Estimation of A Landscape Project

ESTIMATION OF A Lecture VII
LANDSCAPE PROJECT
Landscape Planting and Irrigation
play an important role
Landscaping provides cost savings like site finishes, natural drainage, storm water pollution
prevention, solar heat reduction etc.
Cost estimate will depend upon: Influencing factors are:
i. Quantities i. Who is the client/ owner

ii. Labour ii. Location, climate
iii. Material iii. Scale of the project
iv. Equipment iv. Availability of labour and materials
v. Indirect costs v. Taxes, wages, rates etc.
Green building and sustainable projects will have other design criteria.
They may reduce irrigation water usage for planting and use reclaimed or grey water for irrigation.
To do the estimation, the estimator should take it in the sequence of works on site from beginning to
end.
The estimator may also use grouping methods like irrigation works + planting works.
Quantity Control
For double checking of figures,
If overall site area is 107,000 sq ft, and the landscaping area is 35,000 sq ft., it can be taken as 33%.
Cross-checking the accuracy therefore, becomes easy. For example, 20,000 sq ft. of hydroseed and
15,000 sq ft. of sod is used, so total 35,000 is almost equal to the control quantity of the planted area.
Landscape sub-contractor does:
Top soil placement and soil preparation – Top soil is either imported from off site or recovered from
excavation by earthwork contractor. Unit used is cubic yards or cubic metres. Coverage area (in sq ft.)
is multiplied by depth.
Irrigation pipe length is measured in running metres.
Economics of scale is also applicable so larger projects will be more cost efficient than smaller
projects, as labourers have less opportunity to create an efficient work flow.
Location affect wage of labours, taxes, freight charges, and indirect costs. Rainfall will also vary so it
will impact the irrigation plan.
Season will impact the project expense.
Application of LEED Principals
Recycled water will be used, smart irrigation controllers such as, weather controllers can be
used. Thermostats control the water supply as opposed to the standard controllers which works on
a particular schedule.
A typical landscape crew includes labourers, skilled workers and light equipment operators;
different works have to be analysed to see number and type of labourers needed and number of
hours required for the work.
Materials and plants used – If non-natural plants are used instead of natural plants, cost will vary.
Equipments are accounted for on hourly rate, so equipment renting cost + fuel cost +
maintenance cost.
Type of theme – Selection of trees, perennials, annuals etc. Climate zone, soil typology, plants
growing patterns are considered.
Type of grass selection depends on temperature, rainfall, foot traffic, soil, proximity to river or
coastal areas.
Buffalo grass, zoysia, bent, creeping bent grass, sheep’s fescue, creeping red fescue, tall breed
fescue, red fescue, emerald zoysia etc.
3 components of soil type: sand, silt and clay.
Sand – 0.05 to 2 mm, drainage properties due to pore space, water percolates through.
Silt – 0.05 to 0.002 mm, holds water, texture feels smooth.
Clay - <0.002 mm, water holding capacity is high; too much clay is difficult to manage, water can
be retained for many days.
Type of irrigation required will depend on type of soil.
Sprinkler system can be of two types:
Pop-ups:
Pop-ups are more popular, they turn on and retract back down when no water is running through.
Looks wise, it is appealing to the yes and very functional.
User-friendly as owners can easily mow the lawn without any damage.
Rotor sprinklers used for sod area:
These have larger coverage radius ranging from 15 to 35 ft., compared to pop-ups (8 to 15 ft.)
So, rotor sprinklers will require half amount of heads, whereas pop-ups will require more.
 For smaller sod areas, pop-up sprinklers are better.
 Main lines, valves and lateral lines are also vital to an irrigation system.
 Valves can help compare which area of the lawn needs to be irrigated.
Plans required for List of works:

i. Irrigation. i. Earthwork.
ii. Planting. ii. Importation of top soil.
iii. Detailed section drawings of pathways. iii. Finish grading landscaping area.
iv. Landscape plan.
Trenches for irrigation:
v. Grading Plan.
i. Excavation of trenches.
vi. Drainage Plan.
ii. Bankfill and compaction of trenches.
vii. Illumination Plan.
For example, an irrigation plan consists of valves, bank-flow prevention, pop-up sprinklers, rain sensors and
trenches.
Irrigation: Landscape planting:
i. Pipe sleeves i. Trees (all species), flower plants, shrubs, vines.
ii. Valves, sheet of valves ii. Sod.
iii. Control wing iii. Hydroseed.
iv. Sprinklers iv. Other miscellaneous items (root barrier, bank
v. Water metres etc. mulch, fertilizers, brick on edge)
vi. Cost of performing check tests. v. Fences, pathways, drains etc.
Estimating
To the ordinary person, estimation seems like a very simple thing. However, it entails multiple tasks that
need to be incorporated in an estimate. Labour, materials, equipment, subcontracting, contingencies, salex
tax, profit are all things that need to be incorporated to ensure a correct bid with a profitable outcome, which
are described in full as follows:
Labour costs: wages and benefits of work crew.
Material costs: Materials required for the project. Plants, boulders, fertilizers, mulch, PVC, sprinklers,
valves, controllers, wood, concrete etc.
Equipment costs: Equipment needed to complete a project, whether it is rented , making payments, or
completely owned. For example, tiller, backhoe etc.
Subcontracting costs: Even if the landscape contractor is not doing a specific task onsite, it still needs to
be included in the bid. Usually subcontracting occurs, if it falls out of the realm of contractor’s expertise.
Contingencies: This is a backup plan in case something comes up during a project that was not accounted
originally for; this can range from missing certain tasks to missed items. However, contingencies account
for only a fraction of the original bid, so if too many items are being forgotten, a landscape contractor loses
a lot of money.
Profits: Profits need to be included in a bid or the job is practically being done.
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ESTIMATION OF A Lecture VII

i. Quantities i. Who is the client/ owner

Plans required for List of works:

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