Lawn estimates

[Yard Elements]

I use the estimator on here a lot but was wondering if there was a base per square foot I could charge, for the people who want a quote right on the spot. No laptop! Iphone Etc.(I know behind on the times) Alot of the times I measure then use the calculator It's pretty right on most of the time but I usually either am under and over and when I'm going to be mowing there lawn every two weeks I'd like to get it right. Any Ideas?

Lawn care business tips

I have a set minimum price I use, if I get two next to each other I will some times go lower. Figure out how much you need to make hourly to pay yourself and the overhead. plus you need to make the company money for repairs and new equipment. your price should be based on the time it will take you and the equipment you will need IE: A 2 acre open field might be just as cheap as a .75 acre home site with a bunch of trees to string trim around and side walk to edge. corner lots with sidewalk on two sides cost even more. Also flower beds that need to be edged will take longer and cost more. time = money The more efficiently you can work the more money you can make.

[XtreemGreen]

When I first started, I was in the family business... My parents hired a guy that has been in the business for years to show My Dad the ropes.. He said to charge $1 per minute...That has always stuck in my head... Although that figure does not always work..Like ProCut I have always used a minimum set price rether its per cut or monthly billing..
Maybe talk to some established guys in your area to get a ballpark figure..

[Yard Elements]

So you really just have to get a feel for it and be able to guess how long it will take you. I usually go for $1 a min but have trouble figuring out how long it will take me. i guess it's just an experience thing?

[Steve]

Can you keep track of your average lawn size and know how long it takes to mow such a lawn size?

Then measure the size of new lawns and use some kind of ratio between the new lawn and the standard lawn. That should give you a good estimate of time.

[Yard Elements]

Originally Posted by Steve

Can you keep track of your average lawn size and know how long it takes to mow such a lawn size?

Then measure the size of new lawns and use some kind of ratio between the new lawn and the standard lawn. That should give you a good estimate of time.

I should have thought of that! Thanks bro great Idea! That exactly what I am going to do!

[lnbn1975]

Here's a link to a quick cheat sheet. It's not set up for what you need right now, but I'll tell you what to do.

I made this for lawn care applications in another thread, but it'll be easy to change for your application.

Figure out what you need to charge per 1000 square feet of lawn with variables. I am going to give you some examples, you do it how you want.

Open, flat, no trim 9.00

open, flat, some trim 12.00

few trees, average 14.00

many trees, lots trim, 18.00

Now, what you'll do is put in the type of lawn in the column with the product name. Keep it short, just so you know what it means. Then, in the column that says Oz. per 1000 sq. ft, you put your price per 1000 sq. feet. No $ but you can put in 9.50 or what ever you like. OK, now, you are ready for the calculations. In the yellow box type in the size of the lawn you want to display. (If it is 3500 square feet, you will enter 3.5) You can enter and print out a dozen different sheets for different sized properties and put them in a notebook to carry with you.

Want to simplify? Change things around. In the column that says product, put anything you want, or nothing. In the column that says "Oz. per 1000" put various lot sizes, i.e., (1 for a thousand, 2 for 2000, etc.) Then, after you get your sizes in, just enter your price per 1000 square feet of mow. This will then give you all the prices for the various sized lots. Only thing is that it will not give a different price for different services. Print 1 sheet and you are done.

Any questions, let me know.

Here is the link to the post with the spreadsheet.