I am looking for help on a business I am thinking on starting up and looking to get ideas and cost .?

Question

I am looking at starting up a business of Mowing lawns and doing spring clean up, like hauling brush and picking up mulch and spreading it for customers. I like to know what should I charge like on a small lawn and then what do i charge for big lawns and then maybe even like huge places of business that have alot of lawn. Do i charge by the Hour, or by the job. Also what should i charge just to go pick up a thing of mulch or whatever they want, I know the cost i would add in of what the cost of the amount of mulch they need but what is my charge to pick it up, then if they want me to spead it out. Also what about hauling brush to get rid of for them. I do have a place to put the brush at no cost but i need to make something on a cleanup and hauling brush or whatever. I have done almost all these things but never of my own business. Can anyone help me out. I live in New Hampshire.
Thanks and if any other suggestion would be nice also.

Thaks again

Answer 1

I have operated a small landscaping business for a while and it is easy. I base all of my estimates on $32.00 per hour for myself and $24.00 per hour for any workers I have with me. (Temp agencies are a great scource for help for one day at a time).

I live in AZ so the economy/market may be different here. You may also want to charge less as you get started and raise prices when you get busy. I usually charge customers only for the time that I spend at their house. The nursery gives me a 25% discount and sometimes I charge full price for any items I pick up.

Most people want a quote before you start the job, so try to estimate how long it will take you, add in the cost of supplies plus a few bucks and learn from your mistakes. Because you will make mistakes. It always takes longer than you think it will and things usually seem to go wrong (like your helper breaks a sprinkler head). Sometimes, if they are trying to save money I'll give them the option to pay me by the hour, after giving them a ball park estimate.

Try to get regular customers, steady income is nice. I advertise in the yellow pages, a 1 to 1 1/2 inch ad gives me all the work I can handle.

Get a trailer to hold your equipment as soon as you can afford it, its a pain to try to do it all out of your truck. Buy tools as you need them. Don't go out and buy a big chain saw or a hedge trimmer untill you have a job that needs one.

Like I said, I don't know how well my experience applies to the market across the country, but I hope it helps.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

You need to base it all on time, labor, and gas cost. Whatever the highest cost gas was last year, add a dollar to it, then figure the rest. You are going to charge by the job, but you will have figured all the hourly and extras into it.

Example: John Cash wants you to mow his lawn for the season. How often do lawns get cut in your geographical area each year (in MD it is estimated at 32 cuts per year - 1x each week during growing season)? From there, say he lives 15 miles from you. You get 15mpg, so round trip that is 2 gallons of gas at $10 - at highest last season cost plus $1. Gas/oil for mowers, trimmers is maybe 1 gallon each cut for a mid size lawn at $5. Let's say it takes 2 hours to do the mow/trim (I doubt it would take that long but this is hypothetical) and you charge $15/hr labor (that's cheap) at $30 per cut. So you add all that and you get $45 per cut/trim for a midsize lawn, contracted for a season of 32 cuts.

For hauling...same thing....distance x gas price + hourly wage (in this case adding travel time) + materials cost.

Just remember gas price, gas price, gas price..this will make or break you in terms of profit, if you underestimate you can't add it back into the contract once signed for mowing. Hauling you can adjust with the season, but on contracts it will kill you if you don't get it right! Also, if you do commercial they are going to want insurance verification so you need to add that in to contract price if you go after the big ones.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

I think you should quote each job seperately, based on how long you think it will take and how hard you'll have to work. Digging sod should cost more than hauling branches. Charge at least ten bucks an hour for your time, and then double your real expenses like gas and supplies. Tools should be part of your hourly charge.

Answer 4

What Is Reasonable.