I’ll assume at the very least you’ve had a landscape design drafted up into a scaled plan otherwise how do you know what you are buying? And equally if someone is presenting you a quote based on nothing but a conversation then where does the accountability lie? So please, make sure you’ve got a scaled landscape design in plan format before you go seeking a construction estimate.
To judge the quality of a quote I’d suggest first checking the quality of the person delivering it. Have they been professional, have they listened and have they contributed to the dialogue. Beware the contractor that promise you whatever you want without qualification. As mentioned previously seek, references from people they’ve built landscape projects for recently. If they are offering to provide a landscape design services then look at the quality and detail of their plans.
Assuming you are happy with the quality of the person presenting its time to look a little deeper. Check how much information is included in their quote and again this will depend on the quality of the landscape plan/design they’re working from. Make note of how willing they are to discuss details of their quote. Don’t expect them to hand over their spreadsheets but I think there needs to be a certain degree of transparency to know what you’re buying. Another thing to look and ask for is what is not included in their quote. Items such as lighting, planters, certification and documentation may not be big numbers on their own but they can add up together. Rectification, being the cost to tidy up and re plant any areas torn up on the way in, is something often omitted but again this can add up to a significant figure depending on where your project is located.
Finally don’t make your goal to obtain the cheapest quote. There is a reason you don’t see even the most successful landscape contractors driving around in low-slung sports cars. Its because the best of them are not in it for the money. If you do have a contractor that ticks all the above boxes but someone else less impressive is offering to do the same job for significantly less then please remember that ‘lowest price’ and ‘best quality’ simply don’t go together. Go back to your preferred contractor and ask how they can be involved for less. Again, those worth engaging will be more than happy to come up with alternate approaches to give you a good result for a fair price.
