Craft Quantities
Plan & Takeoffs

Job takeoff

Landscape bed takeoff

Topsoil, fabric, mulch and edging for a planted bed, from its length and width.

A takeoff is the trade word for the shopping list a job produces — every material, and how much of each, worked out by its own cited calculator.

  • 4Measurements in
  • 4Trades out

Give the job once

Every figure on the right follows these, in the units you choose.

Been given a quote for this job?

Paste it into the planting bed quote check: each line is read against these same calculators — what it leaves out, what it adds, and what to ask.

Check the quote

Every trade, from those dimensions

4 of 4 trades chosenNot pricedNot in project

then change a dimension, and each line shows what moved.

TradeQuantity
Topsoil CalculatorThe layer the plants actually live in.
Base
4.04 cubic yards
Allowance
+0 cubic yards · none added
Adjusted
4.04 cubic yards
Order
4.04 cubic yards (no pack size recorded)
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity4.04 cubic yardscalculatorTopsoil Calculator v1.0.1, headline
  2. Allowance0 cubic yardsworked outnone: the calculator adds no allowance, and none was added
  3. Adjusted quantity4.04 cubic yardsworked outthe base plus the allowance
  4. Order quantity4.04 cubic yardsworked out4.04 cubic yards (no pack size recorded)

Resting on

  • Bed length26 ftgivenyour bed length
  • Bed width6.5 ftgivenyour bed width
  • Topsoil depth7.75 ingivenyour topsoil depth

Change any other figure on the Topsoil Calculator

4.04 cubic yards
Landscape Fabric CalculatorFabric rolls — worth it under gravel, usually not under organic mulch.
Base
1 roll
Overlap allowance
+0 rolls · 10%, trade convention
Adjusted
1 roll
Order
1 roll, already whole
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity1 rollcalculatorLandscape Fabric Calculator v1.1.0, headline with the overlap allowance at 0%
  2. Overlap allowance0 rollsworked outthe adjusted figure less the base, at 10% (the calculator's working figure, a trade convention)
  3. Adjusted quantity1 rollcalculatorLandscape Fabric Calculator v1.1.0, headline with the overlap allowance at 10%
  4. Order quantity1 rollworked out1 roll, already whole

Resting on

  • Bed length26 ftgivenyour bed length
  • Bed width6.5 ftgivenyour bed width
  • Overlap Allowance (%)10%assumedthe Landscape Fabric Calculator's default

The overlap allowance: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention.

Change any other figure on the Landscape Fabric Calculator

1 roll
Mulch CalculatorMulch at the depth you set, in bags or loose.
Base
22 bags
Allowance
+0 bags · none added
Adjusted
22 bags
Order
22 bags, already whole
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity22 bagscalculatorMulch Calculator v1.0.1, headline
  2. Allowance0 bagsworked outnone: the calculator adds no allowance, and none was added
  3. Adjusted quantity22 bagsworked outthe base plus the allowance
  4. Order quantity22 bagsworked out22 bags, already whole

Resting on

  • Bed length26 ftgivenyour bed length
  • Bed width6.5 ftgivenyour bed width
  • Mulch depth3 ingivenyour mulch depth
  • Bag size: 2 ft³ bag (56.6 L) — US/CAassumedthe Mulch Calculator's default

Change any other figure on the Mulch Calculator

22 bags
Lawn Edging CalculatorEdging round the whole bed as a closed loop, at the default coil size, with a connector at each joint and the stakes in the breakdown. The edge is the bed's length and width all the way round; a curved bed's edge is longer, so measure along it and enter it on the edging page.
Base
4 coils
Joint overlap
+0 coils · 0 in, trade convention
Adjusted
4 coils
Order
4 coils, already whole
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity4 coilscalculatorLawn Edging Calculator v1.0.0, headline with the joint overlap at zero
  2. Joint overlap0 coilsworked outthe adjusted figure less the base, at 0 in (the calculator's working figure, a trade convention)
  3. Adjusted quantity4 coilscalculatorLawn Edging Calculator v1.0.0, headline with the joint overlap at 0 in
  4. Order quantity4 coilsworked out4 coils, already whole

Resting on

  • Bed length26 ftgivenyour bed length
  • Bed width6.5 ftgivenyour bed width
  • Edge Shape: Closed loop (a bed or tree ring)assumedset by the Landscape bed takeoff
  • Edging Type: Coil (flexible, sold rolled)assumedthe Lawn Edging Calculator's default
  • Coil or Length Size20 ftassumedthe Lawn Edging Calculator's default
  • Overlap at Each Joint0 inassumedthe Lawn Edging Calculator's default
  • Stake Spacing3 ftassumedthe Lawn Edging Calculator's default

The joint overlap: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention.

Change any other figure on the Lawn Edging Calculator

4 coils
Topsoil CalculatorThe layer the plants actually live in.
Base
3.2 m³
Allowance
+0 m³ · none added
Adjusted
3.2 m³
Order
3.2 m³ (no pack size recorded)
Why this quantity?
3.2 m³
Landscape Fabric CalculatorFabric rolls — worth it under gravel, usually not under organic mulch.
Base
1 roll
Overlap allowance
+0 rolls · 10%, trade convention
Adjusted
1 roll
Order
1 roll, already whole
Why this quantity?
1 roll
Mulch CalculatorMulch at the depth you set, in bags or loose.
Base
22 bags
Allowance
+0 bags · none added
Adjusted
22 bags
Order
22 bags, already whole
Why this quantity?
22 bags
Lawn Edging CalculatorEdging round the whole bed as a closed loop, at the default coil size, with a connector at each joint and the stakes in the breakdown. The edge is the bed's length and width all the way round; a curved bed's edge is longer, so measure along it and enter it on the edging page.
Base
4 coils
Joint overlap
+0 coils · 0 mm, trade convention
Adjusted
4 coils
Order
4 coils, already whole
Why this quantity?
4 coils

Estimates, not a quote. Each row gives its base, the allowance on top, the adjusted figure and what to order; change an allowance on the row, or open its reasoning to see every figure it rests on. A trade's own page carries what it does not cover — open the one you are about to order against.

Labour and programme

Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.

No row going in carries a rate yet.

4 rows carry no hours of their own
  • Topsoil: no rate for its work here yet
  • Landscape Fabric: no rate for its work here yet
  • Mulch: no rate for its work here yet
  • Lawn Edging: no rate for its work here yet

Labour and programme

Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.

No row going in carries a rate yet.

4 rows carry no hours of their own
  • Topsoil: no rate for its work here yet
  • Landscape Fabric: no rate for its work here yet
  • Mulch: no rate for its work here yet
  • Lawn Edging: no rate for its work here yet

Setups you have saved

The build-up, the dimensions and any allowance you changed — kept on this device, and reusable on any job. Your prices are not copied in: they stay in your price book, so a setup never holds a stale one.

How far does a budget go?

At your own prices, with this build-up unchanged.

About this job

A planting bed is three layers and a boundary, and only one of the three is what people think about. The mulch is the visible layer and the cheapest; the topsoil below it is what the plants actually live in, and a bed built on 50 mm (2 in) of imported soil over compacted subsoil is a bed that struggles regardless of what is spread on top.

Mulch depth is a judgement with a narrow right answer. Too thin and it neither suppresses weeds nor holds moisture; too deep and it keeps water off the root zone in light rain and suffocates shallow roots. 75 to 100 mm (3 to 4 in) is the usual band — below 50 mm (2 in) weeds come through, above 100 mm (4 in) the roots start to suffer — and none of it should be piled against a stem or a trunk.

Landscape fabric is on this page and is not always a good idea. Under gravel it earns its place; under organic mulch it slowly becomes a mat of roots and degraded plastic that is unpleasant to remove and stops the mulch doing the one thing it is for, which is becoming soil. Take the row out for a bed you intend to plant into repeatedly.

How each line reads

Base
What the calculator gives for these dimensions, before anything is added.
Allowance
Cutting waste, a lap or spare stock — named, with where it comes from, and changeable on the row.
Adjusted
The base with its allowance on top.
Order
What to buy: the adjusted figure in whole boards, bags, rolls or lengths.

The order this happens in

Quantities do not tell you the sequence, and on this job the sequence is where the money goes wrong.

  1. Mark the bed's shape with a hose or a line and look at it from the house before you dig.
  2. Strip the turf rather than burying it — it will come back through.
  3. Break up the subsoil before importing topsoil, or you have built a bathtub.
  4. Set the edging to the finished levels, with the mulch surface below the lawn so it does not wash out.
  5. Plant before mulching, not after.
  6. Spread the mulch to an even depth and pull it back from every stem.

What this takeoff does not cover

  • The plants, and whatever soil improvement the existing ground actually needs.
  • Drainage. A bed that sits wet needs solving below the topsoil, not above it.
  • Irrigation, which is easiest to install before the mulch and impossible to hide afterwards.
  • Weed treatment of what is growing there now — mulch suppresses seedlings and does nothing to established perennial roots.

Quote check

Been given a quote for this job?

Paste it into the planting bed quote check. Every line of it is read against these same calculators and your measurements. Quantities only, never prices.

Check the quoteEvery quote check

  • What it leaves out

    Every line this takeoff has that nothing on the quote reads as.

  • What it adds

    Labour, removal, hire, fees — each named for what it is.

  • What to ask

    One list of questions, ready to copy. Never a verdict.

More takeoffs

Other job takeoffs

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Frequently asked questions

What does the planting bed takeoff give for a typical job?
Opened at Bed length 8 m · Bed width 2 m · Mulch depth 0.08 m · Topsoil depth 0.2 m, it orders: Topsoil, 3.2 m³; Landscape Fabric, 1 roll; Mulch, 22 bags; Lawn Edging, 4 coils. Opened at Bed length 26 ft · Bed width 6.5 ft · Mulch depth 3 in · Topsoil depth 7.75 in: Topsoil, 4.04 cubic yards; Landscape Fabric, 1 roll; Mulch, 22 bags; Lawn Edging, 4 coils. Every figure follows the dimensions you give it.
Which calculators does the planting bed takeoff run?
4 calculators, one to a line: Topsoil Calculator, Landscape Fabric Calculator, Mulch Calculator, Lawn Edging Calculator. Each has a page of its own with its formula and its sources; the takeoff runs them all on one set of dimensions.
What does the planting bed takeoff leave out?
4 things, each named on this page: The plants, and whatever soil improvement the existing ground actually needs; Drainage; Irrigation, which is easiest to install before the mulch and impossible to hide afterwards; Weed treatment of what is growing there now.
Can I check a quote for this job against the takeoff?
Yes. The planting bed quote check reads a quote's lines against these same calculators and your measurements, and reports what it leaves out, what it adds and what to ask. It reads quantities, never prices.