Pre-loaded with landscaping trade overhead defaults. Enter your job costs — get your exact bid price and profit margin.
Seasonal revenue concentration (spring/summer peak) means you need to price jobs high enough to fund slower winter months. Factor in year-round overhead even when bidding peak-season work.
Landscaping contractors typically operate with lower markups than mechanical trades — industry benchmarks put landscaping markup at 15–30% on direct costs — but the business model has unique characteristics that require careful pricing. Seasonal revenue concentration, the cost of heavy equipment, plant and material markup opportunities, and the shift between installation and maintenance work all affect the right pricing structure for a landscaping business.
Installation work (hardscaping, planting, irrigation, grading) is priced differently than maintenance work (mowing, fertilization, pruning, cleanup). Maintenance is recurring revenue with predictable overhead — and often supports higher margins than installation because the work is faster to estimate and execute. Installation is more competitive but offers larger material markup opportunities on plants, stone, mulch, and irrigation components.
Material markup is one of the most important revenue levers in landscaping. Standard practice is 30–50% markup on plants above nursery cost, 20–35% on hardscape materials (pavers, stone, gravel), and 15–25% on mulch and soil amendments. Plants in particular support higher markup because you carry the knowledge of selection, the risk of plant failure, and the guarantee of installation — clients aren't just buying a plant, they're buying your expertise.
| Service Type | Typical Markup | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn maintenance (recurring) | 25–40% | Predictable, route efficiency, recurring revenue |
| Planting / softscape | 30–45% | Plant markup, installation skill, guarantee |
| Hardscape installation | 20–30% | Material markup, equipment, labor intensive |
| Irrigation installation | 25–40% | Technical, material markup, warranty |
| Grading / excavation | 15–25% | Equipment heavy, competitive |
| Seasonal cleanup | 30–45% | Efficient crew work, off-peak demand |
Equipment is the biggest driver of landscaping overhead variability. A solo operator with a truck and a trailer of hand tools has fundamentally different overhead than a company running three zero-turn mowers, a skid steer, a dump truck, and two trailers. Equipment payments, fuel, maintenance, and insurance on commercial equipment can easily run $4,000–8,000/month for a mid-size operation. Calculate your actual equipment overhead and make sure it's reflected in your overhead rate — it's the most commonly underestimated line item in landscaping businesses.