Free template · landscaping

A landscape design proposal template, survey through establishment.

This is a free landscape design proposal template with a design-and-install project already itemized: the design work as priced lines (site survey, concept and planting plan, revisions), site prep, planting by the plant, finishes from mulch to lighting, and the establishment care that keeps the plan alive. Load it in the builder, delete what the project doesn't include, and price the rest. Rates start empty, because a fifteen-gallon tree costs what your grower charges, not what a template thinks.

Design-build proposals fail in one of two ways: the design work is given away to win the install, or the install is a lump sum the client can't see into and therefore doesn't trust. This template does neither. Design fees sit at the top as real lines with a revision count, and the install below is itemized to the plant, so a client cutting budget trades visible things, three shrubs and the lighting, instead of negotiating a mystery total downward.

5 sections · 21 line items·Rates blank on purpose·No sign-up

What’s in the template

Every section below loads into the builder exactly as listed. This is the actual checklist, not a preview of one. Delete what your job doesn’t need and price the rest.

Design & Planning4 lines

The survey and base map, the concept and planting plan, revisions priced each so round four has a number, and the sourcing work that turns a plan into a truck manifest.

  • Site survey & base map
  • Concept & planting plan
  • Design revisions
  • Material & plant sourcing

Site Prep4 lines

Existing landscape out, grading and drainage corrected by the square foot, soil prepped by the cubic yard, and weed barrier down before anything photogenic happens.

  • Removal of existing landscape
  • Grading & drainage correction
  • Soil prep & amendments
  • Weed barrier fabric

Planting5 lines

Trees, shrubs, perennials, and annual color priced each by container size, with staking for anything the wind gets a vote on.

  • Shade & ornamental trees
  • Shrubs
  • Perennials & groundcover
  • Annual color
  • Staking & tree support

Stock priced each, by container size.

Finishes5 lines

Mulch by the yard, decorative rock by the ton, edging by the linear foot, lighting per fixture, and a drip add-on for the beds that expect to survive August.

  • Mulch
  • Decorative rock
  • Steel or paver edging
  • Landscape lighting
  • Drip irrigation add-on

Cleanup & Establishment3 lines

Final cleanup and haul-off, the watering-in and establishment care window, and a warranty walkthrough so done has a date on it.

  • Final cleanup & haul-off
  • Watering-in & establishment care
  • Warranty walkthrough

How it works

01Load the template

Open it in the builder and the project is already sequenced, survey through warranty walkthrough: design and planning, site prep, planting by container size, finishes, cleanup and establishment. Delete what this project doesn't include. A planting-only refresh drops the design section in seconds.

Survey → establishment
02Price it, margin in view

Put in your rates and what each line costs you: design work flat with revisions each, trees and shrubs each, grading and fabric by the square foot, mulch by the yard, rock by the ton. The P&L updates while you type, so the nursery bill can't quietly eat the design fee.

Live P&L
03Send the client version

Export a clean client proposal: scope, quantities, prices, one total. It's generated from a copy that never held your costs, margins, or internal notes, so there is nothing in the file to scrub and nothing for a curious client to find.

PDF · Excel · CSV · share link

Questions

The full guide (units, tax math, deposits, exports) lives on the Help page. It’s genuinely thorough. We’re as surprised as you.

What does a landscape design proposal include?

Five sections in project order: design and planning (survey and base map, concept and planting plan, revisions priced each, sourcing), site prep (removal, grading and drainage correction, soil prep, weed barrier), planting (trees, shrubs, perennials, and annual color priced each, plus staking), finishes (mulch, decorative rock, edging, lighting, a drip add-on), and cleanup and establishment. Design fees appear as their own priced lines, which is most of what separates a proposal that protects the designer from one that donates the design.

What do landscape design projects go for in 2026?

Standalone design fees typically run $700 to $3,000, with small-garden plans at $300 to $600 and designers billing $50 to $150 an hour. Full design-and-install projects average around $4,600, with a common range of roughly $1,900 to $7,300 and estates well past it. Per-plant installs commonly land at $25 to $85 for shrubs and $200 to $700 for trees, size and access depending. Wide ranges, which is the argument for itemizing: your proposal prices your plan, plant by plant.

Should I charge for the design or fold it into the install?

Charge for it visibly, then decide what to do with it. A priced design line with a revision count sets the expectation that plans are work; some firms credit part of the design fee against the install when the client proceeds, which this document handles as a visible discount rather than a vanished fee. Folding design invisibly into the install teaches the client that design is free, and free design gets revised forever.

Is the landscape design proposal template free to use?

Yes, genuinely. The builder runs without an account, and the free plan includes every export: client PDF, Excel, CSV, an internal budget export, and a read-only share link that carries a client-safe copy inside the link itself. A free account adds one cloud-saved estimate. If the client calls it a landscaping estimate or a quote, same document, different header. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: your branding on client exports, no Estimatery footer, unlimited cloud saves, and a Saved Items catalog for the plants and lines you propose on every project.

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The checklist is done. The rates are your problem.
Opens the builder with this template loaded. No signup, no onboarding call.