How Is It possible To Get Ballpark Pricing Over the Phone For My Landscaping Project?

One of the main things that needs to be thought about for a landscaping project is how much it is going to cost. Landscaping projects can range from $1,000- over $100,000 depending on what you are looking to have done.

If we haven’t met before allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Back 40 Landscaping and our expertise is in retaining walls and hardscaping. We also like to bring education to those looking to get landscaping projects done.

How Does My Project Get Priced?

When a landscaping project is getting quoted or estimated, the contractor is looking at the labor to get the job done, and the materials that are going to be used.

The labor includes anything involved with the project such as:

• How long the project is going to take
• How many crew members will be doing the job
• How long it takes to load up equipment and tools at the contractor’s yard
• How long it takes to clean up at the end of the project at the homeowners home as well as the contractor’s yard
• Any planning time, such as doing up engineered drawings or design plans, permits etc.
• The access to the space (If machines cannot get through labor will be much more because hand digging and wheelbarrows will make the job take longer)

The materials are anything used for the project such as diesel for machines, brick, soil, gravel etc.

The great thing about having the internet and phones is that photos can be sent from the homeowner to the contractor, and this information is usually enough to be able to quote a job without having to jump up and do a site visit right away.

Being able to provide a homeowner with ballpark pricing before coming out the site eleviates wasted time. In some cases, homeowners are thinking that a project is going to be a certain price and are surprised at how much more the cost of the project actually is. Doing this on the phone will allow the homeowner to be comfortable with the price of the project before putting more time into having the contractor come out to do the site visit.

How Can You As the Homeowner Help Get Ball Park Pricing Over the Phone?

• Send the contractor pictures of the space and access to that space
• Give your contractor as much information about your project as possible (a good contractor wants to know exactly what your dream project looks like, and why now is the time to get this project done)
• Make sure you have a budget in mind (even if you do not know how much a project “should cost”, you should know what you are comfortable with spending) Remember that each contractors price will be different based on their skill, training, experience and what materials they are using.
• Have everyone involved with the project on the same page (Your husband should know that you are planning on getting a project done!)

If a contractor is not willing to give you some sort of price on the phone this is a red flag. Pricing should be apparent on the company’s website and be transparent.