Most people only go through hiring a landscaper once or twice in their lives, so the first meeting can feel a bit one sided. The landscaper has walked hundreds of backyards and knows exactly what they want to find out. You’re standing on your own patch of dirt with a rough idea, a budget you’d rather not say out loud and no real sense of what to ask. Going in with a few good questions changes that. It helps you compare quotes properly and gives you a feel for how the person in front of you works before any money changes hands.
I’ve put together the questions I’d want answered before signing anything, along with what a good answer tends to sound like. You won’t need every one of them for a small garden refresh. For a full backyard build with new paving and planting, though, it pays to cover most of them.
Start With Their Experience and Recent Work
The first thing worth asking about is the kind of work they do most often. Some landscapers spend most of their time on hard landscaping such as paving and retaining walls. Others are stronger on planting design and lawns. You want someone whose usual jobs look like yours. If you’re browsing landscapers in Perth or another city, their listing and website will usually give you a first clue.
Request photos of finished jobs from the last year or two, and ideally a job similar in size to yours. A landscaper who is proud of their work will be happy to show you, and many will offer the details of past clients you can speak to. Photos taken a year or more after completion are worth more than glossy shots on the day the job finished. They show you how the plants have grown in and whether the paving and edging have held up.
It’s also fair to ask who will actually be on site. In a small business the owner might do the quote and the work. In a bigger company the person you meet may hand the job to a site supervisor and a crew. Either way, find out who you should call when something comes up on site.
Check Licences and Insurance Before Hiring a Landscaper
Licensing for landscaping work isn’t the same across Australia. Each state and territory sets its own rules, and some types of work such as retaining walls, structures or larger jobs over a set dollar amount may need a licensed contractor. Rather than guess, you can look up what applies where you live on the Australian Business Licence and Information Service. Once you know what’s required, ask the landscaper for their licence number and check it against the register run by your state’s building or fair trading authority.
Insurance matters just as much. Find out whether they hold public liability insurance and, if they have staff, workers compensation cover. A professional business won’t mind sending you a copy of the certificate of currency. If a worker is injured on your property or a neighbour’s fence is damaged during the job, you want to know it’s covered by their policy and not left for you to sort out.
If the job involves drainage, electrical work for garden lighting or plumbing for a water feature, ask who will do those parts. Many landscapers bring in licensed electricians and plumbers for that work. It’s worth confirming that before the quote is signed so there are no surprises later.
Understand How the Quote Is Put Together
Quotes for landscaping can look very different from one business to the next. One might be a single line with a total price, while another breaks every material and task into separate items. A detailed quote is much easier to compare, so ask each landscaper to list the main parts of the job and the materials they plan to use. That way you can see whether one price is lower because it leaves something out.
A few things to clear up while you’re looking at the numbers:
- Is this a fixed quote or an estimate that could change?
- What deposit is needed, and when are the other payments due?
- Does the price include removing old plants, soil and rubbish?
- Are plants and materials named by type and size?
- What happens to the price if they hit rock, roots or old pipes?
That last question is a common source of disputes. Digging can turn up all sorts of things nobody could see at the quoting stage. A good landscaper will explain how they handle that, and will usually agree to talk to you before doing any extra work that adds to the bill.
Ask About Design, Plants and Your Site Conditions
If you don’t already have a plan drawn up, ask whether the landscaper offers design work or partners with a designer. Some include a simple layout as part of the quote, while larger projects often need a proper design first. There’s more on this in our article on using professional landscape designers, which is worth a read if you’re still weighing that up.
Plant choice is where a local landscaper really earns their keep. Get their suggestions on plants for your soil and the amount of sun the garden gets, and how much water those plants will need once they settle in. Sandy coastal soil behaves very differently from heavy clay, and what thrives in a sheltered Sydney courtyard might struggle in an exposed backyard elsewhere. Someone who works in your area every week should be able to talk you through this without reaching for a catalogue.
Watering is worth a separate conversation. Check whether the job includes irrigation, what kind of system they would install and who will set the controller. Local water restrictions can affect which days and times you’re allowed to water, so a landscaper who knows the local rules will design around them.
Timing, Access and What Happens on Site
Start date and job length are the next things to pin down. Landscapers are often booked weeks ahead in spring, and wet weather can push things back at any time of year. A realistic timeframe with some allowance for rain is more useful than an optimistic date that slips. It also helps to ask how they will keep you updated if the schedule changes.
Access is easy to forget until the bobcat turns up. Talk through how machinery and materials will get into the backyard, where deliveries will be dropped and whether anything like a side fence needs to come down temporarily. If you share a driveway or live on a busy street, mention it early. Your landscaper can plan around it and may need to speak to the neighbours or the council.
It’s also worth asking how they leave the site at the end of each day. Some crews clean up as they go, while others leave a full tidy until the end. If you have children or pets you’ll want to know whether there will be open trenches or loose tools around overnight. A quick chat about this at the start saves a lot of frustration later in the job.
Warranty, Aftercare and Ongoing Maintenance
Before you sign, ask what warranty they offer on their workmanship and on the plants. Some landscapers will replace plants that fail within a set period, as long as they have been watered as instructed. Paving, walls and structures may carry a longer workmanship guarantee. Get whatever they promise written into the contract or quote so there’s no confusion later.
Under Australian Consumer Law, services must be provided with due care and skill and within a reasonable time if no date is agreed. The ACCC consumer guarantees page explains what that means in plain terms. A written warranty from your landscaper sits on top of those rights rather than replacing them.
Finally, ask what the garden will need from you in the first few months. New lawns and plants usually need extra water while they establish, and mulch may need topping up. Many landscapers offer maintenance visits, which can be handy if you travel or simply don’t enjoy the upkeep. If you’re still getting the yard ready for work to begin, our guide to preparing for a landscape renovation covers the steps before the first sod is turned.
Find a Landscaper Near You
Working through these questions doesn’t take long, and the answers tell you a lot about how a business runs. Take notes during each meeting so you can compare answers side by side afterwards, then follow up on anything that was left vague. If you’re in New South Wales, our list of landscapers in Sydney is a good place to start your shortlist, and you can browse other cities and services across the Landscapers Network directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many landscaping quotes should I get?
Two or three quotes is usually enough to get a feel for the going rate. More than that tends to make it harder to compare like with like. Make sure each landscaper is quoting on the same plan and the same materials.
Do landscapers need a licence in Australia?
It depends on the state or territory and the type of work. Some jobs, particularly structural work and jobs above a set value, may need a licensed contractor. You can check the rules for your area through ABLIS and your state’s building or fair trading authority.
Should I pay a deposit before landscaping work starts?
Most landscapers ask for a deposit to secure a start date and cover early materials. Some states limit how much a contractor can ask for on certain types of building work. Ask how the deposit and later payments are tied to stages of the job, and get it in writing.
What should a landscaping quote include?
A good quote lists the main tasks, the materials and plants by type and size, and the cost of removing waste. It should also say whether the price is fixed and how unexpected problems on site will be handled. If anything on the quote is unclear, ask for it to be reworded before you sign.
