How to quote for landscaper jobs
A practical 2026 pricing guide for UK landscapers: how to work out your rate, what to build into every quote, realistic price ranges, and the mistakes that quietly eat your margin.
Skip the maths — build a landscaper quote in 60 seconds with QuoteRocket.
Rates, markup and VAT applied automatically. Free trial, no card needed.
How to price landscaper work
Price from the bottom up, not from what the last bloke charged. Start with your true hourly cost, add the materials at your real buying price plus a markup, then add the things people forget — travel, waste, parking, certification.
1. Work out your real hourly rate
Take the income you want, add overheads (van, insurance, tools, phone, accountant, pension) and divide by hours you can genuinely bill — around 1,000–1,300 a year once quoting, travel and admin are stripped out. For most landscapers that lands near £55 an hour.
2. Estimate labour honestly
Estimate the hours the job actually takes, including setup, testing and clean-up, then add a contingency for the unknowns you always find once you open things up. Underestimating hours is the single biggest cause of a job losing money.
3. Price materials at cost + markup
Charge what you paid, plus a markup of typically 10–25% to cover collection time, waste, returns and the risk of price rises between quoting and buying. If a supplier price is more than a couple of weeks old, re-check it.
4. Add callout, travel and access
A callout or minimum charge protects you on small jobs. Add mileage beyond your normal radius, plus parking, congestion or permit costs where they apply — these are legitimate costs, and customers accept them when they are itemised.
5. Show VAT clearly
If you are VAT registered, show the net figure, VAT at 20% and the gross total separately. If you are not registered, say so on the quote so nobody assumes there is 20% to come.
What to factor into a landscaper quote
- Site clearance and skip / waste removal
- Materials by stage (aggregates, slabs, timber, plants)
- Labour days and crew size
- Access constraints (parking, side gate width)
- Aftercare notes (watering new turf, sealing paving)
Realistic UK price ranges for landscaper work
Indicative 2026 figures, excluding VAT. Regional variation is significant — treat these as a sanity check on your own numbers.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £44 – £77 |
| Day rate (7–8 hrs) | £385 – £440 |
| Callout / minimum charge | £55 – £110 |
| Materials markup | 10% – 25% |
| Example job — Rear garden — new patio & turf | ≈ £4,300 |
See the full itemised breakdown on our free landscaper quote template, or run your own numbers in the quote calculator.
Common quoting mistakes for landscapers
- Quoting a round number off the top of your head on site, then discovering the materials alone eat most of it.
- Leaving the scope vague. "Back garden makeover (patio + lawn)" means different things to you and the customer — spell out what is and is not included.
- Forgetting the unbillable hours: quoting, collecting materials, travel and waste disposal all have to be paid for by the jobs you do win.
- Not putting an expiry on the quote. Material prices move; 14 or 30 days protects you.
- Taking days to send it. Most customers hire whoever gets a clear, professional quote to them first.
Typical landscaper jobs to quote
- Back garden makeover (patio + lawn)
- Turfing 80m² of new lawn
- Raised sleeper beds
- Fencing and gate installation
Landscaper pricing FAQs
How much should a landscaper charge per hour?
Most UK landscapers work to an hourly rate of around £44–£77 depending on region, with London and the South East at the top of that range. Work backwards from what you need to earn: target annual income plus overheads, divided by realistically billable hours (usually 1,000–1,300 a year, not 1,800).
What is a typical landscaper day rate?
A day rate is normally 7–8 billable hours at your hourly figure, often with a small discount for the certainty of a full day. At £55 an hour that is roughly £385–£440 per day before materials and VAT. Quote day rates only for open-ended work; fixed price wins more jobs where the scope is clear.
How much does a typical landscaper job cost?
Our worked example — Rear garden — new patio & turf — comes to about £4,300 before VAT once labour, materials and fees are included. Use it as a sanity check rather than a price list: your materials cost, travel and access all move the number.
How much per m² should I quote for a patio?
In the UK, fitted porcelain patios usually run £120–£180 per m² including sub-base and labour; sandstone tends to be £90–£140 per m². Adjust for access, levels and disposal.
Should I quote for aftercare on new turf?
Include a short aftercare note (watering schedule, first mow) rather than charging for it — it's free trust-building and cuts callbacks.
Skip the maths — build a landscaper quote in 60 seconds with QuoteRocket.
Rates, markup and VAT applied automatically. Free trial, no card needed.