ᐅ Landscape Contractor Quote – Price Range

Hello everyone,

We are planning to have our outdoor area worked on this year on short notice by a local excavation company.

Location: Baden-Württemberg

At the moment, I have no idea how reasonable the pricing is. Since we have scheduled everything at very short notice, we currently only have a quote from this one company. They would also complete the work by the end of July.

We would like to proceed, but only if the price is really attractive. Otherwise, we would have taken more time to carefully plan everything with multiple quotes.

Overall, everything seems quite good to us. We will have a detailed discussion later, but we would like to know how competitive the offer is price-wise:

Here are some prices / excerpts from the quote, as I currently have no experience in the landscaping and civil engineering sector and cannot assess it:

1. Skilled labor for road and civil engineering INCLUDING mini excavator: 30 hours at 85.00 € net (the hourly wage is crucial here; the hours alone don’t mean much since you don’t know the scope yet).

2. Skilled labor for road and civil engineering: 40 hours at 52.00 € net

6. Crushed mineral gravel 0-45 --- 140 tons ---: 22.50 € net / ton --> including delivery, installation, and compaction

7. Concrete for curbs (material + labor) --> 5 m³ (6.5 yd³) --> 190.00 € / m³ net

8. High curbstones / edging (delivery, installation, and concrete) --> 80 pieces --> 50.00 € / piece net

Uncertainty:

Hourly rates but at the same time positions like delivery including installation.

Is the scope of work clearly defined where hourly rates apply? Are you present on site enough to verify that he is paid separately for 3 hours in the morning (for whatever reason) and sets curbstones for the rest of the day without additional hourly wages?

Osnabruecker schrieb:

Uncertainty:

Hourly rates but at the same time items like delivery including installation.

Is the scope of work clearly defined regarding what should be charged as hourly rates? Are you present enough on site to verify that he gets paid separately for 3 hours in the morning (for whatever reason) and then spends the rest of the day setting curbs without additional hourly pay?

There is some truth to that – the scope of work and the exact distinction between materials and hourly wages should definitely be clarified more precisely... I also find it not very conclusive and will definitely discuss it with him again.

Billing by the hour is a big unknown for you, since you can't estimate how long the landscaping contractor will need. They should be able to provide a flat rate based on that. It's also unclear to me why the curb concrete is charged separately and then the concrete for the curbs is listed again.

Otherwise... 50€ plus VAT to set a 2cm (1 inch) low curb stone in concrete? I might become a landscaping contractor... 😉

WilderSueden schrieb:

Billing by the hour is quite uncertain for you since you can’t estimate how long the landscaper will need. He should be able to provide a fixed price based on that. Also, I don’t understand why the curb concrete is billed separately and then concrete is listed again under the curbs.

Otherwise… 50€ plus VAT to set a 2€ recessed curb in concrete? I might become a landscaper…;)

You’re right again… That’s his estimated hourly workload. Isn’t it more common for a landscaper to offer a lump sum price?

You’re right! The curb concrete is billed separately, and next to the recessed curbs the word “concrete” appears again in small print… The question is whether that is just additional information or if it involves an extra charge – I’ll check!

The cost of a lowered curb depends on the specific model. For the hardware store price, you can deduct the value-added tax and add a flat rate of 50€ for delivery. Around 45€ net for installation is indeed the correct order of magnitude in the offer. I find that quite expensive.