Quick answer: Price landscaping using total paid crew-hours, materials, equipment, travel and overhead. For recurring routes, evaluate the cost of each visit and the travel time between properties.
Property size alone does not tell you the cost of a landscaping job. Gates, slopes, parking, debris, loading, trimming and travel between stops can change the labor requirement. Recurring work also needs a clear seasonal scope so extra services do not silently consume the base contract.
How to approach the job
- Define mowing, edging, trimming, cleanup, waste handling and any seasonal exclusions.
- Calculate crew-hours correctly: two workers for four hours means eight paid labor-hours.
- Use loaded labor costs, including payroll burden, rather than only base wages.
- Allocate equipment wear, fuel, travel, supplies and overhead to the visit.
- Specify frequency, weather delays, extra-work approval and what is excluded from recurring maintenance.
Worked example: hypothetical costs
These are invented numbers to illustrate the method. Replace every input with your actual costs, work scope and local requirements before quoting a customer.
| Illustrative cost or comparison item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Crew labor: 2 people × 4 hours × $28 loaded cost | $224.00 |
| Travel/fuel | $32.00 |
| Supplies | $24.00 |
| Equipment allocation | $40.00 |
| Overhead allocation | $60.00 |
This example has a $380 cost basis per visit. For a 25% target gross margin, $380 ÷ 0.75 = $506.67 per visit. Four identical visits total $2,026.68. If a tighter route reduces travel cost from $32 to $16, the cost basis falls to $364 and the same target margin yields $485.33—approximately $21.34 less per visit.
Important limits and assumptions
These values are hypothetical. Labor burden, crew productivity, equipment maintenance, insurance, seasonality and weather vary widely. Route savings do not automatically justify a lower customer price if callbacks, extra travel or access delays remain. Record actual time on the property and between stops.
Make the estimate clear to the customer
For recurring contracts, specify what happens during heavy growth, leaf season, rain, holidays, missed access and extra cleanup. Keep mulching, pruning and storm work separate unless expressly included. Review profitability by property and by route, not just by individual invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Do two people working four hours count as four labor-hours?
No. They use eight paid crew-hours even though the elapsed visit lasts four hours.
Should recurring visits always cost the same?
A fixed contract can work, but it must be based on defined frequency and seasonal assumptions, with a process for extras.
Use your own figures
Start with the free Landscaping Pricing & Profit Calculator to check your own assumptions. For editable customer documents, operations workbooks and related business tools, review the $99 one-time Landscaping Complete Toolkit. The downloadable toolkit is separate from any recurring cloud subscription.
Educational illustration only. Verify local taxes, licenses, permits, safety, actual costs and contract terms for each job.