Free Landscape Estimating Software
Estimate patios, walls, planting and irrigation from one library with local labor, then send a PDF the homeowner accepts online.
The builder below opens with a sample landscape job, backyard refresh: sod, beds and two irrigation zones: 9 lines, $4,236.93 in all. Labor is the BLS OEWS May 2025 U.S. median wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers ($18.82) plus 35% for payroll taxes, insurance and equipment, and overhead and profit is 20%, the same way our calculators price. Change any line. Nothing is saved until you choose to.
$25.41/hr: the U.S. median wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers ($18.82, BLS OEWS May 2025), plus 35% for payroll taxes, insurance and equipment. A ZIP switches to the local wage. Change it under More options.
$187.79
$868.73
$470.36
$79.79
$217.48
$488.46
$288.98
$1,517.90
$117.44
Add from the landscape list (43 items, estimated national prices)
The landscape item library (43 lines)
Material per unit is our national estimate (estimated); labor hours per unit are crew-hour productivity figures. Both are defaults you overwrite with your own numbers.
| Item | Unit | Material | Labor hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawn installation, sod, Bermuda | sq ft | $1 | 0.012 |
| Lawn installation, sod, fescue | sq ft | $1 | 0.012 |
| Seeding with straw and starter fertilizer | sq ft | $0 | 0.006 |
| Topsoil, screened, spread | cu yd | $42 | 0.4 |
| Soil amendment, compost tilled in | sq ft | $0 | 0.008 |
| Bed edging, steel | linear ft | $5 | 0.08 |
| Mulch, hardwood, 3 in | sq ft | $0 | 0.01 |
| River rock, 2 in over fabric | sq ft | $2 | 0.02 |
| Landscape fabric | sq ft | $0 | 0.004 |
| Shrub, 3 gal, planted | ea | $28 | 0.5 |
| Shrub, 7 gal, planted | ea | $65 | 0.9 |
| Ornamental tree, 15 gal, planted and staked | ea | $190 | 2 |
| Shade tree, 2 in caliper B&B | ea | $380 | 3.5 |
| Perennials, 1 gal, planted | ea | $11 | 0.2 |
| Annual color, flat | ea | $24 | 0.5 |
| Tree removal, up to 30 ft | ea | $350 | 6 |
| Stump grinding | ea | $140 | 1.5 |
| Paver patio, concrete pavers on base | sq ft | $10 | 0.12 |
| Paver walkway, 4 ft | linear ft | $42 | 0.5 |
| Flagstone patio, dry laid | sq ft | $14 | 0.16 |
| Retaining wall, segmental block, 3 ft | linear ft | $78 | 1.1 |
| Retaining wall, timber | linear ft | $38 | 0.7 |
| Gravel driveway, 4 in crushed | sq ft | $1 | 0.012 |
| Drainage, French drain | linear ft | $18 | 0.35 |
| Downspout extension, buried | linear ft | $6 | 0.12 |
| Dry creek bed | linear ft | $26 | 0.4 |
| Irrigation system, per zone | ea | $480 | 6 |
| Drip irrigation, bed | sq ft | $1 | 0.02 |
| Irrigation controller, smart | ea | $260 | 1.5 |
| Backflow preventer | ea | $320 | 2 |
| Low-voltage landscape lighting, per fixture | ea | $95 | 0.7 |
| Fire pit, block kit | ea | $650 | 6 |
| Outdoor kitchen base, block and stucco | linear ft | $260 | 3 |
| Pergola, cedar 12x12 | ea | $3,800 | 24 |
| Privacy hedge, 5 gal arborvitae | ea | $60 | 0.8 |
| Raised garden bed, cedar 4x8 | ea | $340 | 3 |
| Artificial turf, installed | sq ft | $9 | 0.09 |
| Lawn aeration and overseed | sq ft | $0 | 0.003 |
| Spring cleanup, per hour crew | hr | $0 | 1 |
| Weekly mowing, per visit, 1/4 acre | ea | $0 | 0.75 |
| Pruning, ornamental trees | hr | $0 | 1 |
| Debris haul, green waste | cu yd | $25 | 0.3 |
| Landscape design plan | ea | $0 | 8 |
Local labor rate for landscaping and groundskeeping workers
BLS publishes the median wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers by metro and state. Enter a ZIP to see the local figure the builder should be anchored to.
National median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers (SOC 37-3011, BLS OEWS May 2025): $19/hr.
From the $18.82 national median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers, add what your landscape business pays on top of wages, its overhead and its profit to get the rate each billed hour has to carry.
Enter your payroll costs, overhead and profit to see the billed rate your numbers need.
Source: labor at $18.82/hr, the BLS OEWS May 2025 national median hourly wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers, SOC 37-3011. The builder adds 35% for payroll taxes, insurance and equipment.
How to price landscape work
Hardscape by the square foot, plants by the pot
Patios, walks and turf are priced per square foot with base, fabric and compaction included in the unit; walls per linear foot by height; plants per container size. Keep them separate so a design change (fewer shrubs, more patio) moves the right lines. The library's paver rate assumes a 4-inch compacted base and sand bed; excavation in heavy clay or tight access deserves its own row.
Drainage and irrigation sell the job
French drains, buried downspouts and dry creek beds are priced per foot; irrigation per zone with the controller and backflow as separate items because inspectors and water utilities care about them. Adding a drainage line to a patio estimate is the difference between a warranty callback and a referral.
Maintenance is a different estimate
Per-visit mowing, seasonal cleanups and pruning are hourly or per-visit lines with no material; keep them on their own estimate from the install work so the client is not comparing a $9,000 patio and a $60 mow on the same page.
Compared with spreadsheets and full suites
LMN, Aspire and SingleOps are built for multi-crew landscape companies, with routing and job costing. American Build Rate covers the estimate and the client accept link with a hardscape-and-planting library and local labor data, with five tracked sends a month at no cost; move to a bigger suite when you need routing and crew tracking. Published prices for the general field apps sit on our contractor software pricing page, each with its check date.
Pricing
Free: unlimited drafts, 5 tracked sends a month, PDFs with a one-line footer. Pro $13/mo or $130/yr: unlimited sends, no footer, 4 people on one price book, the website widget. Details on the pricing page.
Questions from landscapers and hardscape crews
Are plant prices realistic for my region?
They are national nursery estimates, marked estimated. Edit the material figure per line or save your own plant list to the company library.
Can I estimate a retaining wall over 4 feet?
Walls over 4 feet usually need engineering and a permit; add those as lines and increase the per-foot rate for geogrid and drainage stone.
How do I bill design work?
The "Landscape design plan" item is eight hours by default; set it to your design fee and credit it in the terms if the client proceeds.
Related: Landscaping estimate template · all trades