You call three contractors about your yard. Maybe it's a new pool. Maybe it's a full landscape makeover: new planting beds, palms, pavers, the works. Each contractor walks the property, sketches something, and sends you a number. The three numbers are nowhere near each other. So which one is the best deal?
Honestly, you can't tell. And it isn't because the contractors are hiding anything. It's because each of them priced a different project.
Why three quotes almost never describe the same project
When there is no drawing, every contractor fills in the blanks their own way. One pool builder pictures a slightly bigger pool and another assumes a smaller deck. One landscaper counts thirty shrubs along the fence and another counts sixty. Each choice is reasonable on its own, but together they make the quotes impossible to line up.
On a pool, the things that usually differ from quote to quote:
- The size, shape and depth of the pool
- How many square feet of deck, and what the deck is made of
- Coping, tile and interior finish
- The equipment: pumps, heater, lights, automation
- Extras like a spa, sunshelf, water feature or fire bowls
On a landscape project, it's things like:
- How many plants, and which kinds
- Where the planting beds go, and how big they are
- How many square feet of pavers, sod, mulch or rock
- Extras like lighting, a pergola, a fire pit or an outdoor kitchen
Landscape quotes drift even more than pool quotes, because so much of the job is a count. Twenty extra plants here and a few hundred square feet of pavers there, and two quotes for "the same yard" can end up far apart.
So the low bid may simply be the bid with the least in it. You are not comparing prices. You are comparing guesses.
What a scaled drawing is
A scaled drawing is your project on paper, drawn to scale from your property survey. It shows where everything goes and how big it is, with the measurements written right on the plan. A good one also lists the details a contractor needs in order to price the job.
For a pool, that means:
- Pool dimensions, depths, surface area and water volume
- Deck area in square feet, and the deck material
- Coping, tile and interior finish selections
- Equipment and lighting
For a landscape project, it means:
- Every planting bed, drawn where it goes and at its real size
- A plant legend that names each plant and counts how many
- Driveways, walkways and patios, drawn to scale
- The house and existing features, so nothing has to be guessed
Five ways a scaled drawing gets you better bids
1. Every contractor prices the same project
Hand the same drawing to every contractor and ask each one to price exactly what is on it. Now the project is the same in every quote, and the only thing that changes is the price. That is what apples to apples means.
2. You can see what a low bid left out
With one drawing as the reference, you can go down each quote line by line. If one contractor is far below the others, check the quote against the drawing. Is the deck the full size? Is the heater in there? Are all the plants in the legend in the count? A low number is only a good number when it covers the same work.
3. Fewer surprises once the work starts
Most mid-project price increases come from something nobody wrote down at the start. When the sizes, materials and plant counts are on paper before you sign, there is far less room for "that wasn't included." (For more on this, see 5 questions to ask before you sign a pool contract.)
4. Getting more bids is easy
Your drawing is a PDF. You can email the same file to as many contractors as you like. Each one starts from the same plan instead of starting over with a new sketch, so a fourth or fifth bid costs you very little effort.
5. The plan belongs to you
When a contractor draws your project, the design is often tied to that contractor. When you bring your own drawing, the plan is yours. You can take it to any pool builder or landscaper you want, and you are free to choose on price, quality and trust.
How to run your bids, step by step
- Get the drawing first. Settle the design before you ask anyone for a price.
- Send the same PDF to at least three licensed contractors.
- Ask each one to price exactly what is drawn. If a contractor wants to suggest a change, ask them to list it separately as an option, with its own price.
- Compare line by line. On a pool: size, deck square footage, materials, equipment. On a landscape: plant counts, bed and paver areas, materials.
- Ask about anything that is missing. If it is on the drawing and not in the quote, find out why.
A word about the cheapest bid
Once every contractor is pricing the same project, a lower price finally means something. It still isn't the whole story. Check the license and insurance, ask for recent references, and pay attention to how clearly each contractor answers your questions.
The goal isn't the lowest price. It's knowing exactly what each number buys.
One last thing. We are designers, not builders. We don't sell construction or installation, so we have no stake in which contractor you choose. Our job is to put a clear plan in your hands so you can shop it with confidence.
Get a scaled drawing you can hand to any contractor.
Every RenderBlueprint design, pool or landscape, includes a scaled drawing, photoreal renders and a 3D walkthrough video. See exactly what you get, or start your design today. Designs start at $495.
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