Three quotes land in the same backyard. One is well under the others. One reads like a full plan. One is a single line and a number.

So which landscaper do you hire?

Start with questions, not price. In Sydney, the gap between two quotes is usually a gap in scope. One company has allowed for excavation, drainage and a proper base. The other has not. On paper it looks like the same job. On site it is not.

This guide gives you ten questions to ask before you sign. Each one is easy to ask. Each one tells you something the photos will not. Work through them and the right choice usually sorts itself out.

Key Takeaways

• Check the licence. In NSW you need a contractor licence for residential building work worth more than $5,000, and structural landscaping is part of that rule.
  
• Ask for insurance too. A licence and a public liability certificate are two different things. Ask to see both.
• Never take a price over the phone. Access, soil, levels and drainage all change the cost. A quote should follow a site visit.
• Compare scope, not the bottom line. The cheapest quote often has the least work written into it.
• Ask who is actually on site. Find out who builds the job, who supervises it, and which parts go to other trades.
• Water beats looks. Ask how drainage and levels will be handled. That is what makes outdoor work last in Sydney.
• Get it in writing. Work over $5,000 needs a written contract, deposits are capped at 10%, and changes must be agreed in writing.

First, Work Out Which Type of Landscaper You Need

The word “landscaper” covers a lot of businesses. Some mow lawns. Some draw plans. Some build walls, driveways and drainage.

Hiring the wrong type wastes everyone’s time. A garden crew is not set up to build a retaining wall. A designer may not hold a licence to build what they have drawn.

Work out which row your job sits in before you ring anyone.

Quick takeaway: Match the type of business to the type of work before you ask for a single quote.

Most Sydney backyard rebuilds sit in the bottom three rows. They involve some level change, some hard surface and some drainage. That is structural landscaping, not gardening.

The 10 Questions to Ask a Landscaper in Sydney

1. Are You Licensed for This Type of Work?

In NSW you need a contractor licence to carry out, advertise or contract for residential building work worth more than $5,000. That figure covers labour and materials together, including GST.

Structural landscaping sits inside that rule. So do retaining walls that are not part of a house, fencing, driveways, paths, paving, decks and pergolas. Excavating has its own licence class as well.

Ask for the licence number. Ask whose name is on it. Then check it yourself on the NSW licence check service. It takes two minutes.

A good sign: they give you the number the first time you ask.

2. Are You Insured, and Can I See the Certificate?

A licence is not insurance. Ask for both.

Ask to see a current public liability certificate. Ask whether the crew is covered too. If a wall moves or a machine clips a service pipe, you want that cover sitting with them.

For residential building work over $20,000, NSW also requires Home Building Compensation cover. The builder has to give you proof of that cover before they start work or take your money.

3. Have You Built Something Like This Before?

Photos of a big garden do not prove much on their own. Look for jobs like yours.

If your block slopes, ask to see a sloping block. If you want a driveway, ask to see driveways. A good project gallery should show the type of work, not just the pretty corner of it.

Then ask to see something a few years old. New paving always looks good. Paving that is still flat and clean after three wet winters tells you far more.

Quick takeaway: Ask how many jobs like yours they have finished in the last twelve months.

4. Will You Visit the Site Before You Quote?

Be careful with anyone who prices your job over the phone.

Access, soil, levels, existing structures and drainage all change what a job costs. None of that shows up in a photo. It is the main reason two quotes for one backyard can be thousands apart.

Cando View only quotes after an on-site assessment, and that policy is there to stop surprise bills later.

A useful site visit takes time. They should measure, look at levels, work out where water runs, check machine access and ask how you use the space.

5. What Is Included in the Quote, and What Is Not?

This is where most of the price gap hides.

Two quotes for the same retaining wall can sit thousands apart because one allows for the footing, the drainage and the spoil removal, and the other just says “build retaining wall”.

Ask for the scope in writing. Then compare it line by line.

 Quick takeaway: A quote does not need to list every paver. It does need to show what you are buying.

6. Who Will Actually Do the Work?

Ask who turns up on day one. Ask who supervises. Ask which parts go to other trades.

Some companies win the job and then hand it down a chain of subcontractors. That is not always bad. It does mean more handovers, and handovers are where things get dropped.

Cando View runs excavation, retaining walls and concreting with its own crew.

The same team also handles paving and hardscaping, fencing and stormwater work. One crew and one contact means fewer gaps between stages.

7. How Will You Handle Drainage and Levels?

Water is what kills outdoor work in Sydney. Clay soils hold it. Slopes send it towards the house. Paving laid flat traps it.

Ask how they plan to move water off the block. Ask what goes in behind a retaining wall. A wall with no drainage behind it builds up pressure over the years, and that pressure has to go somewhere.

If the job changes how water leaves the property, ask about stormwater and on-site detention. Some councils require an OSD tank. Cando View covers this work across Ryde, North Ryde, Carlingford, Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Parramatta.

Quick takeaway: If nobody mentions drainage during the site visit, that is worth asking about twice.

8. Do I Need Council Approval or an Engineer?

Some outdoor work needs approval. Some need an engineer. It depends on height, soil, loads, boundaries, easements and your council.

Nobody can answer this properly without seeing the site and the plans. Treat a flat “you will not need approval for that” with care, especially on walls, big level changes and anything near a boundary.

Better questions to ask:

• Who checks the council requirements, you or me?
• Who arranges the engineer if the job needs one?
• Is that cost inside your quote, or on top of it?
• What happens to the timeline if approval is needed?

9. How Long Will It Take, and What Happens If Things Change?

Ask for a realistic start date and a rough run time. Then ask the harder question. What happens when something turns up that nobody planned for?

Rock under the surface. An old slab. A pipe in the wrong place. These things do happen.

In NSW, any agreed change to a home building contract has to be in writing and signed by both sides. Ask how the company handles variations before you sign, not after.

10. What Happens After the Job Is Finished?

The last day matters as much as the first. Ask what a handover looks like.

• A walk through the finished space with you
• Care advice for new turf, garden beds and plants
• Watering and irrigation instructions
• What the warranty covers, and for how long
• Who to call if something settles or moves

NSW law also gives you statutory warranties on residential building work. Those sit on top of anything the company offers, so ask what is covered by each.

Before You Sign: Contracts, Deposits and Paperwork

Residential building work over $5,000 in NSW needs a written contract. Work between $5,000 and $20,000 uses a small jobs contract. Work over $20,000 uses the larger home building contract.

The deposit is capped. Under the Home Building Act 1989, a contractor cannot ask for or accept more than 10% of the contract price.

You should also be given a copy of the Consumer Building Guide before you enter a contract for work over $5,000.

Check that the contract names the company correctly, lists the licence number, describes the scope, and sets out the payment stages. If the job is large or unusual, get independent legal advice. This article is general information, not legal advice for your project.

Red Flags and Good Signs

Walk Away When You See This

• A price given over the phone, before anyone has seen the block
• Pressure to sign today, or a discount that expires tomorrow
• Dodging questions about the licence or the insurance
• A large deposit up front with no stages after it
• No written scope, or a scope that fits on one line
• Brushing off your questions about drainage or access
• No process for changes, so any variation can cost anything
• They cannot tell you who will supervise the site

Good Signs Worth Noticing

• They measure, take photos and look at where water runs
• They ask how you use the space and who uses it
• They tell you what is not included, without being asked
• They offer material options at different price points
• They name the unknowns instead of guessing at them
• They give you a written variation process
• They explain handover and aftercare before you commit

Quick takeaway: How a company communicates before the job is a fair guide to how it will communicate once the yard is open.

What to Ask Past Customers

Reviews are useful, but patterns matter more than star ratings. Look for repeated comments about the same things.

If the company gives you a reference, ask questions that are hard to answer vaguely:

1. Was the final cost close to the quote you accepted?
2. Were extra costs explained before the work went ahead?
3. Did they tell you about delays, or did you have to chase?
4. Was the site left safe and tidy each day?
5. How has the paving, wall or drainage held up since?
6. Would you use them again?

The last one usually tells you the most.

How Cando View Answers These Questions

Cando View is a family-run landscaping and outdoor construction company started by Anki and Pol Kando in 2019. The trade experience behind it goes back to 2007, across civil construction, excavation and earthworks.

The company is licensed and insured, and the Company Licence is #376103C. Quotes follow an on-site assessment, never a phone call. Excavation, landscaping, hardscaping, concreting, retaining walls, fencing and stormwater work are all handled by the one crew.

The team works across Sydney’s north-west, including Epping, Ryde, Eastwood, Carlingford, North Epping, Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, Hornsby and Parramatta.

The family name is on the business, which is a reasonable reason to expect the work to be done properly.

Ready to Talk About Your Project?

If you are weighing up landscapers in Sydney, put these ten questions to each of them. Then compare what comes back.

To get Cando View’s answers in person, book an on-site assessment. Call 0424 240 674 or email info@candoview.com.au. We will look at the site, talk through what it needs, and quote from there.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many landscaping quotes should I get in Sydney?

Two to four is usually enough. Any more and the comparison gets messy. Make sure every company is pricing the same scope, or the numbers will not line up.

2. Do landscapers in Sydney need a licence?

Yes, for most jobs. In NSW a contractor licence is required for residential building work valued over $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST. Structural landscaping, retaining walls, fencing, paving and driveways all fall under that rule.

3. How do I check a landscaper’s licence in NSW?

Ask for the licence number and the name it is held under, then look it up on the NSW licence check service. Also confirm the licence class covers the work you want done.

4. Should a landscaper quote without seeing the site?

No. Access, soil, levels, existing structures and drainage all affect the cost, and none of that is visible in a photo. A quote given over the phone is a guess.

5. Is the cheapest landscaping quote a bad sign?

Not on its own. It becomes a problem when the low price comes with vague materials, no site preparation, no drainage and no exclusions. Compare the scope first, then the price.

6. How much deposit can a landscaper ask for in NSW?

Under the Home Building Act 1989, the maximum deposit for residential building work is 10% of the contract price. Anything above that is not permitted.

7. Do I need council approval for a retaining wall in Sydney?

It depends on the height, the soil, the loads, the boundaries and your local council. Some walls also need engineering. Check with your council and a qualified engineer before work starts.

8. What should a landscaping contract include?

The company’s legal name and licence number, the scope of work, plans and specifications, materials, the price, payment stages, the variation process, warranties and site responsibilities.