How to quote landscaping jobs (free template and worked example)

A landscaping quote is four numbers added up: materials with a waste allowance, labour hours at your rate, the extras people forget (skip, plant hire, travel), and your margin on top. The rest of the quote is words, and the words matter as much as the numbers, because most arguments on a job are about what was included rather than what it cost.

Below is the process I use, a worked patio example you can copy, and rough rates for the jobs landscapers quote most.

Where quotes go wrong

The usual culprits are time, forgotten costs and a vague scope. Jobs take longer than you think, especially digging out. Skip hire, a plate compactor for two days and the extra trips to the merchant all come out of your pocket if they are not on the quote. And "install patio" gives the customer room to believe it included the drainage, the step and the new lawn edge.

The Federation of Master Builders makes the same point in its guidance on avoiding common contract pitfalls: an unclear scope of works is where disputes start. A written scope with exclusions protects you and the customer.

What a quote should include

Your business name, contact details and insurance; the customer's name and the property address; a quote number, date and how long the price is valid; a scope of work that says exactly what you will do; what is excluded; a rough start date and duration; the price, with VAT shown separately if you are registered; the deposit and payment stages; and your terms.

Our free quote generator lays all of that out and gives you a PDF to send.

Step by step

1. Visit the site

Never quote landscaping work unseen. Measure the areas in square metres and the runs of fence or edging in metres. Check the access: gate widths, steps, how far the skip or bulk bags will sit from the work, and where you can park. Look at the ground for slopes, soft spots and existing drainage. Ask what the customer actually wants, their timescale, and their budget if they will share it.

2. Cost the materials

List every material with its quantity and your price from the merchant. These figures are an example for a 20m² patio, not current prices:

Add 10-15% for cuts, breakages and mistakes. At 10%, that is £1,210.

3. Cost the labour

Estimate the hours for each stage, then multiply by your rate. If you do not know your rate yet, work it out with the hourly rate calculator first.

4. Add the other costs

5. Add your margin

Materials £1,210, labour £1,750 and other costs £340 come to £3,300. Adding 20% on top gives £660, making £3,960, which I would round to £4,000. With VAT at 20%, the customer pays £4,800.

A sample quote

This is how the patio example reads as a finished quote. The business, customer and dates are made up.

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Green Lane Landscapes. Address, phone, email. Public liability insurance: £5 million.

Quote Q-047, dated 5 October 2026, valid until 4 November 2026. Customer: Mr J Wilson, 42 Oak Road, Manchester M20 3AB.

Rear garden patio

We will supply and lay a new patio of about 20m² in your rear garden:

• dig out the existing lawn to 150mm
• lay and compact 100mm of Type 1 sub-base
• lay 600x600mm porcelain slabs in dark grey, with a soldier course edge
• point with a resin jointing compound
• connect to the existing drain where needed
• clear the site and take away all waste

Not included: planting or turf, lighting (we can quote for this separately), furniture.

Start: week commencing 2 November 2026, weather permitting. Duration: 5-6 working days.

Payment: 30% deposit (£1,440) on acceptance, 40% (£1,920) when the sub-base is down, 30% (£1,440) on completion. Bank transfer; details on each invoice.

Terms: this quote is valid for 30 days. Work depends on suitable weather. Any change to the scope is agreed in writing before we do it. All work is guaranteed for 12 months.

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Showing "profit and contingency" as a line is a choice. Some landscapers prefer to fold it into labour and materials; see the FAQ below.

Rough rates for common landscaping work

These are ranges I would use as a sense check against my own costing, not a price list. Materials in particular move with the merchant and the season, so check your local prices.

Paving and patios

Fencing

Turf and lawns

Planting

For regular maintenance rather than one-off projects, see how much to charge for lawn mowing.

Common mistakes

Underestimating time catches everyone. Keep a note of how long each stage actually took and compare it with your estimate. After a dozen patios you will know your own numbers. Until then, add a fifth to your labour hours.

Next come the forgotten costs: waste, travel, fuel, blades and bits, the hour spent writing the quote, and a contingency for the drain you find under the lawn.

Be specific about the scope: not "install patio" but "dig out 20m² to 150mm, lay 100mm compacted sub-base, lay 45 slabs in stretcher bond". It reads as more professional and leaves nothing to argue over.

Do not quote on the spot. Tell the customer you will send a written quote within 48 hours, then do the sums properly at home.

And put your terms on every quote. At minimum, state how long the quote is valid, the payment stages, how changes are agreed, what happens in bad weather and what you guarantee.

When to walk away

Some jobs are not worth quoting. "Can you match this price?" usually means the customer will choose on price alone. If they want £10,000 of work for £3,000, it is kinder to say so early. "Just make it look nice" with no further detail is a dispute waiting to happen. Hesitation about paying a deposit is a warning. And sometimes access alone makes the job not worth it.

Politely declining costs you nothing. Taking the wrong job can cost you a month.

Getting quotes accepted

Follow up after a week if you have not heard back. Something short is enough:

"Hi Sarah, just checking the patio quote reached you. Happy to go through any of it or change the design if that helps."

Answer questions quickly. If the budget is the problem, offer a smaller area or split the work into two phases rather than cutting your price for the same job. Photos of similar work you have done help the customer picture the finished result.

Keeping track of quotes

A folder of Word documents works until you have ten quotes out and cannot remember which were accepted. In TradeSender you build a quote from your own price list, email it, and the customer can accept it online. An accepted quote becomes a job, and when the work is done you invoice the job without retyping anything; the invoicing features page shows how. It runs on the web and iPhone, and the Free plan covers one person with up to 30 visits a month. Plans are on the pricing page. If you mostly do maintenance rather than projects, the page on software for gardeners is a better starting point.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a quote be valid?

30 days is usual. For large projects, or when material prices are moving, say so and keep it shorter. Always put the validity period on the quote.

Should I break down labour and materials?

It is a choice. A full breakdown shows your working but invites line-by-line haggling. Many landscapers show a materials total and a labour total without the hourly rate.

How much deposit should I ask for?

20-30% is common for landscaping work. For bigger jobs, use stage payments, such as 30% on acceptance, 40% at a clear midpoint and 30% on completion, as in the example above.

What if the job takes longer than quoted?

If the scope has not changed, the extra time is yours to absorb; that is what the margin is for. If the customer asks for more, quote the extra in writing before you do it.

Should I quote a fixed price or by the hour?

A fixed price for defined projects like patios and fencing. An hourly or day rate for open-ended work such as garden clearance. Most customers prefer a fixed price.

What do I say to a customer who wants it cheaper?

Keep the price and change the job: "I can't take anything off without cutting corners, but I could quote for a smaller area or a simpler design."