How to use the landscaping quote calculator
- List the materials with your real supplier cost per unit — mulch, soil, stone, pavers, fabric, edging, plants.
- Set your markup on materials, and sales tax if you charge it separately.
- Enter the crew size, hours on site and your charge per worker-hour.
- Add equipment, dump and travel fees, your overhead & profit percentage and an optional deposit.
- Open “Turn this into a printable quote”, add your business details, logo and customer, and print or save it as a PDF.
The formula
Material line = qty × your cost × (1 + material markup) × (1 + O&P) Labor line = crew × hours × hourly charge × (1 + O&P) Fees = (equipment + dump + travel) × (1 + O&P) Total = Σ lines + sales tax on materials Profit = Σ lines − your cost
Worked example
A mulch and edging job: 6 yd³ of hardwood mulch at $38, 400 ft² of fabric at $0.12, 60 ft of steel edging at $2.50, 25% material markup, a crew of 2 for 6 hours at $55 per worker-hour, a $60 dump fee and 10% overhead and profit:
- Materials: cost $426 → $585.90 after markup and O&P
- Labor: 12 worker-hours × $60.50 = $726.00
- Fees: $60 × 1.10 = $66.00
- Quote total: $1,377.90; your cost $1,146.00, so $231.90 profit built in (16.8% gross margin) on top of what your labor rate already covers
Pricing tips for landscapers
- Know your real labor cost. Add payroll taxes, insurance, workers’ comp, truck, fuel and unbilled time to the wage. Many owners find their true cost per worker-hour is 1.5–2 times the wage.
- Count drive and load time. Time at the yard and supplier is real time. Include it in hours on site or as a mobilization fee.
- Price disposal. Dump fees for sod, soil and old mulch add up quickly — put them on their own line.
- Check the minimum. Small jobs still need a trailer, a crew and a trip. Set a minimum charge so they are worth doing.
- Look at price per square foot. Enter the job area to compare the quote with similar jobs and catch mistakes before the customer does.
What a good quote includes
Customers compare quotes on clarity as much as price. A professional landscaping quote shows your business name and contact details, the customer and job address, a clear scope of work, itemized prices, the total, any deposit, how long the price is valid and your payment terms, with space for the customer to sign. The printable quote here includes all of these and adds a “valid until” date 30 days after the quote date.
Keep the scope specific: “Install 3 in of hardwood mulch in front beds (about 450 ft²) over new fabric, with 60 ft of steel edging” prevents arguments that “refresh the beds” never will. If the customer asks for more work later, write it up with the change order generator.
Deposits and local rules
Deposits protect you when you buy materials up front, but some places limit them. In California, for example, the down payment on most home-improvement contracts cannot exceed 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less. Licensing, contract wording and tax rules also differ by state and country, so check what applies where you work.