Price mulch as materials with a markup plus crew hours, job costs and profit. ProfitDrawer's landscaping guide bids an example install: 8 cubic yards at $40 delivered ($320) marked up 20% to $384, 12 crew hours at $45 ($540 for spreading, edging and bed prep), $40 for truck and fuel and $25 for disposal, for $989. Adding 15% profit gives $1,137.35, so the example bid is $1,140. Example numbers only.
How to build your own mulch bid:
- Measure the beds and work out the cubic yards you need.
- Materials: your delivered price per yard times the yards, plus a markup (the example uses 20%).
- Labor: crew hours times your cost per crew hour. In the example, 2 people for 5 hours is 10 crew hours for spreading, plus 2 crew hours of edging and bed prep. The $45 per crew hour covers wages or your pay plus a share of insurance and equipment.
- Job costs: truck, trailer and fuel, and disposal of old debris.
- Profit: a percentage on top of the total cost.
Landscapers often bid installs this way (labor plus materials with a markup), quote maintenance as a flat price per visit and charge hourly for small odd jobs.
The free price per job calculator can do this math for one-off jobs. Check what local companies charge so your bid lands in a sensible range.
Source: How to Start a Landscaping Business (Costs, Licenses and Pricing) · Updated
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General information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Check the rules for your state and your situation.