Evaluating the price of projects is always a fuzzy business. The price of anything is what a willing buyer and a willing seller agree on. If you as the buyer think it's too high, then it is. You have several alternatives.

1. Negotiate with him until you can agree on a price satisfactory to both of you.

2. Get 2 or 3 more estimates for comparison. If they all come in around the same price, then you know it's the going price in your area.

3. Do it yourself. When figuring out whether to do it yourself you need to evaluate whether you are capable of the job, how long it will take you, and what you'd pay yourself to do it. That is, think of what would you rather do with your time if you hired someone else to do it. It's a question of time vs. money. Which do you have more of and are ready to expend to get the job done?

Sounds very high

It might be he's too busy and doesn't want the job right now-and that's his polite way to refuse..to throw numbers that are not realistic

(I'm in SoCal)

Evaluating the cost involved in hiring landscapers is pretty hard to do online :-) First, we are only hearing one side of the equation and that may or may not outline all the detail involved in what you have asked to be done. There are also regional factors that can affect price. As a landscape designer myself (design only - no implementation), I am constantly amazed at the time and effort (= labor costs) involved in even simple installations and routine maintenance activities. A recent revamp of a client's garden preparatory to putting the house on the market that involved chores very similar to what you describe totaled out at $6 grand for 2 guys and three days work.

But you are wise to be cautious anyway :-) First, I would insist on a line-by-line detailed estimate (labor hours and materials) and I would get the same thing from several other landscape contractors. And then make my decision based on that and the landscaper's reputation in the community.

No problem. Hire someone else.

YES, it is too. much..

Do I understand correctly that the job you requested is : trim trees and bushes and move some stones? Heck, put on your sweatpants and DIY!

-Rent a pick-up truck from U-haul. Have gravel yard to give you a scoop of rocks. They will use machinery to scoop it in the truck bed for you.

-Buy or rent wheelbarrow ($20/ day), pole pruner ($87) , loping shears ($25), shovel , GLOVES, and a push broom. from HD or Lowes

It would take you and your husband a single afternoon. You'll be tired at the end of the day,. Therefore, take two Tylenol afterward, like you'd do following a hard gym workout.

2-front wheelbarrow is much easier to use than a single wheel

Lopping shears ($25)

Pole Pruner has curved sawtooth blade, a hook and slicer for the branch, which is activated by pulling the rope. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiskars-1-250-in-Cut-Capacity-Steel-Titanium-Coated-Cutting-Blade-Steel-15-in-Saw-Fiberglass-Alum-Pole-16-ft-Tree-Pruner-394632-1001/300420051

LOL!! Love the comments from those not in the business....they make it sound like this is just a walk in the park :-)

And it could be.........but probably is not. Have you ever done this sort of work before? If not, you can't just wander your garden with a set of loppers/pruners and expect to get decent results. Pruning is a skill that takes practice and a certain degree of knowledge, otherwise you can make some horrible mistakes. And if a professional landscaper with a crew of at least 2 (regardless of the price he quoted you) estimated it to be a 2 day job, then it is a bit presumptuous of anyone who cannot directly see what is involved saying that 2 assumedly inexperienced homeowners can do the same thing in just a single afternoon!!

And it may very well be that time, other obligations or even age may preclude the homeowners from doing it themselves.

Can’t believe anyone would suggest this price may be justified ...choose one of the options that works for you and feel confident this offer is not even worth exploring as an option...

Tip to the inexperienced tree pruner... You can DIY. It is not rocket science.

Incredible! garden gal writes as though one needs 4yr degree for yard work LOL

Want the bushes to grow fuller or round? Trim the edges so that the edge of branches will branch out. Shape it regularly and a round shape will form. https://www.hunker.com/12548143/how-to-trim-a-round-bush

Want a hedge to go fuller with more leaves at the bottom? Trim the tops and some of the lower branches and it will make new branches and leaves. Read- https://www.hunker.com/12000108/the-best-time-to-trim-or-cut-hedges and https://www.hunker.com/13424336/what-is-the-difference-between-a-shrub-a-hedge

The most difficult part of yardwork is removing a tree. You need to remove the stump or else the tree will continue to grow back. Call a tree service to grind the stump.

Of course you do not need a 4 year degree!! But you do need some basic knowledge and skills. If it were as simple as you all seem to think - not even having seen what might actually be involved - then why would the homeowners contemplate hiring it out to begn with??

I am by no means justifying the price quoted as I have no firsthand knowledge of exactly what sort or work, other than the abbreviated description provided, is involved. And neither does anyone else.....so flash opinions and blanket statements that it would take no more than "an afternoon's work" are equally unhelpful.s

ETA: How and when and even how much to prune depends entirely on what plants are involved....and WE DON'T KNOW THAT!!!! And providing pruning information from a very dubious horticultural source (hunker.com) is not a very good way of enlarging one's knowledge base. Neither is taking remote advice from those who have no idea what they are talking about (not all trees will grown back from cut stumps by any stretch of the imagination!!).

Garden Gal Please refrain from that where you either have limited knowledge or experience, as many trees will sprout from a remaining stump.

Jora-. Do you have pics to share? Do you have very tall trees? Do you have thorny bushes, like bougainvillea that you want cut back? Those have barbed wire-like thorns.

You wrote the man spoke better English than you, If you have an accent, it is possible that the landscaper mistook the accent for stupidity, which reflects his low intellect and bigotry, for clearly, you are multi-lingual. Or.... Perhaps you received Fancy Cars In The Driveway -or- Large Carat Dianond Ring pricing? Yard work can be hard work, but if you work-out in a gym, you can do it yourself.

Many trees will, that is true. But not ALL trees by any means....and that what's your initial comment implied.

btw, my experience is considerable, including almost 3 decades in the industry as a professional and a degree in horticulture. What's yours??

LOL. Four decades! (retired)

Wow. Maybe you received PITA pricing. Have you mistreated prior workers who have done work for your neighbors? I have associates who can't get a tradesperson referral from me for this reason.

Moving rock and big pavers is heavy work. You could have negotiated and told the landscaper what you expected to pay to see if the job was worth it to them -- materials, labor and any additional equipment, based on how he defines the project by looking at your space.

I got a quote to install similar big pavers that was more than I wanted to pay but I don't have any insults about the landscaper. We just didn't have a meeting of the minds.

"Landscaper throw down". Hide the children and give these two some pillows for a sissy fight.......

And for the two "landscapers" the OP says it's a new development and the yard was done a few years back and it is in Nor Cal. So there would be no tree in need of stump removal and bougainvilleas will freeze and die in cold weather, like in Nor Cal when they get cold spells. And barbed wire like thorns? now you are talking to a barbed wire expert, and bougainvilleas thorns are more like a flea bite. And it took me 5 1/2 years for me to get my degree, and not in landscaping.....here's one of my "yards"...

Sounds high like he doesn’t want the job (could be something about your yard that is scaring him off or he doesn’t want you as a client) or there is much more to this than you mention. Can you post some pictures of what you are dealing with? And no, don’t go shearing back every shrub into a ball, that makes 0 sense. An experienced, efficient gardener can do a very small yard solo in a day or two provided it is not exceptionally neglected and overgrown and there are no construction aspects to the job. There have been some yards I’ve had to overhaul and it has taken days upon days due to the nature of the problems, Japanese knotweed, buckthorn, chokecherry and elm thickets....

Man...you guys all crack me up! I appreciate all the feedback, and since I can't address ALL the responses individually, I will lump sum them up in here.

1. There is nothing more beyond the scope of work that I indicated in my OP.

When we bought the house, the yard was dirt only, with a lot of tough rocks. We hired a pro, paid a big chunk - and made sure to keep it as simple, and low maintenance - as possible. For this reason, the majority of our TINY backyard is colored concrete with some planters on the corners, about three rose trees, three gardenia plants , and about ten trees.

2. We asked the landscaper to only trim the tops of two trees, add some additional dolomite rocks to the existing (top it off), clean up some , and replace exactly four 24 x 24 pavers. That's it! We told him that we are taking care of pruning and trimming everything else. We also did tell him that we are considering a trellis for the backyard, however we never asked him to add it to the quote, as neither did he do so!

3. When I made the comment that he speaks better English than my husband and I, it was to convey that language is not a barrier for misunderstanding. I was not implying that we don't speak/understand English well! My husband and I both speak fluent English (and I'm fluent in a second language as well).

4. Giving a massive quote for minimal work is not the landscapers way of turning us down gently. As a matter of fact, when my husband told him his prices are incredibly high, he asked us to please call him if we change our minds! Repeated twice!

5. No, we have never used/misused/disrespected/been difficult to any/none of the subs neighbors have used. As a matter of fact, all of us neighbors in our cul-de-sac are incredibly nice and cordial to one another, but we never ever get into any of one another business. Hence none of us have every spoken about/to other subs!

6. No, we do not have a 'bad' reputation that got around for subs to be avoiding us. We are never rude/dismissive/demanding/etc. When we want to hire someone for a work to be done, we have them over, tell them about the scope of work to be done, either get or not get a quote (some are very flaky) and then decide from there. Should we decide against a particular sub, we are always cordial enough to call and let them down politely.

7. Yes, hubby and I both realize that this is a DIY job. It actually is, and we've done it twice a year, every year, since we bought our house. Like I said, it's a low maintenance TINY yard, and we have all the necessary tools to accomplish the job (100 foot extension ladder, leaf blowers, electric saw, trimmer, clippers, etc..), PLUS the knowledge of pruning each of the trees/plants we own properly.

The only reason we considered hiring someone (this guy) was because time didn't permit us to take care of the yard as well as we'd like to this year because of all the renovations we are dong inside. So, when we saw the landscaper outside, decided to talk to him about taking care of some stuff and BOOM here we are.

8. We did ask him for a detailed quote, breaking down each of the requested items when we first spoke with him. The landscaper indicated that's how he sends his quotes, and that we will have it in hand by the following day. When my husband asked if he's sure he can get the quote to us that quickly, he responded YES without any hesitation. He did not send the quote as promised the next day, and he never has to this day. He gave my husband a verbal quote!

At this point, there was no need for a detailed breakdown because we feel he thinks us a FOOL!

9. We live in a gated community, on a golf course. And yes, there is a MBZ parked in the driveway, and etc. Living in a gated house, what you drive, or how big your diamond is, doesn't necessarily mean a person is rich OR stupid! Regardless, if anyone modifies their fees (and I know many many do), based on how much money they think a 'potential' client may have, really speaks more of their stupidity than the clients! :)

You guys crack me up because of all the assumptions made based on my OP. Thanks for the laughs!

A contractor can bid whatever he/she wants. The better response by you should have a thank you but we will not be using you. If he knew all you went through after he gave you the quote, the laughs would have been all his.

Yes that is a ridiculous quote for the work described. I'm in SoCal and no shortage of gardeners who will be happy to work for $20/hr and use their truck and gas and tools to do that work in a day or two. You pay for the pavers and rocks they pick them up at Home Depot and drive it to your house. They haul off too. I could get it done around here for less than $1,000.

I think someone already mentioned the possibility of getting other quotes? It makes no sense if your yard is truly tiny tiny, that the landscaper would need multiple persons helping him. But ten trees in a tiny yard? Either your trees are tiny, planted incredibly closely or pushed against the edges, or your tiny yard is a lot bigger than mine, and I wouldn’t rate my yard as tiny relative to others I’ve seen, everything is relative. My yard is small enough one tree does the job, three would fully envelop it. I‘ve looked after parks that had about 10 trees. Speaking for myself, something doesn’t add up, the multiple workers for a small simple project, the high quote you’ve been given....

Our trees are not massive, ornate, trees. We specifically bought trees fit for our yard. I will send pix later (tonight hopefully) so you guys can see the yard!

Suzy - Yes, the pricing around here is about the same (maybe a couple of dollars less) per hour. There is a gardener around every corner here!

Just to clarify, we are not going with this guy, nor were we planning on after we heard about his inflated pricing (charging $140/hr PER guy)! I just posted here to see if we were being ridiculous or if he was. Pretty sure I got my answer!

@ cana- What did I go through for him to get a last laugh for? Posting a few comments here does not equate to 'all we went through'.

I'll take my own advice, thank you for asking but you already know the answer.

And just to mention, we owned a rental in a semi-upscale gated 55+ community on the golf course in San Diego. Retired, comfortable, golf loving, travel buffs, who belonged to the country club there. I DO believe they were routinely taken advantage of and over charged for the work they had done. We were younger then and did not have that problem.

We have a couple of more planters than the ones in the pix, and they all have flowers in them (ones that we told the landscaper we will handle and for him to exclude from his estimate).

For heavens sake! I don't see anything a couple guys couldn't handle in a couple hours max; unless its the pavers. Where are the pavers that need to be removed and replaced?

I’m in SoCal and am involved in my HOA. We pay about $3,000 monthly for basic maintenance, one day/three guys a week. Yes, I’d say the quote was high.

It looks done to me. What could he possibly be thinking? I hope he has your yard mixed up with a different one. $100-$150 Max, 30 mins.

Jora, you have a very nice yard!

Anne - We live in an HOA community as well, and pay over 3K a year for maintenance of a very tiny area in the front. Used to be multiple guys, once a week, then they dropped it to two guys every two weeks, now it's down to one guy - every once in a while.

The HOA fee is to cover the upkeep and maintenance of the front area, however they never do anything but use a blower to blow all the leaves/flowers all over the area! Many of us have complained repeatedly. Nothing changes.

We pay that amount a year, and I still go out there and prune, trim, and clean up the mess we are paying to the HOA to handle.

Rusty - Thank you. Like I said previously, when we bought the house the backyard was just a pile of dirt. So I did a sketch of what I wanted and then paid to make it happen.

tqtq - I'm not sure why you think we have big pavers and massive rocks to move? Or why you think I'm insulting the landscaper? We have FOUR small stone pavers that we want to switch up.

Suzy - The four 24 x 24 pavers are in front of the house. They look fine, but I don't like the pavers. I'll see if I can post a pix to show you.

Jora, are these the pictures from when your yard was done a few years ago? If they are current I only see one plant that might possibly need trimmed.

I hope you will let us know what you end up paying to whomever you hire.

BTW, I commend you for choosing trees that are meant to fit the size of your yard.

Crikey, my guess of a few hours work was a huge overestimate! Maybe it's out of shot but I can't actually see anything in those pictures which needs doing.

I did not read all the comments here, but from skimming I would say this:

Any quote should be in writing, and should have a breakdown showing you an itemized list of what everything costs, and should be able to be explained.

Also, don't feel like you have to DIY. Not everyone has the time, skill, patience, physical capability, desire or any of a million reasons why they don't want to do it themselves. Sometimes it is easier, faster, better for your lifestyle to hire help.

Obviously I am saying that as a Pro, but it is true. DIY is awesome and we've even worked with clients where we build a basic infrastructure and they DIY the rest - but we've also done landscapes for busy Moms who have small kids running around and it's hard enough to do their daily routine without adding in a big DIY project!

Do what is best for you! But get another quote because that does sound like a lot!

As a long time homeowner with little skills for even minor DIY projects, I'm often in sticker shock when I see the costs of hiring professionals. I live in the Chicago suburbs. I received a bid to replace an old & broken 4 inch X 4 inch flush mount light fixture located on a porch: $126.00 just for the electrician to walk in the door, $35.00 to take the busted fixture down & $75.00 to rehang a similar new fixture (which I purchased separately at Menards for $40.00). On the other hand, I get the SAME astonished reaction from people who pay what I charge for the services I render. The point is, if you can't or don't want to DIY for any reason, do your research, get recommendations & multiple estimates before committing.

Annoying assumptions really do indicate not enough information was provided by an original post.

It is true that written words do not always clearly say what people mean...that is why we should ask questions...the problems start when people assume things that are not said...or misunderstand....patience and courtesy are our best tools in these situations......I am not preaching....just observing

Embo - I gave all the necessary information in the OP. Left nothing off! If, indeed, my OP needed clarification, it's always best to ask instead of ass-u-me!

The assumptions (and there were many ridiculous ones) were made, I believe, in order to justify why the quote was extremely high! AND, I might add...none of the assumptions were accurate!

I'd disagree that you provided all "the necessary information in the OP". It was very non-specifc and vague - trim some trees/plants, some clean up, add some rock, etc. Had you added the photos then to illustrate the specifics of the situation, rather than well down later in the thread, then no assumptions, ridiculous or not, would have been made. Since we had NO clear idea of the scope of the work involved - until much later in the recitation - assumptions were all that was available to go on.

@ garden - I really don't want to argue...really not my reason to be on Houzz.

'Guessing' that we may have a bad reputation with subs that our neighbors had done work for, that we don't speak English well, etc. are all asinine assumptions that have nothing to do with the question at hand!

There was no need for pictures initially, as I did state clearly that the work to be done was very minimal. Had I said the quote is for 1K and the work to be done is minimal, I could see why pictures may have been necessary....not otherwise!

Some on Houzz never cease to amaze me.

I never 'complained' about answers I got. Rather, I debunked all the assumptions that were unnecessarily made. Big Difference!

There ARE no mind readers. Few would assume "tree" to mean what are essentially flowering bushes. Jeesh.

Why pictures need to be posted WITH the posted question, indeed.

Posters should have figured out what the OP intentions were, and it was not to see "if the price was to expensive". Now do you see why the bid was so high?????

"Is $5000 too expensive for fixing my small car?"

"What kind of car is it, and what's wrong with it?"

"I told you - it's a small car, and it's broken!"

lol, I need more wine, please.i TGIS

@ garden, Waco, and Em....your responses speak more about who YOU are as opposed to trying to knock down who I am.

AND what do you guys think my 'real' intentions were to start this post?

If you think hiding behind a name/computer and posting derogatory comments makes you intelligent, tough, and funny...you might want to look up the words 'character' and 'integrity', and then take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself if you really possess them!

No one is trying to "knock you down". Any comments we made were in an attempt to clarify the discussion. Which should be obvious to any one who can read and understands chronology, was NOT at all clear from the outset. Reread your initial post and then tell us just how thoroughly the issue was explained so that we could all come to a consensus on the scope of the landscaping project under discussion.

If you look at the profiles of those who you have called out as "hiding behind a computer" or lacking character and integrity you can pretty easily determine that we are very long term participants of these forums (about 25 years for me...Embo as well) and have made countless contributions of value to many different forums. I am not sure why our integrity or character should be called into question at all when all we were trying to do is understand the issue and offer advice or opinions. Personally, I find your comments quite offensive and made with more than a little condescension.

With postings to any gardening forum, the more information you provide at the very beginning, including appropriate photos, the better the advice or information you will receive back. You would have gotten a valid and well reasoned response back immediately had you done that instead of this long, lengthy, back and forth dispute that now has next to nothing to do with the issue in question and has dissolved into uncalled for ad hominem comments.

Gardengal, you don’t have to always be right. After 25 years of experience, you should know when to just let it go

Way to move forward on this continues to be getting estimates from multiple different service providers. This will reveal what the fair market value is for the work.

rusty, it has nothing to do with being right or wrong....and I am wrong about gardening issues plenty of times. But I do object to repeated self-righteous comments from the OP about how they did indeed provide all necessary info and then deteriorate into name calling when not everyone agrees wth them.

I'm turning off notifications. This thread is no longer productive or remotely on point. I wish OP would take it down. Some of the responders here need to get a life. There is a lot to be angry or upset about these days and this ain't it. Please go do something helpful and positive.