Free Landscaping Calculator (+ Guide)

What is a landscaping calculator?

A landscaping calculator adds up every cost of a garden or yard project, from the landscaper's quote to the plants and irrigation.

It shows the total with a contingency, the cost per square foot and what's left of your budget.

How it works

The cheapest of your quotes goes in the total, next to the costs it doesn't cover.

Why irrigation belongs in the budget

Water is the cost that keeps coming after the garden is done.

The EPA's WaterSense program counts nearly 8 billion gallons of residential outdoor water a day in the US, and the average household uses more water outdoors than for showering and washing clothes combined.

Plants suited to your climate and an efficient irrigation system cost money now and save water every summer after.

How to compare contractors' quotes

The Federal Trade Commission gives this advice before you hire anyone.

• Hire only licensed and insured contractors, and check the license with your state or county
• Get several written estimates, each with the work, the materials, the completion date and the price
• Don't automatically pick the lowest bid, and ask why if the estimates differ a lot
• Get a written contract with the contractor's license number and the start and finish dates
• Never pay the full amount up front, and make the final payment only when the work is done

It also warns that a contractor who asks you to get the permits, or who only takes cash, may be running a scam.

How much contingency to add

A contingency is money set aside for what you find once the walls or the ground are open.

HUD requires one on its 203(k) renovation loans: 10% to 20% of the repair costs on a home 30 years or older, and at least 15% when the utilities don't work.

On a newer home, it's up to the lender, to a maximum of 20%.

A worked example

Here's the example the calculator loads: a 2,000 sq ft yard with 2 quotes of $9,000 and $11,000, plus design, plants, trees, mulch, irrigation and outdoor lighting.

The cheapest quote is $9,000, $2,000 less than the dearest. Your other costs add $6,400, so the project comes to $15,400 before the contingency.

A 10% contingency adds $1,540, for a total of $16,940. That's $8.47 per square foot, and $1,060 left of a $18,000 budget for the landscaping.

Mistakes to avoid

These are the slips that come up most.

• Forgetting removal and hauling of what's there now
• Pricing the plants but not the water to keep them alive
• Paying for everything up front, which the FTC warns against

Who is the landscaping calculator for?

It's for anyone planning a garden, a yard or a patio, and these tools help around it.

• Mulch calculator – for the beds
• Gravel calculator – for paths and drives
• Fence calculator – for the posts and concrete

Price the garden and its water together, and it costs what you planned for years.