ᐅ Is this landscaping contractor’s quote reasonable or way too expensive?
Created on: 15 Sep 2018 17:40
R
R.Hotzenplotz
Hi!
I received a quote from a landscape contractor and I’m curious to know if you think it’s reasonable or excessively high. I knew from the start that it wouldn’t be the cheapest, but it would still be interesting to get your take on it.
It’s a bit disappointing that he initially said he could complete everything for €125,000 (around $135,000), including even a pool and lighting package, but now many things aren’t included at all—no lighting, no irrigation system, etc.
Unfortunately, in this area, there aren’t many alternative quotes available. If you don’t plan from the beginning and are ready to proceed, it’s hard to get other options offered.
I received a quote from a landscape contractor and I’m curious to know if you think it’s reasonable or excessively high. I knew from the start that it wouldn’t be the cheapest, but it would still be interesting to get your take on it.
It’s a bit disappointing that he initially said he could complete everything for €125,000 (around $135,000), including even a pool and lighting package, but now many things aren’t included at all—no lighting, no irrigation system, etc.
Unfortunately, in this area, there aren’t many alternative quotes available. If you don’t plan from the beginning and are ready to proceed, it’s hard to get other options offered.
R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
But a proper detailed construction plan still has to be made. What’s the point of garden and landscape architects if a rough sketch has the same effect? Are you sure the result is really equivalent?
[...]
When they then hear “comparative offer” and that they’re in competition, it’s probably just that the level of commitment is lower... It’s just like with floor plans here.
Just because someone draws it with a fancy software doesn’t mean the floor plan is any good, and a hand-drawn one can be much more practical.
And secondly,
they probably shouldn’t even hear the word COMPARISON...
We just want this here, what does it cost from you. That’s it. Not all companies do it that way, but with many it works.
R
R.Hotzenplotz16 Sep 2018 22:30Bookstar schrieb:
I don’t see anything special about the garden. Why pay so much?Which item do you think is overpriced? It’s listed in detail.
Müllerin schrieb:
and 2.
They probably don’t want to hear the word COMPARISON either... Do you understand why the original poster doesn’t?
And 145,000 with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone, etc... I don’t see anything like that in the offer. I see a few trees, lawn, paving—just what you would expect from a normal garden.
No pool, no lighting, no outdoor kitchen.
Not even irrigation for the lawn, which has material costs of 1,300 euros (about 1,430 USD), but is supposed to cost 5,000. Isn’t the expensive part the ground preparation and not the lawn itself?
R
R.Hotzenplotz16 Sep 2018 23:00Snowy36 schrieb:
Do you understand it but the original poster does not?Of course, any landscaping contractor who receives a quote with the prices blacked out will assume it is for comparison purposes and will not think they are the only one in the running.
T
Traumfaenger16 Sep 2018 23:53R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
Of course, any garden landscaper who receives a quote with blacked-out prices will assume they are being compared and won’t think they are the only contender.Even if they receive a request without blacked-out prices, they should still assume they are not the only one... Otherwise, they are either not the sharpest tool in the shed themselves or at least think that about their client... WHO SPENDS 125,000 EUR (approx. 134,000 USD) WITHOUT COMPARING FIRST? Even when buying a simple phone, TV, vacation, or car, people look at many offers.
I would put it this way: Every tradesperson should be aware that they are competing and the customer is comparing. Although it is currently a seller’s market and tradespeople have the upper hand, comparing and negotiating is still normal. And if I only have to add my prices next to an existing list of items, it saves me time and effort. Whether the prices end up being inflated because the order books are already full, or fair, doesn’t really depend on that. When order books are full, every request results in premium prices, regardless of whether it’s based on a blacked-out template or not.
Similar topics