Estimating construction time is one of the most difficult tasks a contractor faces. It can take many years of experience and completed projects to say with confidence how long a given task should take to complete. Even then, factors outside of a landscape contractor’s control – the weather, materials suppliers and subcontractors, for example – can throw everything off schedule.

The Time Estimating Challenge

For a DIY homeowner, estimating how long a project will take is even more difficult. Most homeowners do not have the landscape construction experience to say with any certainty that a particular task will take a particular amount of time. That being said, there are a few ways you can estimate how many weekends will be needed for your backyard landscape work.

Sources of Information

If you were inspired to take on your landscape project after seeing a neighbour’s new brick patio, ask them a few questions about whether they did the work themselves, how much help they had and how long it took. If they hired a landscape contractor to do the work, factor in the number of workers on site compared to the size of your own work crew. Assume that the experienced workers were able to complete a project more efficiently than you will.

There are both online and printed cost estimating guides that professional estimators sometimes use. The best source of free information is almost always your landscape supply store, who will have a good idea about homeowner capabilities, or the contractor you end up choosing. If minimizing work time is important, opt for a company that can offer a larger crew, and expect to pay slightly more (or, alternatively, enlist some of your friends to assist in a DIY job).

The more you understand about what will be involved in your project, the better you can estimate how long it will take.

Putting Together an Estimate

Write down each individual step or task that is part of your project. Include things like layout and staking where everything will go, trips to the hardware store and cleanup at the end of each workday. Remembering that an estimate is only an educated guess, take a guess at how long each task will take. If you will have measuring and calculations to do as part of your work, such as with deck construction, that can take a lot of extra time. Add all the individual task times together to get a total. Once you have a total, double it! It is likely that everything will take longer than you think.

Speak with an Expert About Your Project

Visit Van Beek’s today to discuss your ideas and get advice about the most efficient way to complete your project.