Clearing an acre of brush

#1 08-17-2006, 01:37 PM

I am renting a tractor with a brush cutter, bringing in 2 dumpsters, and that will cost me around 2000. then theres the labor for what i estimate to be 2 days of work

I was looking to charge 6 thousand. Anyone think thats too high or low
I never priced out a land clearing job before, so Im tryiing not to screw up my price

#2 08-17-2006, 02:06 PM

Lawn care business tips

Are you hauling everything away? I know that excavating companies when doing lot clearing charge anywhere from $75 to $100 per hr, that is around here though. Now hauling it away is a different story though.

It's an acre; how thick is the brush, are there trees or just mostly grass? I guess that I am a little confused by the need for the 2 dumpsters.

Now if you were going to just cut it with a brush cutter I would say $750-$1,000 seems good. I have mowed lots though before (approx 8,000 sq ft) of where I have charged $200 for brush cutting with my mower. Now if you were to haul everything away, that is another story.

#3 08-17-2006, 02:24 PM

all must be hauled away, the brush is all grass, however its 5 ft high for the entire acre and extremely thick.

That is why i am planning on renting a tractor with a brush cutter

that alone with delivery is gonna cost me around $1000 if it takes 2 days

#4 08-17-2006, 04:58 PM

Ok, cost of dumpster $2,000; cost of brush cutter $1,000....and what are the cost of the workers?

How many hours do you think that it will take? 16-20hrs?

#5 08-17-2006, 07:46 PM

thats what i was thinkin, 3 guys to just move the debris, about 16-18 hrs

#6 08-17-2006, 08:04 PM

Well, if you figure around $10 per hour per guy (if you pay them that), so you are paying out $30 per hr, at 18 hrs is $540 labor.

So
Brush Cutter: $1,000
Disposal Unit: $2,000
Labor: $540

Total Cost: $3540. Now that does not include your overhead cost for the business.

$6,000 sounds great. I would probably charge around $5,500. Try out high at first and if they balk at the price, slowly work your way down with $5,000 being the lowest that you would go.

#7 08-17-2006, 10:25 PM

im actually planning on starting at 7, and slowly working down to 6 as my minimum. I am really busy this month and really, for the remainder of the season, so if they want it done now, (which the town will fine them if they dont) thats how much I want. So if I get it, its a bonus. Thanks for the help though, again, I didnt really know if I was overshooting , or more importantly, undershooting the job

excel25 · #8 10-06-2006, 05:11 AM

So, did you get it? how long did it take?

Clearing an acre of brush

Lawn Maintenance / Lawn Renovation