Free landscaping estimate generator

How to write a landscaping estimate

A landscaping estimate starts with a site visit and a tape measure. Price it with the form at the top of this page, which opens as an estimate with a Valid until date 30 days out, short enough that mulch, sod and plant prices still hold.

• Measure on the site visit. Bed square footage and mulch depth give you cubic yards, and lawn areas give you square feet of sod or seed. Write the measurements down; they are your defense if the customer asks why the numbers changed.
• Put each phase on its own line: cleanup, bed prep, mulch, sod, plantings, irrigation. A customer who needs to cut the budget can drop one line instead of asking you to start over.
• Split materials and labor where it helps. Mulch by the cubic yard, delivery as its own line and install per yard show where the money goes.
• Mark materials taxable where your state taxes them, and set the tax rate once at the bottom.
• Use the notes for your deposit, plant warranty terms, what is excluded and what happens if you hit something you could not see.

What to include on a landscaping estimate

Landscaping estimates go wrong on quantities and on the ground itself. Say what you measured and what you assumed.

• Quantities with units: cubic yards of mulch or soil, square feet of sod, number and pot size of plants, linear feet of edging.
• Material grade, such as double-shredded hardwood or dyed mulch, and the plant variety and size.
• Delivery and disposal fees, including hauling away old sod or debris.
• Plant warranty: how long, what it covers and what the customer must do, usually regular watering.
• Site conditions you are assuming, such as access for equipment, no buried rock or roots, and irrigation lines marked.
• For hardscape like patios, walls and walkways: base depth, material, square footage, and that utility lines will be located before digging.
• A deposit amount and when it is due, since materials often get ordered before the crew arrives.

Seasonal contracts vs one-time jobs

One-time jobs like a spring cleanup, a sod install or a new bed are priced from the measurements and materials. Seasonal maintenance is priced per visit or per month across the season, and many companies bundle mowing, edging, blowing, bed weeding and fall cleanup into one contract.

Good, better and best packages work well for maintenance. Good might be mowing and edging only, better adds bed weeding and shrub trimming, and best adds seasonal mulch, aeration and cleanups. Put each package on the estimate with its price per visit or per month and let the customer choose.

For per-visit mowing prices, the lawn mowing price calculator on this site gives a starting number based on lawn size and visit frequency.

Estimate, quote, bid or invoice

An estimate is your expected price for the work based on what you measured. A quote usually means a fixed price the customer can hold you to. A bid is what you submit when a property manager or HOA asks several companies to price the same scope. An invoice comes after the work and requests payment. When the job is done, switch this form from Estimate to Invoice, adjust any quantities that changed, and the same lines become the bill.

When estimates turn into seasonal accounts

The free ToolBerry app keeps your customers and jobs in one place. You build estimates, called proposals in the app, line by line or from your saved list of services and materials, and get a PDF to share or send from your own email. Each one is tracked from draft to sent to accepted.

You can put good, better and best options on one estimate and record which package the customer picked, and capture their signature on the device at the site visit. An accepted estimate turns into a job or an invoice without retyping, and recurring maintenance can start an agreement with its visits scheduled. It is free with no signup or card, works offline and runs on iPhone, Android and the web.