How to Bid on Landscaping Jobs

Starting a landscape company is a great way to make some extra money during the spring and summer months. There are plenty of customers who would love to give their landscaping a face lift and are willing to pay good money to make it happen. When bidding on landscaping jobs, make sure to include all of your work and materials, so that you can give the homeowner a clear picture of how much the job will cost them. Here is how to bid on landscaping jobs.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape

1. Meet with the homeowner and take down a detailed report of the improvements they want to make to their landscaping. Make sure you write down every detail: what plants they want, what type of landscaping they want, etc.

2. Take a walk around the property and measure the areas that you were asked to improve. This will help you to determine your material costs - you'll know exactly how much you'll need.

3. Using your measurements, calculate how much the materials requested by the homeowner will cost. Plants, sod, equipment and any other materials that will be required should be included.

4. Calculate the time that you expect to spend on the job, and then multiply that number by your hourly rate. For instance, if you plan to spend 24 hours on the job and charge 15 dollars per hour, multiply these together and use that as your labor cost.

5. Draw up a detailed estimate based on the cost of your materials plus your labor costs. If required, give an estimate to the homeowner with details about which materials will be purchased, so they can see how their money will be spent.

6. Guarantee to the homeowner that you will honor the estimate for 30 days, after which you can reconfigure it for new material pricing.