What Needs to be Included in a Landscaping Quotation?
Landscaping projects have a tendency to be more complex than they appear on the surface. What begins as a seemingly minor exterior makeover can quickly escalate into a major undertaking.
This places a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders of contractors, who are expected to provide fair and accurate quotations for their clients. Over time, quoting on even the most extensive landscaping jobs becomes second nature.
But for those who are still finding their feet as contractors, quoting on complex landscaping projects can be a daunting prospect.
This is where a basic landscaping projects quotations checklist can help. As can a specialist project mark-up software suite like ZapQuote – an app designed specifically to speed up and simplify the process of coming up with accurate quotations.
A Basic Landscaping Quotations Checklist
All landscaping jobs are unique, but nonetheless involve the same basic categories of costs.
Irrespective of the nature and extent of the job, you will need to ensure the following costs have been factored in:
• Arranging or performing an extensive site survey
• Procuring the materials needed for the job
• Tool and equipment purchase costs
• The costs of all plants, flowers and foliage
• Labour costs (including any third parties you hire)
• Project planning, management and admin costs
• Heavy machinery, plant and transportation
• Insurance for you and the workforce you hire
• Public liability insurance
• Waste removal and disposal of hazardous items
• Consultancy and conceptualisation services
In addition to the above, you also need to ensure that your own general living costs are covered. It is not enough to simply cover the costs of the project – you also need to sustain your own lifestyle.
You will therefore need to factor a series of other costs into your calculations, including but not limited to the following:
• National Insurance and tax contributions
• Monthly rent or mortgage payments
• Utility bills and general outgoings
Where taxation is concerned, it can be useful (and cost-effective) as a contractor to bring an experienced accountant on board. The costs of hiring an accountant can often be augmented by the savings made by minimising your tax liability and saving you time on performing your own calculations.
Charging for Garden Design and Consultancy Services
Some landscapers work exclusively from designs provided by the client, having already been drawn up with the help of a skilled garden designer or architect. Plans may be presented in the form of detailed scale drawings and blueprints, or as 3D computerised images.
Elsewhere, other landscapers offer garden design and conceptualisation services as part of the packages they provide. How these initial design services are charged is down to the contractor to decide – a fixed price, hourly rates, or even free of charge.
But if garden design consultancy takes up a good deal of your time, it is advisable to make it a paid service.
The Benefits of Specialist Landscaping Quotation Software
For new and established contractors alike, investing in a high-quality software suite like ZapQuote comes highly recommended. ZapQuote has been engineered specifically to speed up and simplify the process of marking up project plans and providing clients with accurate quotations.
All calculations are performed automatically, removing the risk of human error from the equation. Additions and amendments can be made to project plans at any time in a matter of seconds.
Establishing trust with clients is all about providing fast and accurate quotations they can count on. ZapQuote was created with self-employed contractors and SMEs in mind who simply do not have the time to waste hours, days or even weeks on mundane admin; less time marking up documents and performing complex calculations, more time on the job – the benefits of specialist landscaping quotation software in a nutshell.
For more information on any of the above or to discuss the benefits of project mark-up software in more detail, contact a member of the ZapQuote team today.
