Free Landscaping Takeoff Software for Contractors
Measure planting bed areas, hardscape zones, sod footage, irrigation pipe runs, and edging lengths from PDF site plans. Count trees, shrubs, and fixtures. Group by material and export quantities. Completely free.
Landscaping Takeoffs, Simplified
A commercial landscape install with 12,000 square feet of sod, 3,500 square feet of mulch beds, 800 square feet of pavers, and 200 plants requires dozens of measurements from a site plan before you can price a single line item. Get the mulch bed area wrong by 15 percent and you are 2 cubic yards short at $45 per yard for premium hardwood mulch, plus a second delivery trip. Get the sod area wrong and you either have 30 rolls drying in the sun while you figure out where they go, or you are calling the sod farm for an emergency pallet that costs 20 percent more than your original order. A landscape bid touches more material categories than almost any other trade. Easy Takeoffs is free landscaping bid software that lets you measure directly from PDF site plans. Trace planting beds, paver zones, sod areas, and gravel sections with the polygon tool. Measure irrigation main lines, lateral runs, edging, retaining wall faces, and fence lines with the linear tool. Count every tree, shrub, bollard, irrigation head, and site light with the count tool. Group measurements by material type, installation phase, or bid section. Export to CSV for material ordering, subcontractor pricing, and bid assembly. No subscription, no trial, no feature limits.
Area, Linear & Count
Every measurement type your trade needs
Snap to Walls & Corners
Cursor locks to lines, corners, midpoints, and edges
Auto Scale Detection
Reads the scale from your PDF so you can measure instantly
Completely Free
No credit card, no trial, no feature limits
Any Device
Browser-based on Mac, Windows, tablet, or phone
What Is a Landscaping Takeoff?
A landscaping takeoff is the process of measuring areas, lengths, and counts from landscape architecture plans and civil site plans to calculate the materials needed for a landscape installation. The three measurement types cover everything: area measurements for mulch, sod, pavers, gravel, topsoil, and planting bed prep; linear measurements for edging, irrigation pipe, retaining walls, curbing, and fence lines; and counts for trees, shrubs, groundcover flats, bollards, landscape lights, and irrigation heads. The takeoff feeds multiple material calculations. Mulch and topsoil convert from area to cubic yards: bed area times depth in inches, divided by 12, divided by 27. Pavers convert from area to pallets or pieces based on the product coverage per pallet. Sod converts from area to rolls or pallets based on roll size (typically 2 feet by 5 feet, or 10 square feet per roll). Irrigation pipe converts from measured run length to pipe sticks (typically 10 or 20 foot lengths) plus fittings. The plant schedule on the landscape plan shows species, size, and quantity, which the count tool verifies against the plan. A complete takeoff ensures that every material on the plan has a measured quantity before the estimate begins.
How to Do a Landscaping Takeoff
Upload site and landscape plans
Drop your PDF landscape plans, civil site plans, and irrigation plans into Easy Takeoffs. L-sheets from the landscape architect, C-sheets from the civil engineer, and irrigation details all live in one project. Navigate between sheets with the page selector.
Calibrate to site plan scale
Site plans use different scales than architectural plans: commonly 1 inch equals 10 feet, 20 feet, or 40 feet. Calibrate using a known dimension like a property line length, building footprint, or the graphic scale bar at the bottom of the drawing. Each sheet calibrates independently.
Measure beds, runs, and counts
Trace planting beds, sod zones, paver areas, and gravel sections with the polygon tool. Measure irrigation pipe, edging, retaining walls, and curbing with the linear tool. Count every tree, shrub, irrigation head, bollard, and site light with the count tool. Group each measurement by material type.
Export material quantities
Export grouped measurements to CSV. Mulch bed area converts to cubic yards, paver area converts to pallets, irrigation footage converts to pipe sticks and fittings, and plant counts match the planting schedule. One export feeds the entire material order and bid.
Built for Landscaping
Irregular bed and zone areas
Trace curved planting beds, island planters, kidney-shaped sod areas, and free-form paver patios with the polygon tool. Click as many points as needed along curves to match the landscape architect's design. The tool calculates the exact area regardless of shape.
Irrigation, edging, and wall runs
Measure irrigation main lines and laterals, aluminum or steel edging, retaining wall faces, and curb lengths with the linear tool. Each run shows individual and cumulative footage. Group by pipe diameter or material type for clean export totals.
Tree, shrub, and fixture counting
Count every tree, shrub, groundcover flat, bollard, irrigation head, and landscape light. Place markers precisely on the plan symbol. Group by species or size to match the planting schedule: 15 Red Maple 2-inch caliper, 40 Boxwood 3-gallon, 12 ornamental grasses.
Material and phase grouping
Group by material type: hardwood mulch beds, river rock areas, Bermuda sod zones, Belgard paver sections. Or group by installation phase: rough grade, irrigation, hardscape, planting, sod. Each group has its own color and exports with its own totals.
Auto scale detection
Most PDF site plans include embedded scale metadata. Easy Takeoffs reads it automatically. When metadata is missing, calibrate against the graphic scale bar or a known property dimension. Each sheet can have its own scale.
Completely free
No credit card, no trial, no per-seat fees. Landscape-specific takeoff software from companies like Attentive.ai and SiteRecon charges per plan or monthly subscription. Easy Takeoffs covers the core measurement workflow at zero cost.
Landscaping Calculator
Quick estimate for common landscaping calculations. For precise quantities, measure directly from your plans.
Landscaping Material Calculator
Estimate cubic yards of mulch, soil, or gravel for your beds
Measure planting beds for free with Easy Takeoffs. Start your free takeoff →
Landscaping Waste Factors
Industry-standard waste percentages for common landscaping materials. Apply these to your measured quantities for accurate ordering.
Typical Waste Factors
Uneven bed depths consume more material than the calculated average. Delivery spillage at the dump site, settling after rain, and wind displacement add 8 to 12 percent. A 3-inch target depth that averages 3.3 inches across the bed wastes 10 percent.
Straight edge cuts along borders and pattern alignment waste 5 to 8 percent. Herringbone and 45-degree patterns push waste to 10 to 15 percent because every border cut is angled. Add 2 to 3 percent for breakage during compaction and cutting.
Trimming at curved bed edges, around tree rings, and along walkways wastes 3 to 7 percent. Sod that sits too long on the pallet in summer heat dies and must be replaced. Order delivery timing to match installation pace.
Bulk soil spread by skid steer or hand varies in depth across the site. Low spots and compaction during spreading consume extra volume. Compost amendments mixed into existing soil need precise volume calculation based on the amendment ratio, typically 2 to 4 inches tilled into 6 inches of native soil.
Direction changes, fittings, and cut waste at the end of each stick add 3 to 7 percent. PVC sticks come in 10 or 20 foot lengths. A 27-foot run uses two 20-foot sticks with 13 feet of usable scrap or three 10-foot sticks with 3 feet of scrap.
Edging comes in straight sections (typically 8 or 16 feet) with overlap connectors. Waste is minimal and comes only from end cuts at transitions and overlap joints. Budget 3 percent for connector overlaps and end trimming.
Bulk aggregate spread by hand or machine varies in depth. Settling after initial installation reduces the apparent coverage by 10 to 15 percent. River rock and decorative stone are more expensive per cubic yard than mulch, so accurate area measurement matters more.
Why Landscaping Contractors Need Better Takeoffs
Curved beds and irregular site shapes do not scale by hand
A residential landscape plan has kidney-shaped planting beds, curved paver patios, and free-form sod areas. None of these are rectangles. Scaling a curved bed with a ruler and calculator means breaking it into dozens of small rectangles, calculating each one, and summing them. Miss one section and you are 50 to 100 square feet short on mulch. At 3 inches deep, 100 square feet is nearly a cubic yard of mulch at $45 per yard. A polygon tool traces the actual shape in seconds.
One site plan with five different material types
A single landscape sheet might show mulch beds, gravel walkways, sod lawn, a paver patio, and a dry-stack stone wall. Without measurement groups, you end up with a combined area total and no idea how much of it is mulch versus gravel versus sod. You have to go back to the plan and re-sort. Grouping by material in Easy Takeoffs means each material has its own running total from the start, and the CSV export is already organized for ordering.
Counting 200 plants from a paper plan takes an hour
A commercial landscape plan with 30 shade trees, 80 shrubs, 60 ornamental grasses, and 200 flats of groundcover requires counting every symbol on the plan and cross-referencing the plant schedule. Doing this by hand with a highlighter takes an hour or more. Miscount 10 boxwoods at $35 each and your bid is $350 off on just one species. The count tool in Easy Takeoffs places markers on the plan and totals them by group in seconds.
Common Landscaping Takeoff Mistakes
Calculating mulch at flat average depth
Landscape plans specify a 3-inch mulch depth, so you calculate bed area times 3 inches. But mulch settles into soil depressions, mounds around plant root balls, and fills deeper at bed edges where the edging creates a lip. Real average depth is closer to 3.3 to 3.5 inches. On a 3,000 square foot bed, the extra 0.3 to 0.5 inches adds 1 to 1.5 cubic yards at $45 each. Add 10 percent waste to your calculated volume for depth variation, delivery spillage, and settling. Order an extra half yard on any delivery under 10 yards.
Ordering sod by area without checking pallet coverage
Sod coverage per pallet varies by region and farm. One farm's pallet covers 450 square feet. Another covers 500 or 600 square feet. Assuming 500 when the actual coverage is 450 means you are short by 10 percent on every pallet. On a 5,000 square foot lawn, that is 500 square feet of missing sod and a bare patch the client notices immediately. Confirm the pallet coverage with your sod supplier before ordering. Calculate total pallets needed: area divided by pallet coverage, rounded up, plus 5 percent waste for trimming.
Ignoring irrigation head counts in the takeoff
The irrigation plan shows head locations, pipe runs, and zone layouts. Contractors often measure pipe footage and forget to count the heads. Each rotor head costs $15 to $30. Each spray head costs $5 to $12. A 10-zone residential system with 80 spray heads and 20 rotors is $400 to $1,560 in heads alone. Missing the count means missing a significant portion of the material cost. Count every irrigation head by type using the count tool. Group spray heads, rotor heads, drip emitters, and valve boxes separately. Export the counts alongside pipe footage for a complete irrigation material list.
Not accounting for hardscape base material
A paver patio needs more than just pavers. A standard installation requires 4 to 6 inches of compacted aggregate base and 1 inch of bedding sand. An 800 square foot patio needs 10 to 15 cubic yards of aggregate base at $25 to $40 per yard and 2.5 cubic yards of bedding sand at $30 to $45 per yard. That is $325 to $713 in base material not in the bid if you only measured the paver area. For every paver area measurement, calculate base and sand volume separately. Base volume: area times base depth divided by 27. Sand volume: area times 1 inch divided by 324.
Mixing up bed prep area with planting area
The landscape plan shows planting beds, but the bed prep area (tilling, amending, grading) is often larger than the planted area because prep extends to the bed edges and beyond the outermost plants. A planting bed with 15 shrubs might have 400 square feet of planting area but 500 square feet of prep area. Bidding soil amendment, tilling, and grading on the planted area misses 100 square feet of prep. Measure the full bed outline for prep quantities and the individual plant locations for plant counts. They are different measurements with different purposes.
Landscaping Takeoff Pro Tips
Group by material type for ordering and by phase for scheduling
Create two sets of measurement groups. First, group by material: hardwood mulch, river rock, Bermuda sod, Belgard Holland pavers, and Techo-Bloc wall stone. These totals feed directly into your supplier orders. Second, create groups by installation phase: rough grading, irrigation rough-in, hardscape, planting, mulch, and sod. The material groups answer "how much of each material do I need to order?" The phase groups answer "how much work is in each phase for labor scheduling?" Both come from the same measurements, just organized differently. Export both and you have your material order list and your crew schedule from one takeoff. For large commercial projects, phase grouping also supports progress billing. If Phase 1 is rough grade and irrigation, you can invoice for Phase 1 quantities as soon as that phase is complete.
Verify the plant schedule against the plan
The plant schedule in the landscape specs lists species, size, and quantity. The landscape plan shows the planting symbols on the site. These should match, but they frequently do not. The landscape architect may have moved plants after updating the schedule, or the plan may show 22 boxwoods while the schedule says 20. Use the count tool to count every plant symbol on the plan, grouped by species. Compare your counts to the plant schedule. If they do not match, issue an RFI before bidding. Bidding the plan count when the schedule says a different number creates a change order argument later. For commercial projects, the plant schedule is the contractual quantity. Your takeoff from the plan is a verification. If the plan shows more plants than the schedule, you are not being paid for the extras unless you flag it.
Calculate mulch and soil by the delivery truck, not just cubic yards
Bulk mulch and topsoil are delivered in dump trucks, and truck capacity determines your delivery logistics. A standard single-axle dump truck holds 8 to 12 cubic yards. A tandem holds 12 to 16 yards. A tri-axle holds 16 to 22 yards. If your takeoff shows 28 cubic yards of mulch, that is two tandem deliveries or three single-axle loads. Knowing the delivery count matters for scheduling. Each delivery needs someone to direct the driver and a staging area to dump. On a tight residential site with limited access, a tri-axle may not fit. You need three single-axle loads instead, which is three delivery fees instead of one. Price your deliveries based on truck size and quantity. Many suppliers include delivery in the per-yard price for orders over a minimum (often 5 yards). Below that, expect a $50 to $100 delivery charge.
Measure irrigation by zone, not just total footage
Create a measurement group for each irrigation zone: "Zone 1 - Front Lawn Rotors," "Zone 2 - Front Beds Drip," "Zone 3 - Side Yard Spray." Measure the pipe runs and head counts per zone. This gives you pipe footage per zone for wire sizing (you need a dedicated wire pair from the controller to each zone valve). Zone-based measurement also catches design errors. If Zone 3 has 15 spray heads but the controller only supports 12 heads per zone at the available water pressure, you know to flag it before installation. Fixing a zone design on paper costs nothing. Fixing it after trenching costs $500 to $1,000 in rework. Export zone-by-zone quantities for your irrigation material list. Each zone needs its own valve, wire run from the controller, and the correct pipe diameter for the head count and flow rate.
Use the polygon tool for sod and seed areas, not just beds
Sod and seed areas are often everything "not" something else: the lawn is whatever is left after subtracting the house footprint, driveway, walkways, patios, and planting beds. Trying to calculate lawn area by subtraction is error-prone because you are dealing with multiple irregular shapes. Instead, trace the actual sod boundary with the polygon tool. Click around the lawn perimeter, including the cutouts around beds and hardscape. The polygon tool handles donut-shaped areas and irregular outlines. The calculated area is the actual sod coverage, not an estimate by subtraction. For seeded areas, the same approach works. Trace the seed boundary and get the square footage for calculating pounds of seed. Seed application rates vary by species: Kentucky Bluegrass at 2 to 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet, Bermuda at 1 to 2 pounds, and Fescue at 6 to 8 pounds.
Landscaping Takeoff Questions
A landscaping takeoff is the process of measuring areas, lengths, and counts from landscape plans and site plans to calculate every material needed for a landscape installation. The takeoff covers three measurement types. Area measurements for mulch beds, sod zones, paver patios, gravel paths, topsoil areas, and planting bed preparation. Linear measurements for irrigation pipe, drip line, steel or aluminum edging, retaining walls, curbing, and fence lines. Count measurements for trees, shrubs, groundcover flats, irrigation heads, bollards, and landscape lights. The takeoff converts these measurements into material orders. Mulch area times depth converts to cubic yards. Paver area converts to pallets based on product coverage. Sod area converts to rolls or pallets. Irrigation pipe footage converts to pipe sticks and fittings. Plant counts come from the planting schedule verified against the plan. A complete landscape takeoff touches 10 to 20 material categories on a typical residential project and 30 or more on commercial installations. Getting the quantities right from the plan is the foundation of every landscape estimate.
Measure the bed area in square feet using the polygon tool, then convert to cubic yards with the formula: area times depth in inches, divided by 12, divided by 27. A 500 square foot bed at 3 inches deep is 500 times 3 divided by 12 divided by 27, which equals 4.63 cubic yards before waste. Add 10 percent for depth variation, delivery spillage, and settling: 4.63 times 1.10 equals 5.1 cubic yards. Round up to 5.5 yards for your order. Mulch coverage varies by type. Shredded hardwood mulch at 3 inches deep covers about 100 square feet per cubic yard (108 square feet exactly, but real-world spreading runs slightly thicker). Pine straw bales cover 30 to 50 square feet each at a 3-inch depth. Rubber mulch at 3 inches covers about 80 to 100 square feet per cubic yard because it is denser. Bulk mulch is typically priced at $25 to $50 per cubic yard for basic shredded hardwood, $35 to $65 for dyed mulch, and $45 to $75 for premium cedar. Bagged mulch from a home center runs $4 to $7 per 2-cubic-foot bag, which covers about 6 square feet at 3 inches. For anything over 3 cubic yards, bulk delivery is more cost effective than bags.
Use the polygon tool and click as many points as needed along the curved bed perimeter. The more points you place along the curve, the more precisely the calculated area matches the landscape architect's design. For a gentle S-curve bed border, clicking every foot or two along the curve captures the shape accurately. For tight radius curves around tree rings or circular planters, place points every 6 to 12 inches. The polygon tool calculates the exact area enclosed by whatever shape you trace. Landscape beds are almost never rectangular. They follow the natural flow of the property, wrap around building corners, create island planters in open lawn areas, and follow curved walkways. Manual calculation requires breaking these shapes into dozens of small rectangles and triangles, calculating each one, and summing them. Missing one section or overlapping two means your mulch or soil order is wrong. The polygon tool handles all of this in a single trace. For kidney-shaped beds, trace the full perimeter. For beds with cutouts around tree trunks or stepping stones, trace the outer boundary and subtract the cutout areas.
Yes. Easy Takeoffs is completely free with no credit card, no trial period, and no feature restrictions. Every measurement tool is available from signup: polygon for bed areas and sod zones, linear for irrigation and edging runs, count for trees and fixtures, measurement groups for material organization, labels, and CSV export. Landscape estimating software from companies like Attentive.ai, SiteRecon, and Go iLawn charges per plan or monthly subscription. General takeoff tools like PlanSwift cost $1,749 per year and STACK runs $2,599 or more. Easy Takeoffs covers the core measurement workflow at zero cost. Upload PDF site plans and landscape plans, calibrate the scale, measure areas and lengths, count plants and fixtures, group by material type, and export to CSV. The browser-based platform runs on any device, including tablets at the jobsite. For landscaping contractors who bid multiple projects per week and work from landscape architect plans, the core measurement workflow is the same as what paid tools provide.
Easy Takeoffs is the only genuinely free landscaping takeoff tool with no trial limits, no feature gates, and no per-seat fees. Other options either charge subscriptions or specialize in aerial measurement only. Attentive.ai and SiteRecon focus on satellite-based property measurement and charge per plan or monthly fees. Go iLawn provides aerial property maps at $20 or more per property. PlanSwift costs $1,749 per year and requires Windows. STACK runs $2,599 or more. Easy Takeoffs handles the full landscape takeoff workflow from PDF plans: polygon areas for beds, sod, pavers, and gravel; linear measurements for irrigation, edging, walls, and curbing; count tools for trees, shrubs, heads, and fixtures; color-coded measurement groups; labels; and CSV export. For contractors who work from landscape architecture PDFs rather than aerial imagery, Easy Takeoffs provides the same core measurement capability as paid tools at no cost. The tool is browser-based, works on any device, and saves projects to the cloud automatically.
Use 5 to 8 percent for running bond patterns and 10 to 15 percent for herringbone and 45-degree patterns. Running bond (brick pattern) creates straight cuts along the borders where pavers meet the edge restraint. Most cut pieces can be used elsewhere along the same edge, keeping waste to 5 to 8 percent. Herringbone patterns rotate pavers 45 degrees, creating angled cuts at every straight border that generate triangular waste pieces too small to reuse. The waste increases with the perimeter-to-area ratio: small patios waste more than large ones because the border cuts represent a larger share of the total area. Add 2 to 3 percent for breakage during cutting and compaction. Always order an extra 3 to 5 percent beyond your waste factor for future repairs. Matching a specific paver color and texture batch after the production run has ended can be difficult or impossible. Belgard, Techo-Bloc, and Tremron all recommend keeping spare pavers from the original order. A 500 square foot patio at 8 percent waste plus 3 percent repair reserve needs about 555 square feet of pavers.
Measure the lawn area in square feet using the polygon tool, add 5 percent for trimming waste, then divide by the pallet or roll coverage from your sod supplier. Sod rolls are typically 2 feet wide by 5 feet long, covering 10 square feet per roll. Pallet coverage varies by supplier: 450, 500, or 600 square feet per pallet, depending on roll count. A 4,000 square foot lawn at 5 percent waste needs 4,200 square feet. At 500 square feet per pallet, that is 8.4 pallets, round up to 9 pallets. Sod pricing varies by grass type and region. Bermuda sod runs $0.25 to $0.45 per square foot. St. Augustine runs $0.35 to $0.60. Fescue runs $0.30 to $0.50. Zoysia runs $0.40 to $0.65. Delivery typically runs $50 to $150 per pallet. Sod is perishable. In summer heat, sod on a pallet starts dying within 12 to 24 hours. Order delivery timing to match your crew's installation pace. A crew of four can install 4,000 to 6,000 square feet per day. Do not order more than one day's worth of sod at a time in hot weather.
Yes. Use the linear and polyline tools to trace irrigation main lines and lateral runs from the irrigation plan. The polyline tool handles multi-segment runs with direction changes, showing both individual segment lengths and cumulative run totals. Group pipe measurements by diameter and zone. A typical residential irrigation system has 1-inch or 1.25-inch PVC main lines running from the water source to each zone valve, then 3/4-inch or 1-inch laterals from each valve to the heads. Drip irrigation uses 1/2-inch poly tubing measured separately. Export footage per group to your material list. Convert footage to pipe sticks based on stick length (typically 10 or 20 feet for PVC) and round up. A 87-foot main line run needs five 20-foot sticks with 13 feet of usable scrap, or nine 10-foot sticks with 3 feet of scrap. Add fittings based on the number of direction changes, tees, and elbows on the plan.
Upload the PDF landscape and site plans into Easy Takeoffs, calibrate the scale, measure every material type using the appropriate tool, and export quantities for ordering. Start with the landscape plan (L-sheets). Calibrate the scale using a known dimension like a building width or a dimensioned property line. Then work through the plan systematically. First, trace all hardscape areas: paver patios, gravel walkways, and stone walls. Second, trace all planting bed areas for mulch and soil calculations. Third, trace sod and seed areas. Fourth, switch to the irrigation plan and measure pipe runs by zone. Fifth, count every plant by species and every irrigation head by type. Create measurement groups for each material and each phase. Label measurements with zone names or area identifiers. Export to CSV and use the export to build your material list. Area measurements convert to cubic yards for bulk materials, pallets for pavers and sod, and bags for amendment products. Linear measurements convert to pipe sticks, edging sections, and wall stone footage. Counts feed directly into the plant and accessory order.
Yes. Upload any PDF civil site plan, landscape architecture plan, or irrigation plan. Civil site plans use larger scales than architectural plans, typically 1 inch equals 10 feet, 20 feet, or 40 feet. Easy Takeoffs supports any scale. Calibrate using the graphic scale bar at the bottom of the drawing or a known dimension like a property line length or building footprint. Civil site plans show overall site layout, grading, drainage, and utility locations. Landscape architecture plans show planting details, hardscape layouts, and irrigation. Both work the same way in Easy Takeoffs: upload the PDF, calibrate the scale, and measure. Multi-page plan sets are common for landscape projects. The civil grading plan might be on C-sheets, the landscape plan on L-sheets, and the irrigation plan on separate sheets. Load all pages into one project and switch between them using the page selector. Each page calibrates independently, which handles the different scales between civil and landscape sheets.
Measure the area receiving topsoil or compost in square feet, then convert to cubic yards using the same formula as mulch: area times depth in inches, divided by 12, divided by 27. A 2,000 square foot lawn area receiving 4 inches of topsoil needs 2,000 times 4 divided by 12 divided by 27, which equals 24.7 cubic yards. Add 12 percent waste for compaction, uneven spreading, and low spot filling: 24.7 times 1.12 equals 27.7 cubic yards, round up to 28. Topsoil is priced per cubic yard: screened topsoil runs $25 to $50 per yard, premium blended topsoil runs $35 to $65, and compost runs $30 to $55. Delivery adds $50 to $150 per load. A tandem dump truck holds 12 to 16 cubic yards, so 28 yards is two loads. For soil amendments mixed into existing soil, calculate the amendment volume separately. If the spec calls for 2 inches of compost tilled into 6 inches of native soil, you need 2 inches of compost across the entire prep area. That is the same formula but at 2-inch depth instead of the full topsoil depth.
A landscaping takeoff measures quantities from the plans. A landscaping estimate prices those quantities into a bid. The takeoff gives you 3,500 square feet of mulch beds at 3 inches deep (9.7 cubic yards), 4,200 square feet of Bermuda sod, 160 linear feet of aluminum edging, 35 shade trees, 120 shrubs, and 800 feet of irrigation pipe. The estimate applies unit costs to each material: mulch at $45 per cubic yard installed, sod at $0.75 per square foot installed, edging at $3.50 per linear foot, trees at $350 each planted, and shrubs at $45 each planted. Labor rates depend on the task: planting runs $25 to $45 per hour per laborer, hardscape runs $30 to $60, and irrigation runs $35 to $65. Equipment like skid steers and mini excavators add $200 to $500 per day. Overhead includes insurance, vehicles, fuel, and dump fees. Profit margin for landscape contractors averages 15 to 30 percent. If the takeoff quantities are wrong, the estimate inherits those errors. Being off by 5 cubic yards of mulch is not just $225 in material. It is the delivery fee, the labor to spread it, and the hit to your schedule.
Start Your Free Construction Takeoff Today
Upload your first PDF plan set, set the scale, and pull accurate quantities before lunch. No credit card. No commitment. No per seat fees.