Updated November 9, 2026
A landscaping estimate template has to turn measurements into materials before it turns them into money. Miss the mulch depth by an inch or forget delivery, and the job looks fine on paper while it quietly loses money.
Quick answer: A landscaping estimate lists measured areas, materials with quantities, labor, delivery and disposal, plant warranty terms and how long the price holds. Cubic yards of mulch equal square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324. The worked bed refresh below comes to $1,956 with a 37.0% margin.
Lawn Love puts installed mulch at $72 to $87 per cubic yard including materials, labor and delivery, with mulch itself at $30 to $135 per cubic yard depending on type (Lawn Love, updated Oct 9, 2026). Your own number depends on how far you carry it from the truck, so wheelbarrow distance belongs in your estimate notes.
| Line | What to write | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and site | Address, gates, where materials can be dropped | No charge |
| Measurements | Bed square feet, edging feet, grade notes | Reference |
| Materials | Type and quantity by yard, ton, flat or plant | Per unit |
| Labor | Install, edging, removal of old material | Per unit or hourly |
| Delivery and disposal | Trips and dump fees | Flat |
| Plants | Size, count, warranty length and care conditions | Per plant |
| Exclusions | Irrigation repairs, utility locate delays | Written out |
| Terms | Valid 15 days, deposit, weather rescheduling | Written out |
Quantity first: 1,458 square feet at 2 inches deep is 1,458 × 2 ÷ 324 = 9 cubic yards. The prices are assumptions; the mulch line sits inside the Lawn Love range above.
| Line | How it is priced | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch, installed | 9 yd × $85 | $765 |
| Re-cut bed edges | 120 ft × $2.50 | $300 |
| Three-gallon shrubs, installed | 12 × $68 | $816 |
| Delivery | Flat | $75 |
| Estimate total | $1,956 |
Job cost at assumed rates: mulch 9 × $38 is $342, shrubs 12 × $26 is $312, 14 labor hours at $36 loaded is $504, and delivery $75, for $1,233. That leaves $723, a 37.0% margin. If the crew carries mulch up a long side yard and adds three hours, cost rises $108 and margin falls to 31.4%.
Say how long the plant guarantee runs and what voids it, such as no watering or a deer problem. If you offer one year, write that replacement covers the plant and whether labor is included. A clear line here costs nothing on the estimate and saves a site visit in July.
When everyone calls in the same six weeks, the first complete estimate tends to win. Send it the same day as the walkthrough, keep material prices valid for 15 days, and follow up in two. Check your rates in the free landscaping pricing calculator, and compare phone options in landscaper call center or AI.
Old mulch removal comes first: spreading over a thick layer smothers roots, and hauling it off is real labor, so price it or say that it is excluded. Second, utility locates. Any planting deeper than a shallow bed should wait for the marks, so put that on the estimate as a scheduling condition. Third, watering in. Say who waters new shrubs for the first weeks and for how long, because that is the first question asked when a plant fails. A short line here connects directly to the warranty terms above.
Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for landscapers. It answers while the crew runs equipment, books the walkthrough, builds the estimate from your prices, sends it and follows up. See how it works for landscapers.
Measurements, material quantities, labor, delivery and disposal, plant warranty terms, exclusions and how long the price holds.
Square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324. A 1,458-square-foot bed at 2 inches takes 9 cubic yards.
Lawn Love puts it at $72 to $87 per cubic yard including materials, labor and delivery.
Many landscapers do, often for a stated period. Write the length, what voids it, and whether labor is included.
Home service businesses answer only about half their calls (Invoca, July 2026), and owners spend about 11 to 16 hours/week on admin. Knowing what to do is the easy part; the money leaks out in the calls you can't take, the quotes nobody chases and the invoices that sit unpaid. Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for landscapers that you run by voice from your phone:
Sources: Invoca, July 2026 (52% of home-service calls answered by a person, 60M+ calls); admin hours: Time etc / Censuswide 2023 and Amex SME Barometer 2026.
Unmanually is an AI Office Manager that works 24/7 and that you run by voice from your phone. Leave your mobile number and the AI Office Manager calls you right away, the same way it would call back one of your customers. That call is the demo: it answers, books you a 15-minute time with the founder and follows up.
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