Estimate templates · Landscaping
Landscaping Estimate Template — Free & Fillable
Hardscape by the square foot, plants by the container size, mulch by the yard, crews by the man-hour. This template starts with a real 400 sq ft paver patio so the labor-and-material structure is already laid out — swap in your job and your numbers.
Make your landscaping estimate
Prefilled with a sample 400 sq ft paver patio — every line, the terms and the notes. Change the quantities and rates to your own, add your logo and the customer’s details, and download a clean PDF. No signup, no watermark.
What goes on a landscaping estimate
Labor goes in man-hours by phase — excavation, base, laying — because that’s where the crew’s day actually goes. Materials follow in the units your supplier sells (sq ft of pavers, bags of sand, yards of mulch, plants by container size), and equipment and disposal close it out.
| Line item | How it’s priced | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Crew labor | Per man-hour | $62 |
| Mulch, installed | Per cubic yard, 2" depth | $92/yd |
| Pavers incl. base and restraint | Per sq ft | $9.50/sq ft |
| Retaining wall | Per face sq ft | $32/face sq ft |
| Plants, installed | Per plant, by container size | 3-gal shrub $54 · 6–7 ft arborvitae $285 |
| Sod, installed | Per sq ft | $1.35/sq ft |
| Equipment | Per hour or delivery fee | Skid steer $115/hr |
| Disposal and haul-off | Per load | $65–$340 |
Example prices come from the Greenway Landscape & Lawn demo price book (Columbus, OH). Your market, crew and suppliers will differ — use them for structure, not as a rate card.
How to price a landscaping job
Estimate crew time as man-hours per phase: a three-person crew for a seven-hour day is 21 man-hours, not “one day.” Hardscape prices by area — square feet of patio, face square feet of wall — while the labor lines show the excavation and base work the customer never sees but always pays for when it’s skipped.
Softscape prices per plant by container size, installed: the line covers digging, setting, backfilling and watering in. Mulch goes by the cubic yard — one yard covers about 160 sq ft at 2" deep — so measure bed area and the quantity follows.
Recurring maintenance is a different estimate: price mowing per visit or as a season, and if you smooth it into equal monthly payments, say how many months and what’s included so the winter invoices don’t surprise anyone.
Deposits and payment schedule
Projects with real material costs — patios, walls, plantings — usually take 30–50% on approval to order pavers and plants (40% is common), with the balance at completion. Larger bed renovations can be billed by milestone: demo and prep, planting, final mulch. Maintenance customers either pay per visit or a season contract in equal monthly installments; snow is usually a seasonal contract billed in the fall.
- Approval40% deposit — pavers and plants ordered
- InstallationCrew scheduled, utilities located
- Completion walkthroughBalance due
Utility locates, plant guarantees and sales tax
Call 811 before you dig, and say so on the estimate. Public utilities get marked; private lines — irrigation, invisible dog fences, landscape lighting — don’t, so state who pays if an unmarked one gets hit.
Guarantee plants for a season or a year only if they’re watered per your care sheet, and put that condition in writing. Hardscape warranties usually cover settling and heaving for a set number of years. And check your state: some (Ohio among them) tax landscaping and lawn-care services, not just materials — add the tax rate in the generator above if yours does.
Frequently asked questions
How do I estimate a landscaping job?
Measure the area, break the labor into phases in man-hours (excavation, base, install), price materials in the units you buy them, and add equipment, delivery and disposal. For plantings, price each plant installed by container size. Finish with your deposit terms and a utility-locate note.
How much mulch should I put on an estimate?
One cubic yard covers roughly 160 sq ft at 2" deep, or about 110 sq ft at 3". Measure the beds, divide, round up, and price per yard installed.
Should a landscaping estimate guarantee the plants?
Many landscapers guarantee trees and shrubs for one year — conditional on the customer watering per a care sheet you provide. Write the condition into the estimate so a dry summer doesn’t become a free replacement.
Do I charge sales tax on landscaping?
It depends on your state. Some tax only the materials, some tax the service too (Ohio taxes landscaping and lawn care, for example). Check your state’s rules and set the tax rate on the estimate accordingly.
When the job is done
An approved estimate becomes your invoice — same lines, same numbers. Grab the landscaping invoice template, or open the invoice generator and bill what you quoted. Not sure which document you need? Read estimate vs. invoice.
Other estimate templates by trade
Or see all estimate templates.