Reading a Landscaping Quote Line by Line

Every element listed separately with dimensions: the patio area in square metres, the fence run in linear metres with the height, the lawn area, the number of steps. Vague headings such as landscaping to rear garden give you nothing to hold anyone to.

It should also say what is excluded. Exclusions are a sign of a careful estimator, not a get out.

For paving: excavation depth, sub-base type and compacted thickness, bedding method, jointing product. For a driveway: base construction and depth, surface depth, edge restraint. For a lawn: excavation depth, aggregate, blinding layer, membrane, edging, grass specification. For fencing: post type, post depth and whether set in concrete, panel or board type, gravel boards, rails and fixings.

This section is where cheap quotes become expensive later, because it is the part nobody sees once the job is finished.

Manufacturer and product names, colours and sizes, not just porcelain paving or resin. Named products let you check the price, see the product yourself and confirm you are being quoted the same thing by everybody.

Who removes the spoil and old materials, and whether skips or grab lorries are included. How materials will reach the garden and what protection is being used. Whether any permit is needed and who is arranging it.

Waste is a genuine cost, and a quote that omits it is either absorbing it silently or intending to charge later.

An indicative start window and duration in working days. A payment schedule tied to stages rather than a large sum up front. A statement of how extra work is handled: how it will be priced, and that it will be agreed in writing before it is carried out.

Be wary of any request for a large cash deposit with no schedule or paperwork behind it.

What guarantee covers the workmanship and for how long, and what manufacturer warranties apply to the products. Confirmation of public liability insurance. Business contact details and a written quote reference rather than a number on a text message.

Our quotes are fixed, written and itemised, and the work carries our 10 year guarantee.

Put them side by side element by element rather than comparing totals. Then check the build ups. In nearly every case the price gap is explained by excavation depth, base thickness, whether waste is included and whether the cheapest quote has simply left something out.