Landscaping quote

pops

Hi,
I have been given a quote to include labour and materials for 70 sq m of patio, the same of kerbing, 10 loads topsoil for the lawn, drainage, some clearance of rubble & stone and a couple of loads of 804 for around the house. This includes transport and machine costs. The price is €10,000.

I'm going to get another quote, but would be interested in opinions on this.

Sonnenblumen

A low price, very low indeed.

greenfingers

Depends on what type of paving/kerbing you are using and how close you are to the pale....but it does appear to be value for money

pops

The kerbing is bog standard concrete and stone crazy paving. I'm in Connemara in Galway so prices are a bit lower here anyway.

The Sweeper

On the flip side of how this question is being asked, I have a prompt for the professionals among you.

As opposed to "That's a good price, you're lucky", which is the usual reaction (and I understand that's because a lot of people seem to think that garden work should be paid on the 'ten bob an hour' basis that you used to pay local teenagers to cut your lawn), can we look at it slightly differently?

Should the OP be concerned at the value he's being offered, and what should he request in advance of the job to ensure that he doesn't get landed with a bigger bill, full of extras, after the job is done?

greenfingers

Pops,

one thing i would advise you do is get every thing down on paper and even get a drawing done to show the size of the patio, line of the kerb etc. Doesn't have to be a professional design, once it is roughly to scale and show the main details it will do. A measuring tape and somebody to help you measure would do the job in 20 Min's! Cuts down on a lot of 'extras' when the job is done.

Also get the contractor to right down the way in which he/she will tackle your project, step by step. This helps keep them to a time scale and you know what their at and what they should be at !

You say he/she is going to get a few loads of top soil will it be spread and leveled as well ? Same goes for 804, how many ?

What about grass seed?

What kind drainage? Will it be enough ? A cheap drainage is one of the biggest disaster when it comes to the garden. If it ain't done right the first time, it will cost twice as much to fix it!

Sonnenblumen

greenfingers wrote: »

Pops,

one thing i would advise you do is get every thing down on paper and even get a drawing done to show the size of the patio, line of the kerb etc. Doesn't have to be a professional design, once it is roughly to scale and show the main details it will do. A measuring tape and somebody to help you measure would do the job in 20 Min's! Cuts down on a lot of 'extras' when the job is done.

Also get the contractor to right down the way in which he/she will tackle your project, step by step. This helps keep them to a time scale and you know what their at and what they should be at !

You say he/she is going to get a few loads of top soil will it be spread and leveled as well ? Same goes for 804, how many ?

What about grass seed?

What kind drainage? Will it be enough ? A cheap drainage is one of the biggest disaster when it comes to the garden. If it ain't done right the first time, it will cost twice as much to fix it!

Disagree with much of this, the approach is unprofessional, the methodology is haphazard and basic, and contains many contradictions. Of course the market is full of know-alls, cowboys, chancers, and in current climate even ones willing to work for nothing, so it is not surprising that clients might be more cautious. That said, unprofessional approaches are not the way in any market. Only this week we had to rescure an unfortunate person who believed they had agreed a great deal, paid a hefty deposit and two laters ordered the scoundrels off site and told not to come back ever. They left a measuring tape and lots of spoilt valuable materials, most of which was subsequently disposed of as waste. There are many like these who simply cannot 'tell the arse from the elbow'. No plans, no drawing and a very sad client who wasted more money than had they commissioned a professional in the first instance.

Doing speculative drawings is also unfair and by most design disciplines oulawed. It's an overhead which is generally redistributed amongst unsuspecting/unconnected clients. We never do free design, on the contrary we insist on charging for all drawings. And like all professionals, it will be clearly identified in written (itemised proposals). Anyone who provides drawings (concept, design, layout, working whatever) has a very poor sense of self worth in a professional sense. Instead prepare a clear proposal, discuss with prospective client, and yes, if the client is interested and assured, he/she will invariably be willing to pay for a drawing etc. A piece of advice I would offer to anyone considering getting landscaping or any type of work for that matter, is to ask questions where there is uncertainty or lack of clarity an ddo not dismiss or be discouraged by someone who does not offer free drawings. On the contrary they are probably just being very professional and like all true professionals, appreciate the opportunity to pitch but also value their own time. A good professional should have no problems articulating in a meaningful way verbally and/or in written form the scope, detail and probable timings of most aspects of the project.

Seek proof of competence get references, ring/meet previous clients, verify professional bona fides, are they members of an accredited professional organisation and not just some listing form a phone book or website masquerading as a 'qualified' authority. Seek proof of professional indemnity, public liability insurance, employer liability. These are all inherently important to all professionals, who will only be too delighted to allow you view details.

pops

We have measured everything out already so know exactly what needs to be done. We've also planned the garden and know where and what kind of shrubs, trees etc. need to be put where. That's the part I'm looking forward to doing myself. It doesn't include laying the lawn seed as I'd prefer to do that myself (same goes for all the planting).

The top soil is 10 loads and includes spreading & levelling.
This guy has given me 2 local addresses of jobs already done which he said I should go and see (before I even asked!)

All of the drainage was done before the house was built, so there are no major drainage issues to address.

Once I have checked out the references, I think we will go with him and I'll let you know how we get on. Thanks for the advice

wreckless

best of luck with project pops, im at something myself and will hopefully have a thread to start soon

pops

Will let you know how it goes wreckless! I'm just dying to have the place sorted out so that I can start ordering plants and getting stuck in!