Landscaping estimating software for design-build jobs
Design-build and hardscape work is construction: a measured scope, material that has to arrive in order, crews in phases and a client who changes their mind halfway through. BuildersBridge quotes it line by line, gets it approved, checks the weather-sensitive phases against the forecast, prices the changes and invoices the job. The worked example below is a patio and planting bed, from the first quote to the final invoice.
The challenge
A patio quoted from a guess at the square footage, a paver day booked into a rainy forecast, and an extension agreed on site without a price are how a good-sized job finishes at break-even. Each one is a number someone could have written down first.
How BuildersBridge helps landscaping companies
- Itemized quotes for hardscape, planting and full design-build scopes, with every rate editable
- Client approval in the portal sets the contract value
- Excavation, paving and landscaping phases checked against Environment Canada's forecast
- Change orders, then deposit, progress and final invoices with tax
Design-build projects and maintenance are different software
A patio, a retaining wall or a planting plan is a project: a scope, a price, phases and a final invoice. Weekly mowing and seasonal clean-ups are visits: many short stops, routes, and billing per visit or by agreement. BuildersBridge is built for the first. If most of your revenue is maintenance, a field service tool will fit that part better, and plenty of landscape companies run both.
Worked example: a patio and planting bed, from quote to final invoice
A fictional backyard in Ottawa: a 300 sq ft paver patio and a planting bed, built as one project in three phases. Quantities are typed by the estimator and the rates are illustrative, there to show the arithmetic rather than what any landscaper charges. Prices, tax and the change order are worked by the same code the app runs, and the weather verdicts by its default rules.
- Draft and check the quoteBridge AI drafts
Bridge AI drafts lines from a written scope. The estimator measures the patio, adds 5% waste to the pavers and sets the plant allowance; every rate stays editable.
- Client approves in the portalWorks today
Approval sets the contract value. The deposit invoice goes out against it.
- Weather moves the paver phaseWorks today
Each phase is tagged on the schedule as excavation, paving or landscaping work, and checked against Environment Canada's forecast for the job's city.
- A change at the paver stageYou do this
The client asks for 40 sq ft more patio. It is priced at the bid's own rates and approved as a change order before the extra pavers are ordered.
- Final invoiceWorks today
The final invoice bills the revised contract less the deposit, with HST on each invoice.
| Line | Type | Qty | Unit cost | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini excavator, 2 days | Equipment | 2 day | $425.00 | $850.00 |
| Excavate patio and bed, haul away, compact subgrade | Labour | 24 h | $72.00 | $1,728.00 |
| Granular base | Material | 11 t | $38.00 | $418.00 |
| Bedding screenings | Material | 3 t | $45.00 | $135.00 |
| Pavers, 300 sq ft plus 5% waste | Material | 315 sq ft | $6.20 | $1,953.00 |
| Edge restraint | Material | 70 lin ft | $3.10 | $217.00 |
| Polymeric sand | Material | 6 bag | $42.00 | $252.00 |
| Lay, cut and compact pavers | Labour | 32 h | $72.00 | $2,304.00 |
| Garden soil for the planting bed | Material | 4 cu yd | $55.00 | $220.00 |
| Plants (allowance) | Other | 1 allowance | $900.00 | $900.00 |
| Mulch | Material | 2 cu yd | $60.00 | $120.00 |
| Plant and mulch the bed | Labour | 10 h | $65.00 | $650.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cost | $9,747.00 |
| Pre-tax price at 25% markup | $12,183.75 |
| Quote total with HST 13% (Ontario) | $13,767.64 |
| Deposit invoice, 30% of the pre-tax price, plus HST | $4,130.30 |
| Change order: 40 sq ft more patio (cost $787.40), approved | $984.25 |
| Revised contract, pre-tax | $13,168.00 |
| Final invoice: revised contract less the deposit, plus HST | $10,749.54 |
| Phase | Tagged as | Planned | Forecast seen | Verdict | Moved to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation and base | Excavation | Mon 10 to Tue 11 May 2027 | 20% chance of rain, low 7°C | Green | Kept |
| Pavers | Paving | Wed 12 to Fri 14 May 2027 | 80% chance of rain, low 8°C | Red: not suitable | Thu 13 to Mon 17 May 2027 |
| Planting and mulch | Landscaping | Mon 17 May 2027 | rain chance not yet given, low 9°C | Unknown: no rain figure that far out | Tue 18 May 2027 |
The paver days went red at an 80% chance of rain against the default paving limit of 50%, so the crew moved them before the screenings got wet rather than after. Planting was six days out, where Environment Canada gives no rain chance yet, so it shows as unknown rather than clear, and it moves a day because the pavers did. The change order raised the contract, and the job budget is raised by you when a change adds cost. The schedule shows the risk; the decision to move a crew is yours.
What it does today, and what it does not
- Works todayLine-item quotes with allowances, markup and provincial or state tax; client approval in the portal; change orders; deposit, progress and final invoices.
- Works todaySchedule entries tagged as excavation, paving or landscaping work are checked against Environment Canada's forecast for the job's city, with thresholds you can change. Rain chances only reach about two days out.
- You do thisQuantities, waste and plant counts come from you. BuildersBridge does not measure a site plan or a drawing.
- Not built forNot built for recurring maintenance: no repeating visits, routes or seasonal service agreements. A maintenance season can be quoted as its own job, but visit-by-visit scheduling and billing belong in field service software.
- Plan limitLabour hours from timesheets reach job cost on the Pro and Enterprise plans, where time tracking is included. On Team and Growth, labour cost comes in through bills or is tracked outside the app.
Frequently asked questions
- What software do landscaping companies use?
- It depends on the work. Design-build and hardscape companies use project software to estimate, schedule phases, cost the job and invoice it. Maintenance companies, with weekly visits on routes, use field service software. Many companies doing both run one of each.
- Can BuildersBridge schedule recurring maintenance?
- No. There are no repeating visits, routes or seasonal service agreements. You can quote a maintenance season as its own job with a line per visit, but scheduling and billing visit by visit is what field service software is built for.
- Does it measure the site or read a landscape plan?
- No. Quantities, waste and plant counts are typed by you. Bridge AI drafts the lines from a written scope and you check them; nothing measures a drawing or an aerial image.
- How does it handle weather?
- Schedule entries tagged as excavation, paving or landscaping work are checked against Environment Canada's forecast for the job's city, using thresholds you can change. By default a paving day goes red at a 50% chance of rain or a low under 5°C. Rain chances only reach about two days out, so later days show as unknown rather than clear. US jobs do not get forecast checks.
- Can clients approve the design and cost?
- They approve the estimate and each change order in the client portal, with a record of what was agreed and when. Design drawings and renderings are not produced in BuildersBridge; you can share them with the client as documents.
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