend a lot of time making sure that each quote details every aspect of the project. Each element of the garden is carefully listed along with what will be involved in its creation. (There’s an illustrated example at the end of this article.)

Time Sensitive:

With input costs constantly fluctuating, we can’t hold our prices for ever. A quote from Holland Landscapes normally expires after 30 days and if it’s accepted within that time, we stick to that price unless material costs rise unexpectedly or dramatically. 30 days gives the client plenty of thinking time.

Carefully Calculated:

It can take several days for a Holland Landscapes quote to be calculated. Larger, more complex projects may take a few weeks for the quote to be built. We do our research carefully in terms of materials prices and go so far as to plan every stage of the project so that we can predict the timescales and labour costs as accurately as possible. Our quotes account for every nut, bolt and screw to ensure that the price will stay the same (unless the specification changes). This level of detail in a quote takes time to price.

Comprehensive – Includes All Costs:

Every aspect of the build is included in the quote, from clearing the garden and disposing of waste to adding the final finishing touches. I find that pricing a job is easier if I work methodically through the project in my mind and list every single stage. It’s also important to know whether there will be VAT to pay on top of the quote – that extra 20% can be a nasty shock if you’re not expecting it. Holland Landscapes’ quotes always show the VAT – if you are gathering quotes from more than one landscaper, be sure that you compare like for like.

Easily Digestible:

Our itemised quotes show just what is involved in each stage of the build, what materials will be used and even reveals construction details so the client knows exactly what they are getting for their money. We break down quotes into sections of the garden such as patio, lawn, planting, decking etc.

Why Are Costs Not Broken Down To Show Materials And Labour?

It’s a question that’s often asked of landscapers – clients want to see an exact breakdown of costs. I understand their concerns to an extent but honestly would you go into a restaurant and ask for the cost of each ingredient in your meal?

By not breaking the costs down into minute elements, we landscapers can have a wee bit more flexibility during the garden build process. It’s almost always the case that the prices we researched at the quoting stage will be slightly different when it comes to actually ordering materials and those fluctuations usually balance themselves out at the end. Maybe the slabs are £20 per square metre more expensive but we only need 5 skips of wastaway instead of 6. Sometimes the project takes more man-hours to complete because the weather is awful or something doesn’t go to plan. Unless there are vast differences either way, it’s just simpler for the landscaper to absorb the extra costs.

We don’t want our clients to get themselves all worried and stressed about costs. And it’s tempting to do just that when you’ve been told feature A will involve 14 hours of labour while feature B will take 23 hours to complete; How can you not be tempted to keep tabs? In reality, we actually work on several aspects of the garden consecutively depending on things like weather, which materials are on site etc and that’s all factored into the price.

There’s a huge element of trust involved in landscaping and relationships with clients can soon turn sour if the team feel they have to account for their every move. When that happens, it makes for a horrible atmosphere on site and that takes the joy out of the project for everyone involved.

What To Avoid In Landscaping Quotes

Verbal quotes – always a no-no! You don’t know what you’re getting and you have no documentary evidence of what’s been said.
Estimates – great for getting a ball park figure but an estimate is NOT the same as a firm quote.
Minimal detail – it’s important that you can see what’s been quoted for. Especially if you are comparing quotes from different companies.
Lack of terms and conditions – landscaping quotes should give you a complete picture of what to expect. Terms and conditions will outline a payment plan and clarify the legal responsibilities of both parties. When you are accepting a quote, you are also accepting the landscaper’s terms and conditions – so please make sure you know what you are signing.
Hard sales tactics – it’s sensible to have an expiration date on a quote but you should have plenty of time to digest the information and make a decision. Be wary of phrases like “we’re in the area and can start work tomorrow” or “I’ll knock some money off if you sign on the dotted line today.”

An Example Of A Landscaping Quote

Every quote from Holland Landscapes is accompanied by a cover email which mentions payment terms, when the job could be started and roughly how long we think it will take to complete. Our terms and conditions are also attached to the email so that clients have everything they need to be able to make an informed decision. And of course, Paul is always happy to discuss quotes and answer any questions that arise.

Below are four images. First a garden design from Tapestry Design Studios, and then a three-page landscaping quote to build the garden. As I mentioned earlier, this is a real quote although, as far as I know, the garden has not get been built. This garden measures 180 square metres and the quote is from 2023 – if you are reading this in the future, please bear in mind that if we quoted for this garden today, the costs may be different.