First Post - Pricing Assistance

[30ftup]

I have been checking things out for a while, this is a great site. I just started and have about 20 small mowing jobs and a ton or requests for spring cleanup and mulching.

Today I received a call to quote ongoing mowing and maintenance for a 40,000sq foot yard. It is pretty flat with not many trees. The customer complained that the previous mower never picked up the clippings and the lawn had major thatch. He requested me to aerate and over-seed and then maintain.

I will see him this weekend and here is my plan. I am going to tell him that I will come in and do a real good thatching to get rid of all the old grass. I will then mow and fertilize for the year and in the fall aerate and over-seed. it is really to late to seed here if I am going to fertilize and I think if I thatch real good it will really clean things up and the old grass with take off. I will then offer to bag the clippings every 4th mowing.

So, what is a good price to mow 40,000sq feet., bagging every 4th mow - I have a 36" mower.
What is a good price for the original thatching.
What is a good price to fertilize.
What is a good price to aerate and over-seed.

Thanks, again, I only am doing small lawns, so I appreciate your assistance.

[cwlawley]

Mowing 40,000 sqft would be $60.00, however if you have to bag the entire 4th mow I would personally tell him $70.00 per cut.

Original thatching = $150 or so, same for aeration. Overseed and fertilizer is normally an hour ($40.00 here) + costs of material.

[30ftup]

Charles, thanks for helping me out.

[PMLAWN]

Don't plan to tell him anything. Go out to the site and look at the lawn and do what it really needs. How thick is the thatch. Are there weeds. How compacted is the soil.
The potential customer does not "really" care if the old guy bagged or not---what he cares about is the fact that his grass does not look good to him.
Your job is to find out why and create a plan to build good soil and a healthy lawn. To do this you must meet with the patient (the lawn) first.

[Freddy_Kruger]

Mowing 40,000 sqft would be $60.00, however if you have to bag the entire 4th mow I would personally tell him $70.00 per cut.

Original thatching = $150 or so, same for aeration. Overseed and fertilizer is normally an hour ($40.00 here) + costs of material.
Aren't you suppossed to bag all the time?