THE SHORT ANSWER
Estimate a planting bed from its actual footprint, plant schedule, edging length and soil preparation. Keep irrigation and plant-care responsibilities separate from the installation price.
Use this fictional 22.3 sq m foundation planting bed in Birmingham to plan the estimate. The agreed work is: Create a measured 22.3 sq m planting bed on an agreed accessible footprint. Include layout, turf removal, soil amendment allowance, 12 selected shrubs, 25.9 metres of edging, mulch allowance, planting labour and clean-up. No irrigation installation or mature-plant guarantee. The matching landscape bed installation example and PDF shows the same inputs. These quantities and rates are teaching examples; use your own site measurements, product selections, supplier information and labour figures for a customer job.
1. Confirm the bed boundary
Mark the footprint and measure its area and perimeter. An irregular bed can have more edging than a rectangle with the same measured area.
2. Create a plant schedule
List species, sizes, quantities and supplier status for the actual site. The 12-shrub allowance is fictional and should be replaced after selection and availability checks.
3. Review soil and utilities
Record visible ground conditions and arrange required utility-location steps before digging. Significant soil correction or drainage changes need a separate scope.
4. Describe care at handoff
Include mulch depth or quantity based on the selected product, clean-up and basic care information. State who supplies ongoing watering and maintenance.
Calculate the measured lines
The PDF uses 8 separate items. For example, Turf removal and bed preparation is 22.3 sq m × £20.70 = £461.61; Shrub material allowance is 12 each × £54.40 = £652.80. Check that each unit describes the work being priced: area for a surface, metres for a run, and a count or defined lump sum for a discrete task. A material purchase allowance can differ from the installed quantity when product sizes, cuts or layout require it.
Adding the 8 rounded line amounts gives £2,762.97. The example PDF uses a 0% tax input and no markup; those settings do not determine how to price or treat an actual job. Do not copy the rates as a local price guide.
Check the scope before sending
- Measure bed area and edging.
- Approve plant species, sizes and counts.
- Review soil and utility information.
- Assign watering and irrigation responsibility.
Outside the base scope: No irrigation system, drainage correction, tree removal, long-term maintenance or mature-plant guarantee.
Confirm the site address, selected products, access, quantities, customer details and validity date. If opening the work reveals a different condition, record the change and update the relevant line before asking the customer to approve the revised work. Preview every page of the PDF so the written scope, line amounts and total tell the same story.
Common questions
Is bed area enough to price landscaping?
No. Plant count, edging, soil preparation and mulch need their own quantities.
Who waters new plants?
State the handoff and ongoing care responsibility in the estimate or care document.
FROM SITE NOTES TO AN ITEMISED PDF
Make your own landscape bed installation estimate.
Enter the scope in Estimates on iPhone or Android, edit each quantity and rate in pounds, add your business and customer details, and review the PDF before sharing it.
