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Original poster

Do garden landscapers usually provide cost breakdowns?

29 replies

SaturdayBiscuits · 21/04/2023 18:24

I've had a quote from a landscaper to do the garden. I had a separate garden designer do the designs and she's specified the materials.

Landscaper has given me a total quote but I've asked for a breakdown - so I can see the cost of labour then the cost of the gravel, cost of the decking, cost of the paving stones etc.

He's confused by my request and not sure how to move forwards so I've said I'll google the cost of materials myself.

He said that of his total quote, materials are around 60% of the cost, so 40% labour. But on my googling so far, the materials are no way going to come to 60% of his total cost (though there is a possibility I've made mistakes).

I assume he's trying to cover up how expensive his labour costs are by pretending that all the materials are more expensive than they are.

Is it normal for landscapers to list out costs for material or am I being unusually demanding asking for this?

OP posts:
stormytwilightnight · 21/04/2023 18:57

I worked for a landscaper a few years ago as office manager, and our quotes never showed an exact breakdown of materials used. Unless he has told you exactly how much paving, gravel etc will be needed, you will not be able to work out prices easily. Plus he will have a supplier he uses for most of his jobs, and is unlikely to tell you who that is so you won’t know what he pays for his supplies.

You need to get a few quotes, landscaping is expensive, and if he is good, he will not be one of the cheapest. The company I worked for had a waiting list for cheaper jobs, as he mostly preferred high end jobs, and there was always plenty of clients with very large pockets.

Mintchocmabel · 21/04/2023 19:42

Recently had my small garden landscaped. Very professional guy gave me a breakdown for each section of the work I.e. fence, patio, lawn, pergola, with a brief indication of materials cost plus labour cost. I could then pick n choose which bits were worth the expense and exclude others for another time. This suited really well and was a good way for him to present it. Not complicated for either of us.

AlisonDonut · 21/04/2023 19:51

I think if you think you know better than him then crack on.

People always underestimate the amount of materials needed on a garden build.

tailinthejam · 21/04/2023 20:04

AlisonDonut · 21/04/2023 19:51

I think if you think you know better than him then crack on.

People always underestimate the amount of materials needed on a garden build.

A garden designer has already drawn up the plans and specified the materials.

In any case, it shouldn't take any decent landscape gardener more than a few minutes to calculate the quantity of gravel (for instance) needed for an area that has already been measured out, and count the number of fence panels, posts etc needed for the boundary. They will also, from experience, know how many days' work will be involved, and how many hours of wages will need to be paid.

If they aren't supplying a breakdown, then it is probably because they don't want you to know.

Easterbunnywashere · 21/04/2023 20:08

My guess would be that he is adding 50% to the material costs. The reason he wont break it down is that you could compare costs of things like gravel very easily.

I suggest asking for a labour only quote saying that you will source the required materials yourself. I imagine it will work out much cheaper.

Original poster
SaturdayBiscuits · 21/04/2023 21:03

Thanks all.

Easterbunnywashere I'm thinking of doing that - asking for a labour-only quote.

I'm used to how it's worked in the house - so when I had my kitchen done the builder gave me the labour costs and then put me in touch with Howdens for the kitchen where I got a line-by-line quote for all the cupboards etc. I then sourced my own appliances, worktop, sink, taps, lights etc. So I'm used to doing the shopping myself and knowing the cost of each item.

The landscaper said the garden designer had used high-end materials so I just wanted to get a sense of whether there was anything I could swap out for cheaper, and he mentioned doing that at his visit, but without me knowing which bits are the expensive bits I don't see how I could make an informed choice about which bits to swap out.

I imagine this landscaper is used to providing more of an end-to-end service - and charging me a lot extra to do the shopping and provide the materials, which is fair enough if that's all part of the service he provides.

I might need more of a cheapo landscaper, so I can do my own shopping, but I suspect he won't do the job as well as this landscaper comes highly recommended by the garden designer and I could tell he was good at his visit.

OP posts:
CellophaneFlower · 21/04/2023 21:16

I don't think you're being unreasonable for expecting a breakdown. I think people who just hand over, what I expect is a large sum of money, without questioning what they're actually paying for, are a bit naive.

When I get quoted for things, I always ask for a breakdown so I can compare them with other quotes.

I'd be quite put off by his "confused" reaction.

tracylamont13 · 21/04/2023 21:35

Hubby and I are landscapers. We give a day rate for labour and an approximate duration for the job (can't always be exact on bigger jobs because all sorts goes wrong eg digging down to find a pipe so the plans have to change so the job takes longer). We then give a materials cost based on a phone call weve made to the builders merchants. On bigger jobs we suggest a contingency. Asking for a breakdown is reasonable.

napody · 21/04/2023 21:40

CellophaneFlower · 21/04/2023 21:16

I don't think you're being unreasonable for expecting a breakdown. I think people who just hand over, what I expect is a large sum of money, without questioning what they're actually paying for, are a bit naive.

When I get quoted for things, I always ask for a breakdown so I can compare them with other quotes.

I'd be quite put off by his "confused" reaction.

This.

Original poster
SaturdayBiscuits · 21/04/2023 23:52

@tracylamont13 you and your husband sound great! Don't suppose you're in Berkshire are you?

OP posts:
tracylamont13 · 22/04/2023 11:50

SaturdayBiscuits · 21/04/2023 23:52

@tracylamont13 you and your husband sound great! Don't suppose you're in Berkshire are you?

Hi!

No, County Durham! Sorry! X

Suzi888 · 22/04/2023 11:54

We had a breakdown per section. Steep garden though/layered so perhaps it was easier.
Patio, decking, balcony then the lawn area. Seemed reasonable so we went ahead. We didn’t get options with pebbles/slabs other than colour choice.
Perhaps we should have asked more questions…

Wanttomove3000 · 22/04/2023 20:32

We got 2 quotes and both had a breakdown, without us even asking for it.

TheRealKatnissEverdeen · 23/04/2023 19:43

I was also provided a breakdown of materials and labour. I think it's a very reasonable request. Allowed me to choose which elements to progress with and what to put on hold.

Fretfulmum · 23/04/2023 20:35

We are in Bucks , happy to DM you our landscapers. They have been excellent throughout. They provided a full detailed breakdown of their work for each area, along with the amount of each material they need for each section and the cost of Labour per section. Section means - corner patio, steps to grass on left of garden, raised beds etc. The materials costs were very reasonable but I shopped around for different items on eBay and leftovers on marketplace and found some savings so I advised them that I wanted to source all my own materials. They were happy with this and I saved £2k. Total transparency which is what I wanted and no quibbles from them

Diyextension · 23/04/2023 22:56

Your either happy with the quote he’s given you for the work you want doing or your not ? I don’t see how knowing what price every single material is will make any difference. He’s already said 60-40 materials - labour.

Original poster
SaturdayBiscuits · 26/04/2023 14:49

@Fretfulmum yes please, do DM me your landscapers name. They might be too far from me, but worth a try.

@Diyextension when I googled materials I discovered that the amount of stones I needed for one area was two pallets worth, but that I'd only use 4 of 48 stones in the second pallet (which costs £700) - knowing this myself means I can alter the design to not need those extra 4 stones out of a 48 stone pallet and save myself £700. Plus he said my designer had chosen high end materials - armed with knowledge I could have seen where the high costs were and made decisions to use cheaper materials to bring down my overall quote.

Also it's important to trust your tradesman and feel like I'm getting a good deal and when he tells me the materials are 60% of the quote, and google shows me they're more like 24% of the quote, then that trust is obviously gone and I feel like I'm being ripped off. If he'd said that the materials were 24% and labour was 76% then I'd have felt less need to try and understand why the materials were so expensive and probably would have just accepted his quote.

OP posts:
CellophaneFlower · 26/04/2023 17:36

Diyextension · 23/04/2023 22:56

Your either happy with the quote he’s given you for the work you want doing or your not ? I don’t see how knowing what price every single material is will make any difference. He’s already said 60-40 materials - labour.

He absolutely must be telling the truth then 😂

OP can't possibly know if she's happy with the price when she doesn't really know what she's paying for. Unfortunately a lot of trades people use the fact we're often a bit clueless to their advantage. This one clearly expected OP to just accept the price without querying it. She has every right to and should definitely get more quotes.

Diyextension · 26/04/2023 22:27

If you know how many materials you need and how much they cost then why don’t you do all that yourself …. Get all the materials on site and just get quotes for labour ? It makes no difference if he’s telling the truth as you say or not…. Your either happy with the quote for the labour and agreed materials or your not, If your not then get other quotes.

there is a thread on another forum about customers who want every single item / detail in quotes for work, then start picking them to pieces trying to get things cheaper, saying they can see they are cheaper on the internet. In most cases the tradesman say these are the customers to avoid as they know they will be difficult to work for.

As you say you can work out what you need ( as I do ) so get all your stuff and then then just get them to quote for labour, that way you don’t need to trust they aren’t trying to con you. I’ve found they prefer all the running about and materials on site done for them so they can just crack on.

C4tastrophe · 27/04/2023 07:20

Diyextension · 26/04/2023 22:27

If you know how many materials you need and how much they cost then why don’t you do all that yourself …. Get all the materials on site and just get quotes for labour ? It makes no difference if he’s telling the truth as you say or not…. Your either happy with the quote for the labour and agreed materials or your not, If your not then get other quotes.

there is a thread on another forum about customers who want every single item / detail in quotes for work, then start picking them to pieces trying to get things cheaper, saying they can see they are cheaper on the internet. In most cases the tradesman say these are the customers to avoid as they know they will be difficult to work for.

As you say you can work out what you need ( as I do ) so get all your stuff and then then just get them to quote for labour, that way you don’t need to trust they aren’t trying to con you. I’ve found they prefer all the running about and materials on site done for them so they can just crack on.

^
A lot of people are shocked that a tradesman with years of experience, running a business, running plant and vans, and employing people, may want more than £200 a day, may need to build in a buffer, and may want to turn a profit.

bamboonights · 27/04/2023 08:59

Any quote should include a breakdown of labour costs. That way you can then choose your materials to adjust the price accordingly. Otherwise it's just a blind amount and you could be being ripped off on all fronts.

Diyextension · 27/04/2023 09:55

If you were having a room plastered would you want to know exactly how many bags of plaster he’s using or how many rolls of Skrim tape ? No you wouldn’t You just get a price for the job and then decide if it’s too expensive or not , I think it’s ok to give a total price and see how the customer reacts.

im currently paying £1000 ( £200) a day as it should take 5 days ( guessimate) for a bricklayer, but if he gets his finger out and completes it in 3 days then I’ll still pay him £1000 as this is the price I’m happy with 🙂.

my thinking is if your happy with a price for something then you pay it ,regardless of how much someone else is or is not making .

ChiefPearlClutcher · 27/04/2023 09:59

@Fretfulmum may I have the name of your landscaper too please?

CellophaneFlower · 27/04/2023 11:31

Diyextension · 27/04/2023 09:55

If you were having a room plastered would you want to know exactly how many bags of plaster he’s using or how many rolls of Skrim tape ? No you wouldn’t You just get a price for the job and then decide if it’s too expensive or not , I think it’s ok to give a total price and see how the customer reacts.

im currently paying £1000 ( £200) a day as it should take 5 days ( guessimate) for a bricklayer, but if he gets his finger out and completes it in 3 days then I’ll still pay him £1000 as this is the price I’m happy with 🙂.

my thinking is if your happy with a price for something then you pay it ,regardless of how much someone else is or is not making .

This isn't as simple as just some plaster and scrim tape though. There's a lot more different, expensive materials being used and OP has already explained she'd like the information so she can decide if any alterations can be made to make it more cost effective.

I'm not sure how happy you can be with a price if you don't know exactly what you're spending the money on and aren't familiar with the costs involved. I recently had roof work done. I could have afforded the 2k that someone quoted and would have been happy to pay it if it was the going rate. Ended up paying less than half that for the same work. Much happier!

mondaytosunday · 27/04/2023 11:53

My garden woman gave me a breakdown. She had a price for the design, a price for her planting it up, a price (totally inaccurate it turned out) for a labourer to do some of the heavy landscaping, and we jointly agreed the plants and either I ordered them or we went together or she ordered them wholesale with an agreed budget.