Landscape job costing software that checks every estimate against the job
Most landscape companies find out whether a job made money weeks later, if at all. Landscapeestimating is landscape job costing software built into the estimate: when a client signs, the accepted estimate becomes the job budget, crews log hours and materials against it, and you see estimate vs actual on every line, margin per job and margin per estimator. What you learn goes back into the production rates you price the next job with.
Job budget
How the accepted estimate becomes the job budget.
The signed estimate becomes the job budget
There is no second spreadsheet to build. Every line of the accepted estimate, with its quantity, labor hours, material cost and price, becomes a budget line for the job. Because the budget is the same number the client signed, the question "did we hit our number" has one clear answer. Job costing is included on the Company plan and above.
- Budget lines created automatically from the accepted option
- Labor hours, materials, equipment and disposal budgeted separately
- Change orders added as new lines, so the original budget stays visible
Actuals
How crews record hours and materials per line.
Crews log hours and materials against each line
Crew leads or office staff record actual man-hours and materials used per budget line. The entry is short on purpose: pick the line, enter hours or quantity, save. Actual cost is calculated from the same labor rates and material costs held in your cost library, so the comparison is fair.
- Actual man-hours per line, per day
- Actual material quantities, for example 14 cu yd of mulch against 12.5 budgeted
- Notes per entry for site conditions, rework or access problems
Variance
Where each job gained or lost margin.
Estimate vs actual per line, margin per job
The job view shows each line with budgeted and actual hours, budgeted and actual cost, and the difference. Worked example: a paver patio budgeted at 64 man-hours finishes at 78 man-hours; at a loaded labor rate of $42 per hour that is $588 over on labor, and the job margin falls from a target of 32 percent to about 26 percent. Seeing that one line explains the whole result, and it tells you whether the problem was the production rate, the site or the crew.
- Variance per line in hours, dollars and percent
- Job margin at the target and as achieved
- Flags on lines that ran over by more than a set percentage
Margin reports
Patterns across estimators, service lines and branches.
Margin per estimator, service line and branch
One job running over is a lesson. The same estimator underpricing edging on every job is a pattern. Company shows margin per job and per estimator; Operations adds margin reports per service line and per branch, plus margin guardrails and manager approval above a set amount, so the patterns you find are stopped at the proposal stage. For the full multi-branch picture, see landscape management software.
- Achieved margin per estimator over any date range
- Service line reports: maintenance, enhancements, hardscape, installs
- Branch comparison with separate cost libraries on Operations
Rate feedback
Updating library rates from what crews achieve.
Feeding real production rates back into the library
Job costing pays off when it changes the next estimate. If your crews install sod at 450 sq ft per man-hour on the estimate but consistently log 380, the library rate is wrong and every sod quote is underpriced. Landscapeestimating shows the achieved production rate next to the library rate for each service, and you decide when to update it. The next estimate, from landscape takeoff software measurement to proposal, is priced with the corrected number. Our guide to landscape production rates explains how to build and maintain them.
- Achieved rate vs library rate per service
- One update in the library reprices every future estimate
- A tighter link between what you bid and what crews deliver
Invoicing
Sending accepted jobs and invoices to your books.
From job costing to invoicing and QuickBooks Online
Accepted jobs and invoices export to QuickBooks Online on the Company plan and above, with CSV export on every plan. Your accountant keeps working in the books, and your estimators keep working in the estimate. The landscaping invoice software page covers exports and invoices in detail, and landscape bidding software shows how margin data feeds commercial rebids.
FAQ
- Which plan includes job costing?
Job costing (estimate vs actual per job) is included on Company and Operations. Operations adds margin reports per estimator, service line and branch, plus margin guardrails and approvals.
- Do crews need a separate app to log hours?
No. Hours and materials are logged in the same account against the job budget, from a phone or a desktop. The entry takes a few taps per line.
- Can I change production rates based on job costing results?
Yes. The job view shows the achieved production rate next to the library rate. You update the library when the data supports it, and future estimates use the new rate.
- Does job costing replace my accounting software?
No. It measures each job against its estimate. Accepted jobs and invoices export to QuickBooks Online, where your bookkeeping stays.
Get started
Know the margin on every job, not just the total
Connect the estimate, the signature and the crew's hours in one account. Create your account on Company or Operations to start costing jobs.