This document provides information on landscape quantity take-off and costing. It discusses estimating techniques, scope of work, preparing a quantity take-off list with unit of measurements, applying unit pricing, and provides an example project estimate breakdown. The key steps in landscape cost estimating are determining quantities of elements, applying appropriate unit prices, and accounting for preliminaries and contingencies to arrive at a total estimated project cost.

1. LANDSCAPE-Quantity Take-off & Costing
Presented by:
Sr. Loo Seong King
BSc.QS, MRISM, MRICS, Reg. QS

2. LANDSCAPE-Quantity Take-off & Costing
1)Introduction
2)Estimating Techniques
3)Scope of Work
4)Quantity Takeoff List
5)Unit of Measurement
6)Unit Pricing
7)Example

3. Introduction
“ How much does it cost?”
All owners have at least one thing in common: For them, financial considerations drive decisions.
In fact, it sometimes is the most important factor on which to base their judgment.
It is common for designer to hear from the owner, “It looks great, but tell me how much it costs; then I ‘ll tell you if I like it.”
So its important that designer should has some knowledge of costing so as to be able to advise the employer of the likely cost of the project.

4. Introduction
Once the owner is aware of the project cost and is satisfied that it is within his budget he will then be willing to talk about design concepts without always linking decisions back to dollars.
The budget will also serve as means of cost control for the landscape architect while proposing for the project.
It is also commonly required that landscape architect amend his or her design documents to bring the project within budget.

5. Estimating Techniques
1. Cost per square meter of landscaped area of similar completed projects
•Not accurate. Does not reflect the actual scope of work required
•Suitable for budgeting purposes only.
2. Approximate Quantities estimate
•Most commonly applied technique
•Based on quantification of works and multiplying them with the appropriate unit price.
•Fairly accurate depending on the level of information available.

6. Scope of Work
•Site work including site clearance and earthwork.
•Softscape including trees by various sizes and categories, shrubs, groundcovers, grasses, etc.
•Hardscape including pavement, planter wall, fencing, gazebo, trellis, water features, site furnishing, site lighting, site signs, etc.
•Irrigation system
•Maintenance
•Preliminary
•Contingency

7. Quantity Takeoff List
First prepare a list of items for quantification by study of the drawing.
•Quantity Takeoff List:
A. Site Preparation/Earthwork
1. Site clearance
2. Excavation oversite
3.Earth filling/import
4.Earthwork-cut & fill

8. Quantity Takeoff List
•Quantity Take-off List
B.Softscape
1.Trees
2.Shrubs
3.Groundcovers
4.Grasses
5.Pit excavation
6.Soil mixture
7.Mulching
8.Tree stakes and ties
9.Maintenance

9. Quantity Takeoff List
•Quantity Take-off List
C. Hardscape
1. Pavement
2. Planter wall
3. Fencing
4. Trellis
5.Gazebo
6.Water feature

10. Unit of Measurement
A. Site Preparation/Earthwork
1. Site clearance Square metre (m²)
2. Excavation oversite Square metre (m²
3.Earth filling/import Cubic metre (m³)
4.Excavate generally Cubic metre (m³)
5.Earth moulding Cubic metre (m³)

11. Unit of Measurement
B. Softscape
1.Tree Number (no.)
2.Shrub Number (no.)
3.Groundcover Number (no.)
4.Grass Square metre (m²)
5.Mulch Square metre (m²)
6.Pit excavation Number (no.)
7.Soil mixture Cubic metre (m³)
8.Tree stakes and ties Number (no.)
9.Maintenance Month (mth)

12. Unit of Measurement
C. Hardscape
1. Pavement Square metre (m²)
2. Planter wall Square metre (m²)
3. Fencing Linear metre (m)
4. Trellis Square metre (m²)
5.Gazebo Number (no.)
6.Water feature Number (no.)

13. Unit Pricing
•Once the quantities in the list have been established, you will then need to put a unit price to each of them to arrive at your total estimated cost of the project.
•Sources of unit price
1. Cost data of past projects
2.Quotations from contractors
3.From nurseries-requires an experienced estimator to build up the unit price

14. Unit Pricing
A. Site Preparation/Earthwork
1. Site clearance RM10/m²
2.Excavation oversite;
100mm thick RM10/m²
3.Earth filling/import RM100/m³
4.Excavate generally RM50/m³
5.Earth moulding RM50/m³

15. Unit pricing
B. Softscape
1.Tree RM300/no.
2.Shrub RM50/no.
3.Groundcover RM20/no.
4.Grass RM30/m²
5.Mulch RM10/m²
6.Pit excavation-Tree RM50/no - Shrub RM20/no.
7.Soil mixture RM100/m³
8.Tree stakes and ties RM50/no.
9.Maintenance RM1,500/mth

16. Unit Pricing
C. Hardscape
1.Pavement-
-Granite/stone/timber RM350/m²
-Tiles RM250/m²
-Precast concrete RM100/m²
-Concrete paver RM150/m²
2. Planter wall-Brickwall RM150/m²
3. Fencing- 1.80m high RM350/m
4. Trellis-wood RM250/m²
5.Gazebo RM5,000/no.
6.Water feature RM20,000/no.

17. Preliminaries
•This is for ancillary cost involved in the Contract which are not directly related to the actual cost of the items of construction works.
•This includes the provision for the contractor’s shed, insurances, tools, equipment, safety measures, cleanliness of site, etc.
•Generally, based on an allowance of 5% of the cost of construction cost.

18. Contingency
•Contingency is an allowance to be used for works unforeseen at the planning and design stage.
•Landscape architects must plan and budget for events which are hard to predict or unforeseen. Contingency must be built into all estimates.
•A greater contingency must be built into design that has less certainty. For example those projects in the early stages of design and planning should consider upwards of 15% as a contingency to budget.
•Projects with more certainty, for example those in later phases of design and documentation where more specific quantities are known, need only budget for 5 percent for contingency.

19. Updates
•Cost estimates are typically updated at successive design/documentation phases from schematic design to design development, or design development to construction documents.
•As estimates are updated with successive developments of the document, the estimates become more accurate. Estimates are also updated:
•When significant changes occur to project progress
•Significant project element re-quantifying occurs
•Updated unit prices are received

20. Example
.

22. PLAN VIEW

23. TREES LAYOUT ON PLAN VIEW
Shade Tree
Shade Tree
Small trees
Small trees

24. SHRUBS LAYOUT ON PLAN VIEW

25. GROUNDCOVER LAYOUT ON PLAN VIEW

26. ISOMETRIC DRAWING OF PLAN VIEW

27. PLAN VIEW
Fence-49m
Timber deck-47m²
Cut stone paver-42m²
Trellis- 21m²
Brick edging-96m
Precast concrete
slab-11m²
Precast concrete slab 800 x 300mm x 10 no.

28. SOFT & HARD LANDSCAPE WORKS
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
UNIT
QTY
RATE (RM)
AMOUNT (RM)
A
SITE PREPARATION
1
Clear site generally
m²
500
10.00
5,000.00
2
Excavate oversite 100mm thick
m²
500
10.00
5,000.00
3
Filling with imported earth
m³
50
100.00
5,000.00
Sub-total carried to Summary
15,000.00

29. SOFT & HARD LANDSCAPE WORKS
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
UNIT
QTY
RATE(RM)
AMOUNT(RM)
B
SOFTSCAPE
1
Trees
no.
16
300.00
4,800.00
2
Shrubs
no.
103
50.00
18,000.00
3
Groundcovers
no.
1500
20.00
15,000.00
4
Taiwan grass
m²
300
30.00
9,000.00
5
Hole excavation
i.
Tree 1.0 x 1.0 x1.0m deep
no.
16
50.00
800.00
ii.
Shrub 0.45 x 0.45 x 0.45 deep
no.
103
20.00
2,060.00
6
Soil Mixture (Tree & shrub)
m³
25
100.00
2,500.00
7
Mulching (Tree, Palm, Shrub & Groundcover)
m²
200
10.00
2,000.00
8
Staking & Ties (Tree)
no.
16
50.00
800.00
9
Maintenance
mth.
12
1,500.00
18,000.00
Sub-total carried to Summary
72,960.00

30. SOFT & HARD LANDSCAPE WORKS
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
UNIT
QTY
RATE(RM)
AMOUNT(RM)
C
HARDSCAPE
1
Cut stone slab
m²
42
350.00
14,700.00
2
Precast concrete slab
m²
11
100.00
1,100.00
3
PC slab 800 x 300mm
no.
10
25.00
250.00
3
Timber deck
m²
47
350.00
16.450.00
4
Brick edging
m
96
20.00
1,920.00
5
Fencing
m
49
350 .00
17,150.00
6
Trellis
m²
21
250.00
5,250.00
7
Irrigation-standpipe
no.
3
1,200.00
3,600.00
Sub-total Carried to Summary
60,420 .00

31. SOFT & HARD LANDSCAPE WORKS
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
UNIT
QTY
RATE(RM)
AMOUNT(RM)
SUMMARY
A
SITE PREPARATION
15.000.00
B
SOFTSCAPE
72,960.00
C
HARDSCAPE
60,420.00
148,380.00
D
PRELIMINARIES (5%)
7,419.00
E
CONTINGENCY (10%)
15,579.90
TOTAL
171,378.90
Say:
171,000.00

32. Maintenance
•The following are some typical maintenance tasks:
•Watering
•Fertilizing
•Pest and disease control (herbicide spraying)
•Weeding
•Pruning and trimming
•Grass cutting
•Replacing dead plants
•Stake repairs

33. Maintenance
Maintenance cost RM/Mth
•Labour cost
1.1 laborers @ RM 50/day x 4 times a month 200
2.1 supervisor @RM70/day x 4 times a month 280
3.Transport-1 lorry @ RM100/day x 4 times a month 400
•Material cost
1.Fertiliser; once a month 100
2.Pest control, once a month 100
3. Replacing dead plants say 100
Total 1180
•Add Profit & overhead 20% 236
1416
Say RM 1,500/month