Hedge trimming and mulch

[xandrew245x]

I received a call today to come out to give a quote on trimming a row of hedges and mulching underneath.

She said the row of hedges are about 30' long and about 4' wide. I'm thinking 2 yards of mulch.

So for the mulch I am going to multiply the price of it by 1.5 and then going to charge $100 for 2 hours labor for spreading it out. I'm not quite sure how long the hedge trimming is going to take, i'm going to get 2-3 hours.

The grand total to trim hedges and mulch around them would be $370, does that seem like to high of a bid?

[HPI_Savage25]

All depends on how long it actually takes you.

I get my mulch for $26.75/yard. If I can just lay the mulch down and I don't have to clean the beds out then I charge $80/yard. If I have to go through and clean the beds out first such as the leaves and such then I charge $100-120/yard.

Are you thinking 2-3 hours total for trimming the hedges and laying the mulch?

Me personally if I have 2-3 hours labor in everything I would be looking about $200-275

[Grass Doctor]

what about delivery and fuel expences

[HPI_Savage25]

Most of all my clients are within 10mins of where I dump and get my mulch from so I just include it in with the price of the mulch. If I were to be driving 20-30 miles out then I will charge extra.

I have calculated that it costs me .30 cents for every mile. So when I calculate for fuel costs I charge $1/mile. Helps compensate for fuel/time.

[xandrew245x]

I am going to have it delivered to her driveway, the delivery price is already included. The way she talked she just wants the mulch laid down. I'm thinking 2-3 hours for trimming the hedges and at most 2 hours for laying out the mulch, so 5 hours total labor. I am only going to charge $50 an hour for labor since I am just starting out my business.

[willshome]

I am only going to charge $50 an hour for labor since I am just starting out my business.

full rate around here is like $30 to $60 an hour So $50 is in the middle. May want to give like 10% off labor to make it a better looking deal

[xandrew245x]

Okay, I'll tell her i'm running a special right now for 10% off all labor, that may seal the deal

The way she talked on the phone she wants me to do the work, she said "I need my hedges trimmed and mulching done underneath them, can you do that?"

Not "I need said work done, will you come give me a quote, or how much would it cost" nothing along those lines, she just flat out said she wants the work done. I hope she has me do it, however I am a little nervous since I haven't done very much work with hedge trimming.

[Hedgemaster]

Good luck with the job. It doesn't sound overly complicated and that's a good way to get some experience.

It's one thing to underbid a 20' row of hedges that are only waist high and are in relatively decent condition that don't require a lot of effort, but when you bust your hump on some overgrown, nasty, mess that's 6' tall and falling on top of itself, and realize halfway through it you should have charges THREE TIMES what you did, it really sucks.


Here's my "hedge" thread if you haven't seen it...
http://www.gopherforum.com/showthrea...edge+mastering


Cleanup is usually the most time consuming part, but it should be simple on this job since you're applying mulch afterward. Clean up the bulk of it and anything left can be covered with mulch.

[xandrew245x]

Good luck with the job. It doesn't sound overly complicated and that's a good way to get some experience.

It's one thing to underbid a 20' row of hedges that are only waist high and are in relatively decent condition that don't require a lot of effort, but when you bust your hump on some overgrown, nasty, mess that's 6' tall and falling on top of itself, and realize halfway through it you should have charges THREE TIMES what you did, it really sucks.


Here's my "hedge" thread if you haven't seen it...
http://www.gopherforum.com/showthrea...edge+mastering


Cleanup is usually the most time consuming part, but it should be simple on this job since you're applying mulch afterward. Clean up the bulk of it and anything left can be covered with mulch.

Yeah, that is exactly what I was thinking, just going to pick up the big stuff then throw the mulch over top of it. It should be a 2-3 hour job based off of what she described, if I get there and they are a mess I am defiantly going to bid more. I am going to check out your thread, if I get the job I'm going to practice some more on my shrubs before I go do hers.

[Hedgemaster]

Also, always clarify what they mean by "trim" before giving a quote.

To some people, it means "neaten them up" and they only need an inch or two of fresh growth buzzed off.
To others, "trim" means "I'll wait until he's all cleaned up before I tell him what I REALLY meant was TAKE THEM DOWN TWO FEET."




Make sure you're both on the same page when it comes to shrubs and hedges.

[LawnBoy0311]

Also, always clarify what they mean by "trim" before giving a quote.

To some people, it means "neaten them up" and they only need an inch or two of fresh growth buzzed off.
To others, "trim" means "I'll wait until he's all cleaned up before I tell him what I REALLY meant was TAKE THEM DOWN TWO FEET."




Make sure you're both on the same page when it comes to shrubs and hedges.

just happened to me earlier in the week. CLARIFY!!! the customer let me trim them down, THEN told me what he wanted. I had to explain to him that the amount he wanted taken off was not practical. I told him to trust me, I'll make it look great. I got "thank you" call today from him and he wants other work done. Always clarify and i suggest follow up with an email. this way its all backed up and on file incase they decide they want to try to win one over on you.

[Hedgemaster]

Yeah, and most people don't understand that there's no "green" on the inside.

"Oh, and could you make these about two feet narrower than they are now?"


Yeah, no problem, so long as you want to look at "sticks".

[xandrew245x]

Yeah, I was going to ask her exactly how she wanted them done. A little buz to neaten them up will certainly be cheaper than taking a few inches off.

Do you think I should get a gas powered hedge trimmer? I actually don't even have one, I have been using my moms ryobi battery powered one for practice.

[wat5150]

Yeah, I was going to ask her exactly how she wanted them done. A little buz to neaten them up will certainly be cheaper than taking a few inches off.

Do you think I should get a gas powered hedge trimmer? I actually don't even have one, I have been using my moms ryobi battery powered one for practice.

Ryobi and battery powered outdoor power equipment=sh!t. So yes you will need to buy one. If you have a split shaft line trimmer maybe you can get an attachment for it.

[Caskey Lawns & Landscapes]

I have an echo gas trimmer and it works great.....