Landscaping is the trickiest of the yard trades to quote, because it's not one task — it's design, dirt, materials, plants, and haul-away all in one job. The crews that lose money almost always lose it on the materials, not the labor. Here's how to price a landscaping job so every phase is covered.
Estimate phase by phase
- Design / planning — if you're laying out beds or hardscape, that's billable time.
- Site prep — clearing, grading, removal, and disposal. Easy to underestimate.
- Materials — plants, mulch, soil, stone, edging, fabric. List every one with quantities.
- Labor hours — install time at $40–$80/hour per crew member.
- Equipment & disposal — rentals, dump fees, delivery.
Price each line in the landscaping estimate tool, then present one project total.
Mark up materials — it's not padding
Add 20–50% markup on plants and materials. You're sourcing, hauling, handling, and eating the risk on damaged or leftover stock — that's a service, not a markup for markup's sake. Quoting materials at your raw cost is how landscapers end up working for free on the supply run.
Quote the project, not the hour
Customers want a project price, and a flat quote rewards you for working efficiently. Build it internally from labor + materials + equipment + markup, then show a clean total with itemized backup so it doesn't look arbitrary. Save hourly billing for open-ended maintenance and cleanups.
Protect yourself with terms
Plants die, weather delays digs, and "while you're here…" requests pile up. Add terms: a plant warranty window, a note that price may change if site conditions differ from the walkthrough, and a deposit to cover material orders. See how to write an estimate for the full checklist, and bill completed phases with the landscaping invoice template.