Rates from the topsoil calculator
$1,897 - $3,197
Paver sealing is a service price with materials included, so it counts in the installed total only.
$75 per visit
Market range $53 - $135 per visit. Not added to the project total.
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There is no single price for landscaping, because a job is a list of smaller jobs. This calculator prices each one from a rate CrewNest already publishes in its own calculators, then adds them up. The example above, itemised in the worked example below, comes to $1,897 - $3,197 installed, and about $567 if you buy the materials and do the work yourself (paver sealing excluded, since it is priced as a service).
Every rate below links to the calculator it comes from, where you can see how it is used and price that one item in more detail.
Not sure of your yard size? The lawn area calculator measures it from a satellite map.
| Item | Material | Installed labor | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sod | $0.35 - $0.55 / sq ft | $0.50 - $1 / sq ft | Sod calculator |
| Mulch | $35 - $48 / cu yd | $2 - $5 / sq ft | Mulch calculator |
| Topsoil | $15 - $45 / cu yd | $2 - $5 / sq ft | Topsoil calculator |
| Gravel | $20 - $55 / ton | $1 - $3 / sq ft | Gravel calculator |
| Paver sealing | $0.90 - $1.60 / sq ft as a service, $250 minimum | Paver sealing calculator | |
| Lawn mowing | $0.015 / sq ft per visit (recurring) | Lawn mowing calculator | |
Sod labor is part of the sod calculator's math. For the bulk materials the labor range is the installed-labor guidance printed on each of those calculators. Fertilizer is not a line here: the fertilizer calculator prices from your own product cost, so it has no standard rate to borrow.
| Line | Quantity | Materials | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tall fescue sod | 1,000 sq ft | $450 | $950 - $1,450 |
| Hardwood mulch, 3 in deep | 200 sq ft (1.9 cu yd) | $65 | $465 - $1,065 |
| Pea gravel path, 3 in deep | 100 sq ft (1.3 tons) | $52 | $152 - $352 |
| Concrete paver sealing | 300 sq ft | included | $330 |
| Total | $567 | $1,897 - $3,197 |
Add mowing for the 5,000 sq ft lawn at about $75 a visit, billed separately.
| Sod area (tall fescue) | Materials | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | $225 | $475 - $725 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $450 | $950 - $1,450 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $1,125 | $2,375 - $3,625 |
| 5,000 sq ft | $2,250 | $4,750 - $7,250 |
| Bed area (hardwood, 3 in) | Cubic yards | Materials | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.9 | $32 | $232 - $532 |
| 200 sq ft | 1.9 | $65 | $465 - $1,065 |
| 500 sq ft | 4.6 | $162 | $1,162 - $2,662 |
Topsoil at 4 inches is $185 of screened topsoil for 500 sq ft, before labor.
| Path or area (pea gravel, 3 in) | Tons | Materials | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 0.6 | $26 | $76 - $176 |
| 100 sq ft | 1.3 | $52 | $152 - $352 |
| 250 sq ft | 3.2 | $130 | $380 - $880 |
Crushed stone for a driveway base is cheaper per ton than pea gravel; switch the type in the calculator to compare.
Anything that depends on the site, such as grading or irrigation. Design and plants are out too, as are delivery charges. A rate for any of these would be a guess, so get them quoted and add them to the total here.
The gap is labor. For 1,000 sq ft of tall fescue sod the materials are $450 and the installed price is $950 - $1,450. For a 200 sq ft mulch bed it is $65 against $465 - $1,065. Spreading mulch and raking gravel are fair weekend jobs. Sod needs the ground graded and prepped and has to go down within a day of delivery, and sealing pavers takes a clean, dry surface and the right sealer, so those are where hiring out pays.
This page prices the way CrewNest's calculators do: materials at the yard's price plus a per-square-foot labor rate, a minimum on small jobs, and mowing sold as a separate recurring service. Use this page to sanity check a bid, then open the single-item calculator for each line to set your own rates.
CrewNest turns those lines into an estimate you can send to the customer. See CrewNest for landscaping businesses.
It depends on what is in the job. A small front-yard refresh with 1,000 sq ft of new sod, 200 sq ft of mulched beds, a 100 sq ft pea gravel path and 300 sq ft of paver sealing comes to $1,897 - $3,197 installed on CrewNest's calculator rates, with about $567 of that in materials.
On the sod calculator's rates, $0.35 to $0.55 per sq ft for material by variety, plus $0.50 to $1 per sq ft for installation. 1,000 sq ft of tall fescue is $450 in material and $950 - $1,450 installed.
Bulk mulch runs $35 to $48 per cubic yard on the mulch calculator, and it states installed labor at $2-$5 per sq ft on top. A 200 sq ft bed at 3 inches needs 1.9 cubic yards of hardwood mulch, $65 in material, or $465 - $1,065 installed.
Work that depends on the site, such as grading or irrigation. Design and plants are out too, as are delivery charges. Those vary too much to price from a rate, so it leaves them out rather than guess.
Labor is the swing. Material cost barely moves with the site, but labor per square foot does. The mulch and topsoil calculators give $2-$5 per sq ft of labor; the gravel calculator gives $1-$3. Tight access and old material to haul away push a job to the top of the band.
No. Mowing is recurring, so it is shown per visit on its own. A 5,000 sq ft lawn is about $75 a visit on the mowing calculator's $0.015-per-sq-ft rate, within a market range of $53 to $135.
The paver sealing calculator applies a $250 minimum job to cover setup and travel. 150 sq ft of concrete pavers is $165 at the per-foot rate, so it is billed at the $250 minimum.
They are the national starting rates built into CrewNest's calculators, not local quotes. Material prices move with your supplier and labor with your local market. Change the sizes and materials to match your job, then check the material line against a local yard's price list.
