How to bid landscaping jobs is the question of a contractor who has been pricing installs by the feel of the plan and losing the ones with the most gravel. The bid is a count first: areas from the plan into square feet, depths into cubic yards and tons, plants by species and size, pavers and edging by the area and the foot, irrigation by the zone; then the price: material at the nursery's and the yard's sheet with waste, the crew's hours at a loaded rate, the equipment by the day, subcontracted work at quote, the overhead the job must recover and the markup that leaves a profit. The estimate template on this site holds the price half and prints the lines.
Measure the plan and convert the units
Every area on the plan becomes square feet, and every material with a depth becomes cubic yards or tons from that area and depth, with the waste the delivery and the grade take. Pavers and edging are counted with a cut allowance; plants are counted by species and container size, with a substitution note for what the nursery may not have. A bid that prices the plan by the square foot without these conversions has priced the last job.
Crew hours and equipment from your own record
Hours per square foot of sod, per yard of mulch spread, per plant by size and per foot of edging come from the crew's own days on similar jobs, recorded when jobs close. Price them at a loaded rate that carries taxes, insurance, the truck and the drive time; charge the skid steer, the trencher and the dump trailer by the day; put subcontracted irrigation or lighting in at the quoted price.
Overhead, markup and the bid the customer reads
Apply the company's own overhead percentage before any profit and the markup on top; the template prints the margin next to the markup so the number is read the right way round. Present the customer the plan, the plant list, the scope and one total, with the exclusions and the validity date, since nursery prices move by the season. Pro keeps every bid against the customer and the property with the takeoff, so the next similar yard starts from a bid that was measured.
Questions people ask about how to bid landscaping jobs
How do I convert a landscape plan into quantities?
Areas into square feet, then into cubic yards or tons from the depth for each material with waste, plants by species and size, hardscape by area and length with a cut allowance, irrigation by zone.
How do I estimate the crew's hours on a landscaping job?
From the crew's own rate per square foot, per yard, per plant and per foot on similar jobs, recorded when they close; the first season of records replaces every rule of thumb.
Should a landscaping bid show unit prices?
Show the customer the scope, the plant list and one total; unit prices invite the customer to shop each line, and the yards, hours and markup belong with the estimate the company keeps.