How To Estimate Your Landscape Project
Jeff Halper has a passion for landscaping and landscape design, for more information about landscaping and gardening visit http://www.exteriorworlds.com
Because much of landscape design represent highly variable cost factors, the master plan is essential to accurately estimating final cost well in advance of project implementation. This is why landscape architects spends so much time in consultation with the client in order to develop every detail of the plan before cost are every finalized.
There are two reasons we do this. To begin with, placing a detailed schematic in front of the client allows all of us to see exactly what elements are most essential to the project, and which elements may need to be modified for the purposes of trimming costs. Secondly, it shows our team exactly where additional expertise will be required from partner companies who are subcontracted to build specific structures and assist in further developing landscape aesthetic design.
There are many types of subcontractors that landscape architects work with, any number of which may called upon to fulfill a role in one of our projects. Lighting design professionals are always hired to so that guests and visitors can clearly see and enjoy the landscape throughout the night. A large percentage of hardscapes require specialists in concrete or masonry. Swimming pools always have to be built by pool companies who are hired to follow our specifications for custom swimming pool design.
Estimating the costs of these many specialists involves factoring their cost of materials and labor rates into our project invoice. We also have to take into consideration the total number of subcontracted entities involved in any given project, and we have to factor in the amount of management time we must invest in overseeing the work of these specialists. This is the only way to ensure their products are developed in accordance with the scope and vision of our master plan.
Professional landscape estimating also requires cost studies to determine which materials are most appropriate to design objectives, and affordable to the client’s budget. If budget is a concern, basic materials will have to be used in order to trim costs. Some people are willing to pay more to have an opulent or luxurious look.
For these clients, landscape estimating has to factor in the customization factors of both the design and construction phases. It takes much more time draw up plans that feature a high level of craftsmanship and ornamentation, and the cost of the materials needed for such sophistication is almost always higher.
Labor costs can be highly variable, depending on the complexity of structural design, the amount of time needed to complete the project will vary significantly. Larger structures are naturally going to feature more square footage and open vertical space, and this, of course, will directly impact project completion time. Also, certain structures may require the expertise of subcontracted professionals who bring their own labor costs to the table.
It may be necessary at this stage of the landscape estimating process to pause and take a step back. We may need to scale down the size of some of these structures in order to keep costs within client budget. Or, we may need to implement the project in phases so that the client can pay for each stage of the project in an installment plan.
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