Free Landscaping Estimate Template (Fill In and Download a PDF)

What a landscaping estimate needs to show

A landscaping estimate should separate labor from materials, the same way a finished invoice does, so the customer knows what they're approving before any work starts.

Name the property address and the date you're quoting it, since prices on materials like pavers or wall block can move between the visit and the start date.

Sales tax on landscaping labor and materials varies by province and state. Check your local rule before you decide what to tax and at what rate.

• Business name, address and contact details
• Customer name and the property address
• Estimate number and the date
• Labor and materials on separate lines
• Equipment or disposal fee, if one applies
• Tax, shown as its own line
• How long the price is good for

Scope: what's included, and what you'd charge extra for

Write down what the price covers and what it doesn't, like excavation depth or hauling away old soil and sod. A scope line is what keeps a fair price from turning into an argument once the job is underway.

If you offer more than one way to do the job, like a basic patio versus one with a retaining wall and lighting, Good, Better and Best options let the customer compare them on one estimate instead of three separate quotes.

Deposits and how long the price holds

For a hardscape job like a patio or a retaining wall, ask for a deposit before you order materials. State the deposit percentage and the balance due date right on the estimate, not in a side conversation.

Give the price a validity window, often 30 days, since materials like pavers and block change cost. Once the customer approves, their estimate becomes the job, approved estimates become ready to schedule, and nothing needs retyping.

Put the same terms on every estimate, even for a regular customer, so nothing is left to memory.

Common landscaping estimate mistakes

A few habits turn a fair estimate into a dispute later, and none of them look serious when you're writing it.

Most get fixed just by writing down the scope and the price before the work starts, not after.

• One lump price with no labor or materials breakdown
• No scope line, so extra work gets argued about later
• No tax line, even where landscaping work is taxable
• No deposit on a job that needs materials bought up front
• No validity window, so an old price gets honored at old costs
• Quoting a price verbally and writing something different on the estimate

Questions people ask