Free Landscaping Quote Template for Australian Landscapers

Why landscaping quotes blow out

A bit more spoil than expected, an extra load of base course, or a few more hours on the excavator, and the margin is gone. Most landscaping jobs do not lose money because the rates were wrong. They lose money because something got left off the quote.

This free online landscaping quote template gives you the same list to work through every time, so nothing gets missed and you stop wearing the extras. Use it for everything from a small tidy-up through to a full yard build. When you are done, print a branded PDF quote, export to CSV, or send it into NextMinute's landscaping job management software to turn it into a live job.

How to quote a landscaping job

Whether you use this template or your own spreadsheet, a landscaping quote that holds its margin follows the same six steps.

1. Scope the job on site. Measure what you are pricing in square metres or lineal metres, check access for machinery and deliveries, and photograph anything that could turn into a variation later.
2. Price the labour. Break the job into tasks, estimate crew hours for each, then apply your charge-out rate. If you are not certain that rate covers overheads and downtime, check it with the labour charge-out rate calculator before you quote.
3. List materials and plants. Turf, pavers, base course, aggregate, timber, drainage, soil and plant stock, plus deliveries, cartage and green waste disposal.
4. Add machine hire and subcontractors. Excavator, bobcat and compactor hire, fuel, and anything you are subbing out such as concreting, fencing, irrigation or electrical.
5. Apply wastage and allowances. Add a wastage percentage on anything you cut, like turf and pavers, and put a line in for the site unknowns you hit on most jobs.
6. Add your margin, then send it. Apply margin over the full cost, sanity check the total against similar jobs you have done, then print a branded PDF quote and get it to the client the same day.

Working off a set of plans instead of a site measure? You can import takeoff quantities into NextMinute rather than keying them in by hand.

What you can do with this template

• Quote common jobs like turf, paving, decking, retaining walls, fencing, planting and full yard builds
• Add labour, crew hours and charge-out rates
• Include materials, plants, deliveries, cartage and disposal
• Capture machine hire, fuel and subcontractor costs
• Add allowances, margin and wastage so you are not caught short
• Print a clean PDF quote with your logo
• Export to CSV to save, reuse or share later
• Export to NextMinute to create a job and track actuals against your estimate in real time

From accepted quote to finished job

A quote is only worth what you actually collect on it. Once the client says yes, export the quote into NextMinute and it becomes a live job. From there you can schedule the crew, capture timesheets against the job, keep photos and site notes in one place, and compare actual costs to what you quoted while the job is still running rather than three weeks after it finished.

That last part is how you find out whether your landscaping rates are holding up. See how the full quoting workflow fits together on the construction quoting software page, or start a free NextMinute trial and price your next job in it.

More free tools for Aussie landscapers

• Labour charge-out rate calculator, to check your hourly rate covers overheads before you quote
• General construction quote template, for work outside landscaping
• All NextMinute free templates, calculators and guides