Ask three landscaping companies in Saudi Arabia to price the same garden and you can get three numbers that are far apart. Sometimes one of them is overcharging. More often they are pricing different gardens: different plant sizes, a different irrigation system and a different idea of what “finished” means.

This checklist is how we would compare contractors if we were sitting on the client side of the table. It works for a villa garden in Riyadh, a compound in Jeddah or a commercial site in the Eastern Province, and you can use the scorecard below to mark each company as the quotes come in.

Why Do Landscaping Quotes Vary So Much in Saudi Arabia?

Most of the gap comes from four things that are easy to miss on a one-page quote.

• Plant size. A 1.5 metre tree and a 4 metre tree are both “a tree” on a quote. The bigger one can cost many times more, and it gives you shade years sooner.
• Irrigation. Drip lines, controllers, pumps and tanks vary a lot in quality. Cheap irrigation is the most common reason a new garden struggles in its first summer.
• Soil and preparation. Importing sweet soil, clearing rubble and levelling the site are real costs. Some quotes include them and some quietly leave them out.
• Aftercare. One quote may include three months of maintenance and a plant replacement warranty. Another may stop the day the last plant goes in.

So before comparing totals, make sure every company is pricing the same thing. The money side is covered in more detail in our guide to landscaping costs in Saudi Arabia.

The 10-Point Checklist for Comparing Landscaping Companies

Score each company 0, 1 or 2 on every line. Two means they clearly meet it, one means partly, and zero means no, or that they could not give you a straight answer.

• 1. Projects you can visit. Photos are easy to borrow. Ask for the addresses of two or three finished projects similar to yours in size and type, and visit one that is at least two years old. A garden looks its best on handover day. What matters is how it looks after two summers.
• 2. Design and build under one roof. When one firm designs and another installs, problems on site turn into arguments about whose fault they are. A design and build (turnkey) contractor carries the whole result. If you already have a designer, ask the contractor how they handle changes when the drawings do not fit the site.
• 3. Irrigation in house. Ask who designs the irrigation, which controllers and drip products they use, and how they size pumps and tanks for your water supply. A company that subcontracts irrigation is handing the most important part of the job to someone you have not met.
• 4. Plant supply. Where do the plants come from, and have they been grown or held in Saudi conditions? Stock that goes straight from a shipping container into July sun has a hard time. Companies with their own nursery, or a nursery they can name, are easier to hold to account.
• 5. An itemised quote. A good quote lists species, sizes (height or container size), quantities, irrigation materials and rates. A single lump sum for “landscaping works” makes it impossible to compare like with like, and hard to check what you received.
• 6. Climate know-how. Ask what they would plant on your site and why. You want answers about heat, wind, salty soil or water on the coast, and the planting season. A contractor who plans to plant a full garden in August without a good reason is not thinking about survival.
• 7. A named site team. Find out who will run your site day to day and how many people will be on it. You should be able to call the site manager by name.
• 8. A written warranty. Plant replacement and irrigation cover should be in the contract, with the period stated and what voids it. A verbal promise is worth very little once the final payment has been made.
• 9. Aftercare. Ask for a maintenance price at the same time as the build price, even if you plan to handle it yourself later. Our guide to landscape maintenance contracts explains what a good contract covers.
• 10. Paperwork. Check the commercial registration (CR), VAT registration and insurance. For commercial and government sites, also ask for the safety (HSE) record and any prequalification documents.

How Do You Compare Landscaping Quotes Side by Side?

Put the quotes into one table before you look at the totals. Line up the same items: the number and size of trees and palms, shrubs and groundcover, square metres of lawn or turf, hardscape, irrigation, lighting and maintenance.

• Mark anything that appears in one quote and not the others, then ask the other companies to price it.
• Look for provisional sums and exclusions such as the water connection, soil import, excavation or removal of waste. They can move the final number a long way.
• Compare payment terms as well as price. A large advance before any work starts puts the risk on you.
• Be careful with price per square metre. It hides the mix of planting and hardscape, and it only helps when the quotes are for the same design.

What Are the Red Flags When Choosing a Landscaping Contractor?

• No finished projects you can visit, only photos.
• A quote prepared without anyone coming to see the site.
• One lump sum with no breakdown.
• Vague answers about irrigation products or where the plants come from.
• No written warranty, or a warranty that ends at handover.
• Pressure to sign quickly or to pay most of the price up front.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

• Can I see a finished project like mine, and speak to that client?
• Who designs the irrigation, and which products are in this price?
• What sizes are the trees and palms in this quote?
• What is excluded, and roughly what would those items cost?
• What does the warranty cover, for how long, and what would void it?
• Who will be my site manager?
• What would maintenance cost for the first year?

Does It Matter Which City the Company Works In?

Yes. Landscaping in KSA is not one climate. Riyadh and Qassim deal with very dry heat, cold winter nights and dust. Jeddah and the Red Sea coast bring humidity and salt in the air. Much of the Eastern Province adds salty soil and shallow, salty groundwater. Ask each company about projects in your city and what they would do differently there. Our guide to landscaping in Riyadh goes into the capital in more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find a good landscaping company in Riyadh?

Shortlist three companies that have finished projects in Riyadh similar to yours, visit at least one of those sites, and ask each for an itemised quote after a site visit. Then compare them on the same ten points: projects, design and build, irrigation, plant supply, quote detail, climate knowledge, site team, warranty, aftercare and paperwork.

What should a landscaping quote in Saudi Arabia include?

Plant species, sizes and quantities, lawn or turf area, hardscape items, irrigation materials and equipment, lighting, soil preparation, exclusions, the programme, payment terms, the warranty and a price for maintenance.

Is the cheapest landscaping quote a bad sign?

Not always, but check what is missing. Low quotes usually come from smaller plants, cheaper irrigation, missing soil work or no warranty. If the scope really is the same, a lower price can simply be a better deal.

Should one company handle both design and installation?

For most projects it is simpler and safer, because one firm is responsible for the result. If you use a separate designer, make sure the contractor has reviewed the drawings and agreed how changes will be handled before work starts.

Related Guides

• What Is the Cost of Landscaping in Saudi Arabia?
• Landscape Maintenance Contracts in Saudi Arabia
• Commercial Landscaping in Saudi Arabia
• Landscaping in Riyadh: The Complete Guide
• Smart Irrigation Systems in Saudi Arabia

Put AALICO Through the Same Checklist

AALICO has designed, built and maintained landscapes across Saudi Arabia since 1980, with its own nursery and irrigation businesses in the group. Our work includes King Saud University, Al Bustan Village and Diriyah. See our services, browse the projects, or contact our team and ask us the ten questions above.