Agree with Yard. I'm a homeowner and have gone through landscaping projects with designers. Some will provide you a complete plan for free, while others will charge a fee and credit that fee if you go with their service. You need a complete plan. Ask the landscape designer for an itemized list of costs so you know how much the plants are and how much they charge for labor. Labor could be more than 1/2 the total cost. Then price check the plants and shrubs. Most of the time they get a discount and pocket the difference- ask if they will not up charge you. Perhaps they book out at $55 an hour and you can find someone for less.

I agree with Yardvaark - it is virtually impossible to comment on pricing without seeing the scope of the work involved and the materials required to complete that work. And there are very distinct regional factors that come into play as well. Having a detailed plan is essential.

Most homeowners do not have a clear grasp of the costs involved in having a landscape professionally installed. I generally tell them to double whatever dollar amount they have in mind :-) Although sometimes, even that won't come close to the actual costs. As a case in point, I am working on a project for a rather small property but with a very steep, currently unusable slope in the backyard that requires the installation of 3, 4' retaining walls and stairs (total area is ~675 sf) and the quote for this work alone is $31.5K including materials. But then any kind of earth movement, terracing, grading tends to be an expensive proposition.

I have a very detailed list 2 pages long with the items, quantities and prices. But I'm waiting for the typed up version as this one's difficult to read. I'll post it when I get it.

Thanks.

We're currently landscaping about a half acre in PA and the land survey, excavation/grading, 4" topsoil, and hydoseed will run us about $13k. We're currently trying to figure out how to shave off a little bit of that cost with the soil & seed because we're stretched thin, but if you don't count the excavation work it's $9k for just the soil/seeding/survey.

@Danielle we paid separately for the survey. It was 800 here. I have no idea if your price is good or not either. This is all new to us.

I think you should get at least three quotes for any project.

@Ellie: please do post the proposal. Happy to give you feedback not only on the pricing, but other things that may stand out. I will say just by your description that it seems high, yet you say there is a two page list which does not match what you stated in a few words...

@Danielle: at $13,000 thats about .62 cents per square foot which seems reasonable given that the cost of sod alone can be that much. What about irrigation system? Is the hydroseed for grass?

@JSL Exteriors: No irrigation system. Yes the hydroseed is for the grass (2 tanks for the whole area). We're going to have him do 1 tank and seed the rest. Our project was originally much smaller, but once we saw what we were getting out of our yard, the size of the project expanded (but our budget didn't!). Big surprise, right? Our survey was $1000 (1 acre wooded lot). Excavation/grading about $3675 (3 full days of work that included 2 large tree stump removals). The quote for the soil and hydroseed was $7900 (18,000 sq ft). I've been pricing around and judging by the numbers I'm getting for topsoil in the area, the landscapers price doesn't seem bad. I don't know what his price per sq yd is but I know the hydroseed is around $1600 plus there's trucking and labor fees.

I have a thread running here that shows what kind of mess we've been working with:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3215411/floored-by-soil-cost-establishing-a-yard-from-scratch?n=7

@JSL Exteriors: here it is.. not sure if you can make out the handwriting or not. I didn't include the prices in the pics.

This is just the preliminary plan. Waiting on the official proposal.

@Yardvaark: We have a problem here with landscapers up there. Everyone's very busy in the summer. There's not that many, and their first priority is their commercial contracts. So even getting one to come out and take a look requires a lot of time and patience.

It's not a bad start - the notes, what I can see of them, look detailed enough but I would prefer to see a more "finished" plan and the final installation specifications and itemized estimate before I committed.

Some 'old school' landscapers that have been doing this sort of work for many years do tend to skate over the formalities one would receive from a landscape architect or designer - detailed plans, construction docs, specs and itemized estimates of the work to be completed. They do it pretty much off the cuff because of extensive experience. And often the results are just fine. This is where investigating the body of work your landscaper has completed comes into play to be assured the work that they perform is going to match your expectations.

And if you are working with a design-build company (like many of these guys are), the opportunity to put the plans out for a general bid is not always available. You are either committed to go with that firm or start the process all over with another company. The "three estimates" suggestion just does not work in all cases.

I also believe it is presumptive to make assessments about specific costs, as the cost of the materials and the plants can vary widely in different parts of the country and labor costs are also very regionally based. Also landscapers/designers are usually able to purchase plants wholesale or at a deep discount. They typically mark them up to retail pricing to cover their costs and time - it is part of their profit margin (which is slim at best) and IME, few would be willing to pass the plants off to the homeowner at their cost. I certainly wouldn't be willing to :-)

Thanks, gardengal. I've seen his work at our neighbors - he did a gorgeous job. But theirs was a lot more extensive since it was a wooded lake property. I may take pictures this weekend if they'll let me.

Since this is our first landscape job, I just don't have anything to compare the cost to.
I should get the official plan sometime next week.

Here's two videos I took in April (for my parents). First one is the front yard, second is the back. Front and Back are about 1/2 acre each. If you have any ideas of what I can do with that rather loooong driveway, I'd appreciate it. Looks like a landing strip for a small aircraft :(