ᐅ Is this landscaping contractor’s quote reasonable or way too expensive?

R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:


We like the plan. Why should I pay someone else for a design again when they say from the start it won’t get any cheaper? You’ll have to explain that logic to me.

By the way, our two landscaping contractors didn’t charge us for the plan, but they didn’t create a polished drawing either—it was done by hand, which works too. If you paid for a plan, have it handed over to you and then consult another contractor who only does the actual work. Even if you decide not to hire them, at least you’ll have a reference price for comparison.

Müllerin schrieb:
Our pavers, plasterers, screeders, window installers, and the carpenter don’t have websites either.
The carpenter says: why would I need one? When I need jobs, I just show up at some local fair bar, and after that I’m booked for at least 6 months… That’s how it works right now with small trade contractors.

Many jobs are done like this or through recommendations. Without recommendations, it’s often impossible to get a tradesperson.

If the client has non-standard requests, you have to be prepared to pay extra.

If he can spend 130,000 for the garden, then he can spend 130,000 for the garden. Period. I just think that is way too expensive for what is being offered. Not even a pool or a lighting plan. At that price, I expect something beyond the standard basic stuff. Maybe you should just say goodbye to this company. Is there really no alternative?

Snowy36 schrieb:
By the way, our two garden landscapers didn’t charge for the plan, but their hand-drawn version wasn’t that great either, though it works.

But there still has to be a proper detailed execution plan. What’s the point of garden landscape architects if a scribbled sketch achieves the same result? Are you sure the outcome is really equivalent?

Snowy36 schrieb:
If you paid for the plan, get it and ask another company that only carries out the work. Even if you don’t end up hiring them to do it, at least you have a benchmark price.

That’s actually what my whole point in this thread has been from the start. I don’t know why, but there’s clearly been some misunderstanding here. We have a plan that we like and want to have implemented as is, or with only minor changes at most. We definitely don’t want to start from scratch and bring in someone who might want to get creatively involved again. We already had two companies at the beginning and chose one of them. The purpose of this thread was never to find alternative service components in the offer that could be cheaper with reduced quality. Of course, there are always cheaper options, like the drainage channel mentioned... or using small paving stones instead of expensive 1x1m (3x3 feet) concrete slabs...

No; our sole concern was and is whether the overall package is reasonably priced. And it is reasonably priced if no one else offers the same quality for less. How else do you determine fair pricing?

Therefore, the goal from the start was simply to obtain comparison offers from other companies for the existing plan and the current offer. And we have proceeded from the beginning as explained – blacking out prices, calling companies first, explaining the situation, and then sending over the documents...

haydee schrieb:
Many only work like that or by recommendation. Without a recommendation, you often can’t even get tradespeople anymore.

That’s where I see the main problem, not that I’m making a big fuss or making it difficult. Most companies have plenty of clients who just call, get a visit, receive an offer, and the contract is immediately awarded. When they hear “comparison offer” and that they are competing, engagement probably decreases... which I can understand. That’s why I hoped someone here could at least roughly estimate the prices for the services offered (I’m of course aware that regional differences exist).

haydee schrieb:
The client has non-standard demands, then you have to pay for that.

That’s not supposed to be the main issue here. The willingness to pay good money for quality and blindly throwing money out the window are two completely different things.

SilentGalaxy schrieb:
If he can spend 130k on the garden, then he can spend 130k on the garden. Period. I just think that’s way too expensive for what’s being offered. No pool or lighting design included. At that price, I expect something other than the usual standard stuff.

Exactly, that hits the nail on the head. I see it the same way. That’s why I started this thread. So if it turns out that those wishes are only achievable for €250,000 (just later over the years), then so be it. I can’t change that.

SilentGalaxy schrieb:
Maybe you just have to let go of that company. Are there really no others?

I contacted two companies again at the end of the week, who received the documents. We’ll see what comes of it. As I said, it can’t be the case that we throw away a plan we think is suitable and start all over again. No! The task is to implement what is planned, and for which planning was paid, at a fair price/performance ratio.

But it also is true that a purely executing company will probably tell me, “Dear client, please provide us with the detailed execution plan.” That might mean we’d have to bring in a garden landscape architect for the execution planning or commission the original provider to do it. I’m curious whether the additional costs included in the offer would appear again in a competing quote. The HOAI (official fee structure for architects and engineers in Germany) provides insight into what this costs. According to HOAI, execution planning accounts for 25% of the total planning costs.

Bookstar schrieb:
But 125,000 for a garden is extreme. Especially since I don’t see any major special features, a pool would be okay. But like this?

How large is the plot?

Huh? Why is that extreme? Why such a general statement? We are currently at 145,000 EUR. We have a top landscaping contractor who does great work. However, there are some cost drivers involved (outdoor kitchen, carport, lots of natural stone (calcium silicate), large trees, and so on).

I don’t see anything special about the garden. Why pay so much for it?