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Hello James! Welcome to the forum.
Hope you will share some good & informative posts about Landscaping here on the board.
Hi James, and again as said above "welcome to the forum"
It's a very friendly place with a good mix of people always willing to assist. Although I can't help with your pricing question I hope to bump into you again on future subjects.
Kind Regards
Simon@jscountrytools
In answer to your question from my point of view and methodology a SqM rate includes the following;
Labour, removal of waste (eg skip hire), preperation materials (eg hard core, sand, cement) and of course profit (whatever % you're looking for). In addition the customers choice of costs (eg customers choice in slabs, grout, edging materials etc) are added to that as a single figure. So (and I'm making up figures here) workout the cost of the mats you will use (say £1000) your labour (say a day rate of £150 per person for a four day job), plus a profit (on these costs of say 20%) add em together and you have a cost of £1920) then decide by square metres (say 100 sq metres) and your rate is £19.20 per square metre. Then add the cost of the customers choices (say £500) divide that by 100sg metres and the rate is £24.20 per sq metre, add in a small contingency for unexpected problems (broken slabs) of say £100 and divide again, your total is now £25.20 per sq metre to lay the 100 SqM patio or £2520
Before people scream over my prices I have made these up to make the maths easier and it's very simplified. DO NOT take them as gospel truth research your actual costs carefully!
Very importantly on your quote detail everything that will incur a cost to you, don't just say to lay a patio will be x pounds because if the customer suddenly decides to move from metre square slabs to individual bricks you could potentially end up footing the difference. State what you going to lay and the type of preparation. Be detailed.
This principle works for pretty much every sq metre job for example if it is just a mowing job look at your costs well, consider fuel, your time, lawnmower running costs (servicing, oil, etc) how far do you have to go to get there, how long would it take you to clear the lawns of toys, dog deposits, trampolines, fruit etc etc, how often would you have to do it, your profit margin, and then divide those by the sq metres and there you go.
Over time you will know exactly what your sq m cost is and it will be second nature on quoting. But to use a well know adage "PPPPP" or the 5 P's Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. So take care do it properly and you will make money, have happy customers, and will get recommendations. All good!
Hi everyone, thanks for the warm welcome.
Andy, thank you for your detailed reply, what you say makes sense.
I have worked out a job (20 day job which includes filling in a pond)
Based on your workings out, which are pretty similar to my own figures!
The sq m is £112 p/sqm without the slabs and brick pavers (that's labour @£150 a day, sub-base + clearance, profit 20%)
With the slabs it equals £141 p/sqm!!
£141 p/sqm sounds expensive, but that's what it has worked out to be?!
Just for information, the slabs I am using are Buildbase Tradesmen Sandstone slab with chailey brick paver edge.
I'm just confused because I know it can vary with different grades of slab. How would I be able to give the customer a genuine, realistic estimate if I don't know what slabs they are using?
Do I just give the customer a sq m rate for the clearance and prep, eg skip clearance, concrete sub-base. The price of their slabs and brick edge would be additional.
Thanks Andy or anyone that can help.
James
Good luck
It is very difficult to give a general price per sq m as each job is different. The factors involved can vary.
You should include the cost of paving, Time taken to excavate, all base materials, Time to lay paving, Wear and tear on tools etc.
You should also include office expenses like insurance, Vehicle, time spent quoting. The running costs should be added up for the year then divided to give you a day rate for running the business
You then add in what you want to earn after all of the above. Only by looking at each job can you decided how long it will take you but I hope this helps.
Hi James
Re slab types: If the client is unsure on the exact type of slab they want, i show them a brochure and advice them, if they are still unsure i price the job and include a riven sandstone in the cost with an advisory that only up to £23 a square metre has been allowed for in the cost for the paving, if successful in winning the job i urge the client to pop to my suppliers and choice the type and colour of paving they want if its below the £23 i refund the difference if its over they pay the difference.
It is important that the customer choices there own slab and colour and advice that they see the slab in person not from a photo ! It can be a nightmare if 100 square metres of paving turns up on site and the client doesent like it or states it looks diffrent from the photo !