Major garden clean up

[nmurray65]

hey guys i'm having a hard time on how to bid a huge job cleaning up flower beds. There are 7 big landscaping beds that are mildly overgrown, i will need to remove all the previous weed blocker and replace it with new, there will also be 10 bushes that need to be removed. thinking about it now it all seems pretty easy but i know once i get started working w/ my 2 employees it will be harder than originally thought. There is also a big mowing contract i will bid on the same property so i don't mind taking a little less on the clean up if it means i get the awesome mowing. thanks for any ideas on how to break it down and bidding the flowerbed jobs.

[cleancutlawncare5382]

Lawn care business tips

Can you figure hourly + materials.

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www.montgomerysqualitylawncare.com

[Upscale2]

Just figure it accordingly, don't skimp on your time.

Q: Do you use weed blocker?

I can never understand why, because it doesn't block weeds???

If you mulch a bed sooner or later weeds still grow with or without it.

Bed maintenance is key!

I never use weed blocker fabric. And I explain to the customer why. Plus it always ends up popping throught to the surface.

[CHEESE2009]

Originally Posted by Upscale2

Just figure it accordingly, don't skimp on your time.

Q: Do you use weed blocker?

I can never understand why, because it doesn't block weeds???

If you mulch a bed sooner or later weeds still grow with or without it.

Bed maintenance is key!

I never use weed blocker fabric. And I explain to the customer why. Plus it always ends up popping throught to the surface.

Weed block is a job and a half to use.

Though there are ways to may it work by adding sand and stone beneath the cloth while keeping a small layer of soil above it.

Either way, forget about it LOL. Cutting that crap makes me want to rip my hair out. Every time I've used it, the wind was against me... Stupid wind....


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Also, weed block is easily disturbed. If you accidentally step on your project you can expect to have yourself re-do everything.

Tell your client to add mulch instead, look for the brand that reduces the weeds growth. Avoid wood chips as most will attract ants.






If you are using weed block, look around for a pair of good scissors, a cutting board and a box cutter.

Put a strip of the mesh/material over your board, use the box cutter to cut the center of the mesh, and the scissors to cut the "ends"... My advice makes no sense without a picture... dammit.

[nmurray65]

Trust me i agree with you but the customer really wants the weed blocker and i told them it wouldnt be cheap. so for this removal and trimming of bushes do you think $100/hour is in the right range? i believe it will take 8 hours so im thinking about bidding $800. with that in mind i know as always it will more than likely take closer to 10 hours just from prior experience. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Steve]

Is that $100 an hour including materials?

I would think the price per man hour may be a little high but maybe its the going rate in your area.

[CHEESE2009]

It costs .35cents per contractor garbage bag

You charge $15.00 per bag which you fill up with leaves

If you fill up 10 garbage bags, you make = $150.00

$150.00 - $3.50 (for 10 used garbage bags) = $146.50

You can add on additional fees; gas, hourly wage min/max....


I like to charge a customer a minimum fee, for example;

If I charge $20.00 an hour, my customer must pay me $20.00 regardless if a job took me 5 minutes.


You can also add up front fees such as;

A starting fee pf $50.00 for us to prepare and run our equipment.


$50.00 + 146.50 = 196.50 (you are now in the safe profiting zone)

[nmurray65]

I agree $100 a man hour is high for one man, but i will have a three man crew working for 8 hours, so 24 man hours total. this will take my crew off of other jobs fro an entire day. Plus included in that price is close to $100 of mulch and $50 of weed blocker, $30 of fescue seed. with all that considered does that sound more reasonable?

[Steve]

Ok that makes more sense to me.

I'd say submit the bid in person and see what kind of response you get from the customer. If you know your costs, you can potentially have some leeway in the price depending on the customers reaction.

Keep us posted on how it goes.