Estimates for Landscaping

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mcstreet

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What is everybody paying for their landscaping? What features do you have?

How do these landscapers do their pricing? I have roughly 2000 sqft to be covered by landscaping.

Is this a fair quote for 100k:

1.) covered patio
2.) stone pavers
3.) big trees
4.) bbq
5.) firepit
6.) sprinklers etc
7.) a pool
8.) big pots with trees inside them

TIA

 
That's a nice size yard! Just your yard alone is bigger than most of IP home's entire lot. ;)

You must be in PP.  Congratulation on your new home, good luck with your landscaping.



 
@mcdonalds: are you out of your mind? Unless your planning on having special events or host a rap video in your backyard. It is not work spending $140-250k. The ROI is negative for that project.

I think you have been watching too much HGTV.
 
eyephone said:
@mcdonalds: are you out of your mind? Unless your planning on having special events or host a rap video in your backyard. It is not work spending $140-250k. The ROI is negative for that project.

I think you have been watching too much HGTV.
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Partay at Mcdonalds house guys. I call dibs on the mermaid models that will be entertaining the crowd while playing the harp.
 
eyephone said:
@mcdonalds: are you out of your mind? Unless your planning on having special events or host a rap video in your backyard. It is not work spending $140-250k. The ROI is negative for that project.

I think you have been watching too much HGTV.
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this had me cracking up. yeah 250K sounds damn crazy man.
 
eyephone said:
@mcdonalds: are you out of your mind? Unless your planning on having special events or host a rap video in your backyard. It is not work spending $140-250k. The ROI is negative for that project.

I think you have been watching too much HGTD.
Click to expand...
Fixed.
 
mcstreet said:
What is everybody paying for their landscaping? What features do you have?

How do these landscapers do their pricing? I have roughly 2500-3000 sqft to be covered by landscaping.

Found a low cost one that quoted 90k. A medium low cost one that quoted 140k. And a legit white owned landscaping company for 250k.

I gave them the same specs which included:

1.) pergola
2.) travertine or other nice tile everywhere other than the sides
3.) premium planting
4.) bbq
5.) firepit
6.) sprinklers etc
7.) a small infinity spa
8.) planters and sprinklers

The spa itself was 40 something for only 80 or so sq ft of swim/soakable space. I'm okay with 100/sqft for heated spas, but cant imagine infinity brings the costs up to 500/sqft.

I ain't shelling out 250k for landscaping so that's out of the question. But why is there a 50k difference between the other two lower cost companies?!?! They use the same laborers and buy from the same stone yards/nurseries in Orange so what gives?

Got bent once by the design center, trying to avoid getting ripped off again.

TIA
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The 50K difference is probably due to how busy their backlog is.  Some contractors have a hard time saying "sorry buddy, I can't do your project for 8 months, etc" so they bid it high and if you accept-- they figure out a way to do it.
 
IMHO, that's a  lot of empty dirt and wild weeds in the backyard. It may be very water friendly but I would have a hard time paying someone to put that in my yard.
 
Thank you all for your replies!

Do you think any reputable landscapers (with real websites) can do a project similar to what I have described for less than 100k?

I hope this thread can provide more information to homeowners in Irvine on what the average price is.

How much do people normally negotiate off the bid price?

Do people normally go with big name companies vs individuals like Jo (Echo Fam)?

And your experiences with each?

Gotta say, landscaping is the biggest headache I have had so far.
 
OpenSky said:
furioussugar said:
Open Sky-  Anyone you can recommend ?
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When we lived in Ventura, we used Lisa of Nature by Design - but she's an 805er.

Her website is worth a look (our old place is in her photostream) to see the before-and-after photos:http://nbdgardens.com/garden-landscaping-designs/

I'd do a few google searches for "native garden orange county" - I'm sure a few will pop up.

We had ours certified as an Ocean-Friendly Garden by Surfrider Foundation and Certified Natural Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, as well - great resources there:http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife.aspx

I can't tell you how transformational it was to have a native garden. Butterflies, birds and color everywhere - the place was teeming with activity and the family felt so relaxed in it. Truly a sanctuary that came alive as a native space that had all sorts of fun places to discover and track as it grew.

We captured all the rainwater from the roof into a dry creek, integrated with a custom rock fountain at the center of it. Pretty large veggie garden, native grass, drip irrigation (run once per week), re-level soil, etc.

Total front and back, with hardscaping, ~7000 square foot lot was $45k (design/materials/labor). Crew paid a fair wage and benefits. Materials sourced locally.

These were taken about 2 months after planting.

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IMG_0311.JPG


P1040057.JPG
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Great pics! The irrigation system sounds really neat. I love self sustainable features like that. Personally, I prefer a mediterranean style and for most of the backyard, I'm going to go with hardscaping to save on water and less need for a gardener. My SO doesn't like workers hanging around the house regardless of who they are. If you ever watched Crash, it's kinda like that.. yeah..
 
A friend of mine hired a Samoan guy to do some front yard remodeling.  He found the guy through another friends reference.

The job was quoted at $12,000
The friend paid $8,000
The job was only completed to 20% (100% demolition finished, and a little construction.)
So my friend lost money on it and had to hire someone new to finish the job.

Why did he pay the $8,000?  The contractor needed money to buy materials.

So when you get a contractor, pay as you go.  Don't advance him too much money up front or at all if you can help it.  The contractor will be afraid you won't pay up if he buys the materials, so it goes both ways.

I have another story where the contractor put in $12,000 and the homeowner didn't pay a cent. 
 
zubs said:
A friend of mine hired a Samoan guy to do some front yard remodeling.  He found the guy through another friends reference.

The job was quoted at $12,000
The friend paid $8,000
The job was only completed to 20% (100% demolition finished, and a little construction.)
So my friend lost money on it and had to hire someone new to finish the job.

Why did he pay the $8,000?  The contractor needed money to buy materials.

So when you get a contractor, pay as you go.  Don't advance him too much money up front or at all if you can help it.  The contractor will be afraid you won't pay up if he buys the materials, so it goes both ways.

I have another story where the contractor put in $12,000 and the homeowner didn't pay a cent.
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Who is this Samoan contractor?
 
If home owner owes contractor money for the job, the contractor can put a lien on the home right? 
 
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