Trade Estimating
Landscaping estimates for hard and soft works
We price patios, paving, walls, fencing, decking and planting from your drawings so you can quote external works without the guesswork.
In short
A landscaping estimate prices hard works such as paving, walls and fencing alongside soft works such as turf, planting and topsoil.
We measure paved areas by the square metre, count linear items and apply current UK landscaping labour and material rates.
You get an itemised estimate branded as your own, split between hard and soft landscaping with the groundworks allowed.
Who it's for
Landscapers, external works subcontractors, and developers pricing gardens and public realm on a scheme.
Landscaping splits cleanly into hard works and soft works, and they price in different ways. Hard works are patios, paving, paths, retaining walls, steps, fencing and decking, measured by the square metre and the metre run. Soft works are topsoil, turf, planting and seeding, measured by the area and the plant schedule. We separate the two so you can see where the money goes and so the client can flex the planting without disturbing the hard works price.
The sub-base is the hidden cost under every patio and path. Excavating to depth, laying and compacting the sub-base, edge restraints and the bedding under the paving are most of the labour, and the muck away from the dig is a real line. We price the build-up under the surface, not just the slabs, because a patio priced as supply and lay only will lose money the moment the digger starts.
Materials and levels drive the rest. Natural stone, porcelain and block paving are very different rates, retaining walls depend on height and whether they need design, and a sloping site means steps, retaining and more excavation. We pick the materials and levels off your drawings, allow for the drainage that paving needs, and flag where a retaining wall over a certain height needs an engineer's detail before it can be priced firmly.
What the estimate includes
What drives the cost
The numbers that move the price on a landscaping job, and the detail we measure to get them right.
Paving material
Natural stone, porcelain, block paving and concrete flags are very different prices in both material and the labour to lay them. The surface choice sets the rate per square metre.
Sub-base and excavation
The depth of dig and sub-base under paths and patios, plus the muck away, is most of the hard works labour. Soft ground or a deep build-up pushes it up.
Levels and retaining
A sloping site needs steps, retaining walls and more excavation. Retaining walls above a certain height need design and proper foundations, which adds cost.
Boundary treatments
Fencing, walls and gates are measured by the metre, and the type, from a close-board fence to a brick wall, changes the rate considerably.
Soft works and plant schedule
Turf, topsoil quality, the size and number of plants and any tree work drive the soft landscaping cost. Mature planting is far dearer than whips and seeding.
Access and site constraints
Rear gardens with no machine access mean barrowing materials in by hand, which slows everything and adds labour that an open site avoids.
Common pitfalls we help you avoid
- Pricing paving as supply and lay only and forgetting the sub-base and dig.
- Ignoring the muck away from excavating paths and patios.
- Under-pricing retaining walls that actually need design and foundations.
- Forgetting the cost of poor access where materials must be barrowed in.
- Missing the drainage that paved areas need to meet the rules.
How it works
Send us the landscape drawings
Upload your landscape plans and any planting schedule, and tell us the paving and boundary materials.
We measure and price
We measure paved areas, count the linear items, take off the planting and apply current UK landscaping rates including the sub-base.
You get a branded estimate
We return an itemised estimate under your own name, split between hard and soft works with the groundworks allowed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a job that needs pricing?
Upload your drawings and we'll come back with a professional, branded estimate, a fixed fee and a turnaround time.
Upload Your Drawings