Does anyone know a relatively simple way of calculating / can shed any light on how prices are arrived at / what it would cost to have an area of garden landscaped and a patio laid (with two small brick planters)?? We’re trying to get quotes for approx 35m2 of garden levelled and a patio laid. I know there is roughly £1000 of material costs (slabs, bricks, type-1 etc) involved.

But what I don’t get is how they work out labour costs etc. The materials are going to be fixed so that can’t account for the variance – I’m just trying to work out how the quotes so far can vary sooooooo much – the most expensive is twice the cheapest and all companies are local with good reputations. It maybe that the ££££ firms don’t want the work and are pricing themselves out?

Bizarre. It seems easier to calculate roofers / carpenters / electricians etc as I know what the approx daily rates are for those trades locally but this has left me scratching my head. Can anyone shed any light on the mysteries of the builder / landscaper?