how do you estimate

[kosty]

what are the circumstance to estimate a property to mow?

[SodKing]

What????????

[kosty]

im trying to find out how u guys price lawns to mow. For example how big is it, or how many trees u have to go around, how hill is it. Do you go out with a rolling tape measurement and measure it.

For example today i went and did an estimate for a lawn where i mow it was like 3 f-250 long and 2 trucks wide, that was the front the back was like two times that and then the other side was like 5 trucks long and a truck and half wide. i estimated 40 dollars they tell me the other guy did it for 18
i thought somewhere around 30-40 thought i would start high and drop down to 30 if they same something. and this was a suburban property

[ed2hess]

Well you now have one data point regarding the market price in your area. Generally if you bid several and they keep saying too high you either keep on bidding high or cut your price.

[Mr. Vern]

im trying to find out how u guys price lawns to mow. For example how big is it, or how many trees u have to go around, how hill is it. Do you go out with a rolling tape measurement and measure it.

For example today i went and did an estimate for a lawn where i mow it was like 3 f-250 long and 2 trucks wide, that was the front the back was like two times that and then the other side was like 5 trucks long and a truck and half wide. i estimated 40 dollars they tell me the other guy did it for 18
i thought somewhere around 30-40 thought i would start high and drop down to 30 if they same something. and this was a suburban property

Ok, I don't do mowing, only installs but I would first find a more precise method of measurement. If you are measuring distances based on how many F250's long they are, youre eventually gonna get into some trouble. For instance what if today you have a std cab w/short bed and you bid a job and get it. Imagine that it's a really good paying job so you decide to buy a new truck and your wife insists you need a crew cab w/long bed. Now when you go to the lumber yard to get your materials and you use your new truck to measure materials for the job you bid using your old truck, your gonna blow all of the profit on excess materials. I woud suggest you start by getting a good tape measure it's well worth the $15 you will spend

[topsites]

im trying to find out how u guys price lawns to mow. For example how big is it, or how many trees u have to go around, how hill is it. Do you go out with a rolling tape measurement and measure it.

No, I don't measure because over time I learned what size is what by looks so how big a quarter acre looks <- I know this. The way I learned is flat out ask the home-owner how big is their lot, and keep asking until you got it down. Now some of them may lie to you so to get a cheaper price but most people are honest so it's not that big a problem and with time you will know like me, this lot is 1/3 acre, that lot is 1/2 acre, and so on, just by looking at it (and yeah you gotta walk around the back to see it all ok).

My prices today are as follows:
1/4 acre - $35
1/3 acre - $40
1/2 acre - $45
2/3 acre - $50
3/4 acre - $55
Full acre - $60
Minimum charge: $35 <- I don't drop my gate for less.

That having been said, when business is slow it never hurts to drop the above prices by 5 dollars each (not to outline the whole thing again, 35 becomes 30, etc). Also when I started out my prices were lower (to get more business) and even today I still have a couple of Full acre lots I do for $45 and some 1/4 acres for $30, to give you some ideas, it's not a perfect science.

Another method that works is adjust your price according to demand / response: If demand is sky-high (lots of phonecalls) your prices can be higher so you don't get too much work, then also if response is absolute zero your prices should be lower: Always lower / raise your prices slightly <- 5 bucks one way or the other makes a big difference, any more than that and you may find yourself out-smarted, but if after a while 5 bucks is not enough, maybe another 5 does the trick.

Hope that helps.

[PMLAWN]

Ok, I don't do mowing, only installs but I would first find a more precise method of measurement. If you are measuring distances based on how many F250's long they are, youre eventually gonna get into some trouble. For instance what if today you have a std cab w/short bed and you bid a job and get it. Imagine that it's a really good paying job so you decide to buy a new truck and your wife insists you need a crew cab w/long bed. Now when you go to the lumber yard to get your materials and you use your new truck to measure materials for the job you bid using your old truck, your gonna blow all of the profit on excess materials. I woud suggest you start by getting a good tape measure it's well worth the $15 you will spend

I also believe that there may be some people that may get PO-ed that you drove that F250 across their front lawn to measure it.
The 2x4 method is much better for the lawn. Just put an 8' 2x4 down and than move it as many times as it takes to cross the lawn Add it up and you have your measurement. Just be sure to remove it from your pocket before you enter their glass patio door, been their done that:) :)







Sorry just had to, Cut a few and figure how long it takes to do a certian size. If you get into bigger lots you need to measure but for smaller stuff, most you can just tell. Add in your hourly rate.

[kosty]

thanks for some of the help. Its just that ive done two estimates so far and one was a simple yard i quoted her 20 she told me it was a little higher than last year, but bc i did such a great job plowing she will go with the 20 and sign up next year for plowing too. She also said that she paid 18 dollars last year but her lawn was at least 2-3 times smaller. And i went of that lawn plus the area is alot more nicer where the bigger lot is and i get low balled. I was thinking if i should call her back bc she was a good customer for plowing never complained and see if she would sign up for the leaf clean-up and plowing for next season and i would do it for 25, or should i just let it fly

[kosty]

I also believe that there may be some people that may get PO-ed that you drove that F250 across their front lawn to measure it.
The 2x4 method is much better for the lawn. Just put an 8' 2x4 down and than move it as many times as it takes to cross the lawn Add it up and you have your measurement. Just be sure to remove it from your pocket before you enter their glass patio door, been their done that:) :)







Sorry just had to, Cut a few and figure how long it takes to do a certian size. If you get into bigger lots you need to measure but for smaller stuff, most you can just tell. Add in your hourly rate.

no i didnt drive over it i just used a mental image of my truck and how many i could fit on it. I do the same for plowing how longs the driveway how many cars fit on it.

[yrdandgardenhandyman]

no i didnt drive over it i just used a mental image of my truck and how many i could fit on it. I do the same for plowing how longs the driveway how many cars fit on it.


Now you have the general idea. After a while you will be able to just look and be able to tell approximately the sq footage. But, sq footage is just one of the measures of cost. What kind of grass is it? How many obstacles to mow around and to trim around? Do they want every week mowing or every 10 days or bi-weekly? Are there other services you can sell to possibly offset a slightly lower price to get the lawn?
In order to get a good price you must sell yourself as to why they should pay you a higher price than the other guy. Some people only want a low price and these people usually don't want any other services except maybe snow removal. I try for the ones who want their lawn AND landscape to look good. Upsell, upsell, upsell.

[kosty]

Now you have the general idea. After a while you will be able to just look and be able to tell approximately the sq footage. But, sq footage is just one of the measures of cost. What kind of grass is it? How many obstacles to mow around and to trim around? Do they want every week mowing or every 10 days or bi-weekly? Are there other services you can sell to possibly offset a slightly lower price to get the lawn?
In order to get a good price you must sell yourself as to why they should pay you a higher price than the other guy. Some people only want a low price and these people usually don't want any other services except maybe snow removal. I try for the ones who want their lawn AND landscape to look good. Upsell, upsell, upsell.

yea i hear you but who ever did it last year did a good job i have to say, hard to believe it was only $18. Should I call them back and drop my price or just stay to my guns

[PMLAWN]

yea i hear you but who ever did it last year did a good job i have to say, hard to believe it was only $18. Should I call them back and drop my price or just stay to my guns

I was just teasing before:) but at 20 you are low so stick to your guns hard. Remember the signature line--"I don't let the guy that went out of business last year set my prices"

[yrdandgardenhandyman]

yea i hear you but who ever did it last year did a good job i have to say, hard to believe it was only $18. Should I call them back and drop my price or just stay to my guns


Tell them to call the $18.00 guy and move on.

[steviepowers]

[QUOTE=PMLAWN]I also believe that there may be some people that may get PO-ed that you drove that F250 across their front lawn to measure it.
The 2x4 method is much better for the lawn. Just put an 8' 2x4 down and than move it as many times as it takes to cross the lawn Add it up and you have your measurement. Just be sure to remove it from your pocket before you enter their glass patio door, been their done that:) :)

Yea, that looks professional. Invest in a $50 walking wheel. You can cut the yard into squares, walk it off in about 5 minutes and have an accurate area. That way you never screw yourself. If you come up with, say, 22000 sqft; divide that by 44000 (acre). That gives you .5 or half an acre. If you know about how many acres your mower can cut in an hour, let's say 1.25. Divide total area, y what you can do in hour... .5 / 1.25 = .4 It will take you .4 hours to cut (.4 * 60 mins = 24 mins.) Add the amount of time you think it will take you to trim and blow, we'll say 25 mins... You're in and out in 50 mins. You wanna make $25 per hour, so you charge $25 plus your expenses (gas, insurance, advertising, etc) There you go professional, accurate, and easy once you do a couple.

[PMLAWN]

[QUOTE=PMLAWN]I also believe that there may be some people that may get PO-ed that you drove that F250 across their front lawn to measure it.
The 2x4 method is much better for the lawn. Just put an 8' 2x4 down and than move it as many times as it takes to cross the lawn Add it up and you have your measurement. Just be sure to remove it from your pocket before you enter their glass patio door, been their done that:) :)

Yea, that looks professional. Invest in a $50 walking wheel. You can cut the yard into squares, walk it off in about 5 minutes and have an accurate area. That way you never screw yourself. If you come up with, say, 22000 sqft; divide that by 44000 (acre). That gives you .5 or half an acre. If you know about how many acres your mower can cut in an hour, let's say 1.25. Divide total area, y what you can do in hour... .5 / 1.25 = .4 It will take you .4 hours to cut (.4 * 60 mins = 24 mins.) Add the amount of time you think it will take you to trim and blow, we'll say 25 mins... You're in and out in 50 mins. You wanna make $25 per hour, so you charge $25 plus your expenses (gas, insurance, advertising, etc) There you go professional, accurate, and easy once you do a couple. So I take it you don't like my 2x4 method??????:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[fyshstykr]

Thanks, that was ALL good! :laugh:

[Grn Mtn]

yea i hear you but who ever did it last year did a good job i have to say, hard to believe it was only $18. Should I call them back and drop my price or just stay to my guns

What ever you do, NEVER LOWER YOUR PRICE. If you lower it once it gives the impression you will do it again, next thing you know is your always having to lower the price. Also its a sign of ineptness, the customer once to feel reassured that they hired someone who knows what they are doing, and being wishy-washy on pricing is a bad start.

File the info away as far as pricing and adjust accordingly, just don't go lower than you can make good money with. Unless you will be getting other services out of it, but even then, don't drop the price that much.

My minimum was $25 but I offered a $2.50 discount if a neighbor signed up -max of $5 off for 2 or more neighbors. I felt this was an acceptable loss of revenue because of the time saved not having to load and unload the trailer. It came in handy because I came across this bunch of neighbors that wanted mowing, but the guy last year did it for $18 BUT he used "Zero" turns and left ruts and blew grass all over the beds. So I said well I won't do that (and if I do I will make sure to blow out the clippings when done) and I use a WB that is lighter so less of a chance of rutting. Plus if you get both neighbors to sign up you'll be at $20. Well I ended up with 5 accounts that took me a little over 2 hours to complete. I got out of mowing because gas went up, I went from putting 18,000 miles on the truck to 6,000 because I stay close to home now.

[Freddy_Kruger]

When someone mentions a rediculous price in window cleaning, if they say this guy did it for a dollar a window or something, I just say I can't compete with squigee boys. I have taken too many jobs just to have work. Then I spend the entire time wishing I didn't have the job or thinking maybe I should cut corners and sometimes I have cut corners (which isnt good for the self esteem)... These very same ppl are usually the whiners and complainers anyway. Now I get a kick out of walking away from what I know is a bad deal though I still screw up. All in all, stick with decent prices.

[kosty]

What ever you do, NEVER LOWER YOUR PRICE. If you lower it once it gives the impression you will do it again, next thing you know is your always having to lower the price. Also its a sign of ineptness, the customer once to feel reassured that they hired someone who knows what they are doing, and being wishy-washy on pricing is a bad start.

File the info away as far as pricing and adjust accordingly, just don't go lower than you can make good money with. Unless you will be getting other services out of it, but even then, don't drop the price that much.

My minimum was $25 but I offered a $2.50 discount if a neighbor signed up -max of $5 off for 2 or more neighbors. I felt this was an acceptable loss of revenue because of the time saved not having to load and unload the trailer. It came in handy because I came across this bunch of neighbors that wanted mowing, but the guy last year did it for $18 BUT he used "Zero" turns and left ruts and blew grass all over the beds. So I said well I won't do that (and if I do I will make sure to blow out the clippings when done) and I use a WB that is lighter so less of a chance of rutting. Plus if you get both neighbors to sign up you'll be at $20. Well I ended up with 5 accounts that took me a little over 2 hours to complete. I got out of mowing because gas went up, I went from putting 18,000 miles on the truck to 6,000 because I stay close to home now.

Hey Roald, will u do a paver in brighton had a call last night for mowing and also asked if i could a paver walk i told them that my freind can. let me know if you can do it, ill go over thier today around 3pm. Ill see what she wants done then you can just go over thier and give her the estimate.

[kosty]

yea i called back and left a massage that just bc they are a plowing cust. that i will offer a 10% discount on all services or ill mow for 30 and they must sign up for fall clean and snowplowing at full cost.

[Grn Mtn]

.. will u do a paver in brighton.....

Check your PM

[sbc1971]

Ok, I don't do mowing, only installs but I would first find a more precise method of measurement. If you are measuring distances based on how many F250's long they are, youre eventually gonna get into some trouble. For instance what if today you have a std cab w/short bed and you bid a job and get it. Imagine that it's a really good paying job so you decide to buy a new truck and your wife insists you need a crew cab w/long bed. Now when you go to the lumber yard to get your materials and you use your new truck to measure materials for the job you bid using your old truck, your gonna blow all of the profit on excess materials. I woud suggest you start by getting a good tape measure it's well worth the $15 you will spend
I dont think I have laughed that hard in a month.

[one man gang]

No, I don't measure because over time I learned what size is what by looks so how big a quarter acre looks <- I know this. The way I learned is flat out ask the home-owner how big is their lot, and keep asking until you got it down. Now some of them may lie to you so to get a cheaper price but most people are honest so it's not that big a problem and with time you will know like me, this lot is 1/3 acre, that lot is 1/2 acre, and so on, just by looking at it (and yeah you gotta walk around the back to see it all ok).

My prices today are as follows:
1/4 acre - $35
1/3 acre - $40
1/2 acre - $45
2/3 acre - $50
3/4 acre - $55
Full acre - $60
Minimum charge: $35 <- I don't drop my gate for less.

That having been said, when business is slow it never hurts to drop the above prices by 5 dollars each (not to outline the whole thing again, 35 becomes 30, etc). Also when I started out my prices were lower (to get more business) and even today I still have a couple of Full acre lots I do for $45 and some 1/4 acres for $30, to give you some ideas, it's not a perfect science.

Another method that works is adjust your price according to demand / response: If demand is sky-high (lots of phonecalls) your prices can be higher so you don't get too much work, then also if response is absolute zero your prices should be lower: Always lower / raise your prices slightly <- 5 bucks one way or the other makes a big difference, any more than that and you may find yourself out-smarted, but if after a while 5 bucks is not enough, maybe another 5 does the trick.

Hope that helps.

Excellent post!

[CutNLawns]

im trying to find out how u guys price lawns to mow. For example how big is it, or how many trees u have to go around, how hill is it. Do you go out with a rolling tape measurement and measure it.

For example today i went and did an estimate for a lawn where i mow it was like 3 f-250 long and 2 trucks wide, that was the front the back was like two times that and then the other side was like 5 trucks long and a truck and half wide. i estimated 40 dollars they tell me the other guy did it for 18
i thought somewhere around 30-40 thought i would start high and drop down to 30 if they same something. and this was a suburban property

I have a 2500HD crew cab so my figures may differ a little from yours!!!!!!!!

Most lawns you can guestimate pretty close but I use a measuring wheel to get the correct size of the property my first time there. This way i can give an accurate estimate plus I can store that info in my system and if they ever ask for additional services like fert, aeration or ? I have thier info and do not have to make a trip back out to thier property and can usually give them an estimate over the phone.

[PMLAWN]

I have a 2500HD crew cab so my figures may differ a little from yours!!!!!!!!

Most lawns you can guestimate pretty close but I use a measuring wheel to get the correct size of the property my first time there. This way i can give an accurate estimate plus I can store that info in my system and if they ever ask for additional services like fert, aeration or ? I have thier info and do not have to make a trip back out to thier property and can usually give them an estimate over the phone.

Long or short bed:laugh: :laugh:


Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a real businessman's answer finally.
This is the 'Excellent" post