Free landscaping estimate template
Priced the way yards are actually sold — area measured, base prep on its own line, hardscape by the square foot, plants named by size and count, and every buried surprise handled in writing.
In short
A landscaping estimate is built from measured area: square footage for patios, walks and lawn, linear feet for walls and edging. Excavation and base prep get their own line, hardscape is priced at an installed square-foot rate with adders for cuts and steps, bulk material like mulch, stone and topsoil is converted to cubic yards with a waste factor, and plants are listed by species and container size. It should state the base depth, a unit price for buried obstructions, and exclusions for drainage work and irrigation not included. The template below covers all of that and is free to print or copy.
The landscaping template
A worked 380 sq ft paver patio with a bed renovation is filled in as an example. Swap in your own square footage, plant list and local prices.
[Your Business Name]
[Street address, city, state ZIP]
[Phone] · [Email]
License #: ____________
Estimate
Estimate #: ____________
Date: ____________
Valid until: ____________
Prepared for
Name: ____________________
Phone: ___________________
Email: ___________________
Job location
Address: _________________
City / State / ZIP: ________
Start date: ______________
Scope of work — Paver patio and bed renovation — 380 sq ft, Holland pattern
- •Layout and utility locate; protect lawn and access route
- •Excavate patio area to depth and haul off spoils
- •Install geotextile fabric and 6" of compacted 2A crushed stone base
- •Screed bedding sand and set Holland pattern pavers to grade
- •Install paver edge restraint and sweep polymeric sand
- •Remove existing railroad-tie bed and dispose off site
- •Prepare planting bed, install fabric and new steel edging
- •Plant nine 3-gallon shrubs per plan, backfill and water in
- •Install shredded hardwood mulch at 3" depth
- •Final grade, clean all hard surfaces and haul all debris
Labor
Excavation, spoil haul and base compaction
Paver setting, cutting and edge restraint
Edge restraint and polymeric sand install
Bed demo, planting and mulch install
Materials
Concrete pavers, Holland (380 sq ft + 8% waste)
2A crushed stone base, delivered
Concrete bedding sand, delivered
Paver edge restraint, 10' sections
Polymeric sand, 50 lb bag
Geotextile fabric, 12.5' x 100' roll
Shrubs, 3 gallon container
Shredded hardwood mulch, 2 cu ft bag
Steel bed edging, landscape fabric and staples
- Subtotal
- $5,638.78
- Sales tax
- $135.89
- Total
- $5,774.67
Not included
- •Removal of buried concrete, footings or stumps — billed at $145.00 per hour with equipment
- •Regrading, French drains or downspout tie-ins of any kind
- •Irrigation installation, relocation or repair of unmarked lines
- •Lawn repair beyond the immediate work area and access route
- •Sod, seed or hydroseed unless listed above
- •Landscape lighting, low-voltage wiring or transformers
- •Permit fees or HOA approvals, billed at cost if required
Terms
- •One third deposit to schedule and order material; balance due on completion
- •Estimate valid for 30 days from the date above
- •Work scheduled subject to weather and ground conditions; dates are estimates
- •Plant material warranted for one year with customer watering as directed
- •One-year workmanship warranty on hardscape settling and edge restraint
- •Changes to scope are priced by written change order
Customer signature / date
Contractor signature / date
Or skip the typing entirely
A blank template still means an hour at the kitchen table. With QuickBidAI you talk through the landscaping job into your phone while you're still standing in it, and a filled-in estimate — scope, labor, materials, exclusions, terms — comes back in under a minute. You set every price before it goes out.
How to price a yard
Measure before you price anything
Square feet for patios, walks and lawn; linear feet for walls and edging. Sketch it on your phone with dimensions. Every quantity below comes off those numbers, so a sloppy measurement costs you twice.
Keep excavation and base prep on its own line
Digging, hauling spoils and compacting stone is often a third of a hardscape job. Separating it shows the homeowner why a patio costs more than pavers cost, and it survives the comparison with a cheaper bid.
Convert bulk material to cubic yards with waste
Depth in inches times square feet divided by 324 gives cubic yards. Add about 10% for settling and spillage on mulch, stone and topsoil, and price delivery separately from the material.
Name every plant by species, size and count
Three-gallon shrub, balled-and-burlapped tree, flat of perennials. Container size drives both the material price and the planting labor, and a named list keeps you out of substitution arguments in spring.
State the base depth you priced
Six inches of compacted 2A under a patio is not the same job as four. Write the depth into the scope so an upgrade or a soft subgrade becomes a change order instead of an argument.
Say who handles water
Regrading, French drains and downspout tie-ins are their own scope. If water is the real problem, price the fix or exclude it in writing — never absorb it into a patio price.
Landscaping lines that get left off
Equipment, access and wheelbarrow time
Skid steer and trailer time, a mini-excavator rental, or hand-carrying material through a 36-inch gate. Narrow access can add a full day.
Disposal by the ton
Spoils, old sod, railroad ties and concrete are heavy and dump fees are real. Price the haul and state what tonnage is included.
Buried obstructions
Stumps, old footings, unmarked irrigation lines and rock. A stated unit price beats an awkward conversation on day two.
Watering, establishment and plant warranty
Who waters the new plants and for how long, and exactly what the warranty covers. Put it in writing or you own every dead shrub in August.