Landscape Business Concepts

1. Landscape Business Concepts

2. Bid vs. estimate • Bids are prices you'd charge to build something or do some work that has been clearly defined by a potential customer. • Can often be referred to as a quote • An estimate is a price you approximate you'd charge to do less-clearly defined work, based on whatever limited information is available. • “With some assumptions and unspecified things, this is approximately the price.”

3. Bids • What are some things to consider in preparing a bid or estimate to a client? • What did you think about when preparing your business? • Cost of material • Operating expense • Worker’s comp and insurance • Distance traveled • Number of employees • Quality of workers • Timing

6. Contract vs. proposal • In a proposal, you interpret a potential customer's loosely expressed wishes • You also specify in detail how you'd meet their needs and how much you'd charge to do it the way you're proposing. • A contract is a binding agreement between you and a customer, complete with caveats and contingency plans explaining who must do what to hold up their end of the bargain.

9. Specifications • Projects need more than drawings to explain what is required. • Specifications are a listing of materials, quality standards, and time schedules required for a project. • Copies of the specifications are given to each contractor that want to submit a bid. • These have to be clearly written for client and contractor. • Example: • 8 sugar maples • When clearly defined, the client avoids disappointment and deception. • Specifications require a lot of time and can be very tedious.

10. Preparing Cost estimates • Usually prepared as spreadsheetsand assembled in columns. • A typical cost estimate includes: • Cost of site clearing • Cost of plant materials • Fee for designing • Allowance • Name of estimator and date of estimate • The design fee can be handled different ways but is typically charged at 8 to 15% of the total cost. • Estimate is usually shown at the time the design is shown.

11. Homework • You are to do the sample estimate problem found on page 249 in your landscaping book. Check a book out and bring to class, next time, a complete estimate. • On page 248 is an example of what it needs to look like. • Worth 20 points • 5 points for participation • 5 points for designing it correctly • 10 points for getting the correct answer

12. Landscape calculations

13. Take-off • The calculations of quantities from plans and specifications is known as “take-off”. • Take-offs are done at different stages of development. • Can be completed by contractors, management firms, designers, etc. • The individual assigned to do the take-off is the estimator. • Typical calculations made include: • Unit counts (how much of each plant, brick, etc) • Surface area (lawn size for sod) • Volume (amount of concrete needed) • Time (# hrs. required to clear)

14. Take-off • Typical Sequence • 1. quantity calculations (#’s) • Plants • Surface area • Hardscape material • Volumes • 2. Time calculations • Prep time • Instillation • Clean up • 3. Maintenance • Watering • Weeding

15. Surface area • 12 inches………. 1 linear foot (LF) • 3 LF……………….. 1 linear yard (LY) • 1,760 yards……………. 1 mile………..5,280 feet • 4,840 sq. yards……….. 1 sq. acre ………… 43,560 sq. feet • 640 sq. acres………..1 sq. mile

16. Surface Area Calculations #1 • A patio that is 15’ x 15’ is placed onto a lawn that is 35’ x 45’. • What is the surface area of the patio? • What is the surface area of the lawn?

17. Surface Area Calculations #2 • What is the surface area of the patio? 5 feet 3 feet 12 feet 15 feet

18. Surface Area Calculations #3 • What is the surface area of the pool? • What is the surface area of the flower bed? 6 feet pool 6 feet 10 feet 5 feet

19. Sample Calculation #4 • What are the areas of the flower beds A and B? • How many feet of edging is required to encircle the flower beds? • A (circle)B (elipse) 3 feet 8 feet 4 feet

20. Volume Calculations • Volume = l x w x h • Volume = surface area x depth • 1,728 cubic inches…………………. 1 cubic foot (CF) • 46,656 cubic inches…………………1 cubic yard (CY) • 27 cubic feet…………………………… 1 cubic yard (CY) • 1,000 cubic yards……………………… 1 MCY • M is an abbreviation for 1000

21. Volume Calculations #1 • Convert 4 CY to CF. • Convert 4050 CF to CY.

22. Volume Calculations • A patio is 20’ x 18 ‘ (Linear Feet). It is to be paved with concrete 4 inches thick. What is the volume of the concrete required? • A: 118.8 CF

23. Volume Calculations #3 • A swimming pool is 30’ x 20’ x 5’. It rests on gravel that is 4’ deep and extends the outside of the area by 3’. How many cubic yards (CY) will be required? • A: 138.67 CY

24. Time • The unit of measurement for time is hours. • Labor costs are calculated based on how many units can be accomplished per hour. • Question 1 • If a crew can install 400 SY (square yards) of sod in 8 hours, how many hours will be required to install 280 SY? • A: 5.6 hours

25. Time Calculations #2 • If a crew can clear 620 SY of brush in 8 hours, how many hours would it take to clear 1 square acre? • A: 62.45 hours

26. Time Calculations #3 • Flower plantings of 6 MSF can be installed at the rate of 75 plants/hr. when spaced 1 foot apart. The contract requires the flower plantings to be rotated 3 times per season; how many hours will be spent installing flowers? • A: 240 hours