How We Calculate Your Estimate

The five steps behind every estimate

1. Country baseline. Each supported country has its own pricing table for every project type (lawn, garden, patio, driveway, deck, pathway, pool deck, full yard makeover) and every add-on (pavers, mulch, firepit, pergola, etc.). Pricing is expressed as a low–high range per unit (sq ft, linear ft, or lump sum).
2. Quantity calculation. We multiply each line item by the quantity derived from your inputs — total area for surface work, calculated perimeters for walls and borders, lump sums for structures.
3. Budget tier multiplier. Basic tier (×0.90) uses cost-effective materials; Standard (×1.00) is the most common mix; Premium (×1.25) reflects higher-grade finishes and labor.
4. Site prep factor. Minimal prep applies a small reduction (−3% to −5%); Heavy prep applies an addition (+12% to +20%) for extensive clearing, grading, or demolition. Specific prep items (lawn removal, regrading, debris hauling) are added as their own line items so you can see them.
5. Regional multiplier. If you selected a state, province, or region, we apply a multiplier on top of the country baseline. For example, California is ×1.40 of the U.S. average; Mississippi is ×0.82. These multipliers reflect labor and material cost differences observed in regional construction-cost surveys.

Confidence band

Beyond the raw low–high range, we show a tighter "most likely" band representing roughly the middle 60% of the spread. This is the range where the majority of similar projects actually land, after the extremes are trimmed away. We display it because a single midpoint can feel falsely precise — and the full low–high can feel too wide to be useful.

Cost composition

The "Where your money goes" donut splits each estimate into four buckets — Materials, Labor, Site prep, Overhead & margin — based on per-line classifications. Per-sqft surface work splits roughly 45/40/7/8; lump-sum structures (pergola, firepit, kitchen, water feature) skew material-heavy at roughly 55/35/0/10; explicit prep work is allocated almost entirely to the prep bucket. These ratios match what landscape-industry surveys typically report for residential outdoor projects.

What this is — and what it isn't

This calculator is a planning estimate, not a contractor quote. It's intended to help you set a realistic budget, sanity-check a quote you've received, and have a more informed conversation with the professionals you hire. It does not replace a site visit or a written quote.

Actual contractor pricing varies with site access, contractor demand at the time of year, material availability, permitting requirements, and your specific finish choices. A real quote can land 20–30% above or below our midpoint and still be reasonable. If a quote is wildly outside our range, that's worth a follow-up question — not an automatic red flag.

Pricing sources by country

Each country's baseline pricing draws on the sources listed below. We review and refresh these tables on a rolling basis; last full review dates are shown per country.

Update cadence

Construction pricing shifts with inflation, labor markets, and material supply. We review country baselines at minimum twice a year, and update sooner when a major input — paving stone, lumber, sod — moves significantly. The "Pricing last verified" stamp on each result page tells you when that country's table was last reviewed.

Found something off?

If our range feels far from quotes you're seeing in your area, we want to know. Send a note via our contact page with your country, region, project type, and the quote range you received — it helps us keep the tables grounded in real-world numbers.