This is a good topic, Sticker Shock! I know, you go to the gardening center and find blocks and they cost only cents, and flowers seem pretty cheap, even the bags of soil don’t seem to cost too much. So why do you get an estimate that’s in the hundreds or thousands of dollars? I look at it the same way as getting my car worked on. I know the brake pads only cost a few dollars, but when the time comes to get them changed, I’ve spent hundreds! It’s the labor. Labor isn’t cheap. Yes, I could probably do the break pads myself, get the car up on blocks in the garage, get out the manual, and work on it for a couple of days. I did a lot of work on cars when I was a kid, my dad made me so that I would know how, it’s not rocket science and there are only so many moving parts on a car, but let’s be honest, I don’t WANT to! And most likely I wouldn’t know what else to look for, if something else is wrong with the car.

Landscaping is the same. You are paying a professional to do the work for you. You are getting their expertise, their sore muscles, and hopefully some sort of guarantee for the work. And not all work is simple. In some states you need to have a license to do the work, even if you are the homeowner. And you also have to consider permits. Most cities require permits for specific structures and even inspections. If you get a good landscaping company, they will also have liability insurance, worker’s compensation, and may even be bonded; that all costs money, so you can expect it to be reflected in the estimate.

There are things you can do to keep costs down; create a budget, have a design, and work with a landscaper to find out what parts/labor you can do yourself. Another alternative is to break the project up into manageable pieces over time. Sometimes this may cost a little more overall, but the advantage is…not having to finance the project or run up credit cards, it can be paid as you go.