How to Price Landscaping Jobs

FanNan

Editor

posted on 15 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Many business and home owners want to enhance the appearance of their property with landscaping. Small jobs may only be do-it-yourself projects. However, for most major landscaping projects, most owners rely on professional landscaping companies. One very important aspect of running a business of this sort is learning to price landscaping jobs. Many landscaping companies either do not acquire the job due to overbidding or lose money because they've under-bid a job. It is possible to affordably price landscaping jobs for customers and still earn money.

Steps

Travel to a landscaping site to get a view of the area and learn what the potential client wants. Take accurate measurements of the length and width of the area to be landscaped. Make notes of areas that receive shade and sunlight to determine the appropriate types of plants needed for the job. You can also adjust your pricing according to the region.

Design the area with landscaping in place. Make a rough sketch of the area to be landscaped. Make labels for each type of plant used and the dimensions of the area.

Calculate the cost of the mulch for the landscaping job. Use the measurements of the area and multiply the length times the width either in feet or meters.Price Landscaping Jobs Step 3Bullet1.jpg If you are working in feet, multiply by 0.166 (giving you 2 inches depth of mulch). Multiply by 0.0508 if using meters.Price Landscaping Jobs Step 3Bullet2.jpg Divide the answer in feet by 27 to convert cubic feet to yards (the unit in which mulch is sold). No division is required if using meters, because mulch is typically sold in cubic meters.Price Landscaping Jobs Step 3Bullet3.jpg Multiply your total by the cost of each cubic yard or meter of mulch to determine how much the mulch will cost.Price Landscaping Jobs Step 3Bullet4.jpg

Determine the cost of plants. Tally the type and amount of each plant used in the landscaping project. Multiply the cost of the plants by the number of plants you'll need.

Determine the price of extra materials.

Allow for selling cost. Once you know how much the materials will cost, you can determine what you need to charge the client. In most cases, multiply the landscaper’s cost by 115% to determine the selling cost.

Add in the expense of labor. Determine your time on the landscaping job comparing the needs of this job with previous jobs. Calculate the cost of labor by multiplying the hourly wages by the number of man-hours.