charge for lawn removal?

[mikefromny]

740 square feet lady wants it removed and put in those rocks , how would you go about billing on this job charge her per square foot to remove the grass ? than put plastic down and fill with rocks >? anybody got any prices for me on the what you would charge for the whole thing by rocks i mean those small red ones , to removed 740 square ft of grass , put the plastic down and fill in with rocks

[topsites]

dunno but I'd load the backpack sprayer with a mid-range concentration of round-up and spray the whole thing.
The black plastic is worthless POS crap, thou I guess it might be worth it in a rock bed, dunno... Then, the rocks, omg those things weigh a ton per cubic yard and you'll need, I dunno, 6-8 or 10 cubes of rocks or thereabouts, depends on size (the smaller the pebble, the less cubes you need for even cover).

[olderthandirt]

sod cutter and then haul away the old sod chemical app of Sahara to sterilize the dirt weed netting and the rock. I'd start at 2K for labor and figure UP from there

[brjohnso]

2,000 for labor for a job that won't even take a full day? What are you guys making... 700,000 ?

[olderthandirt]

2,000 for labor for a job that won't even take a full day? What are you guys making... 700,000 ?

You get free equipment? free fuel? free insurence? free dumping? free trucks? and someone supplying you with free money for your retirement?

Dam I need to move to Tenn. and get me one of those FREE money trees :dizzy:

[lawnmaniac883]

2,000 for labor for a job that won't even take a full day? What are you guys making... 700,000 ?


Wont even take a full day? You are crazy fella.

Im with Olderthandirt on the method. Skip the plastic part though.

[PMLAWN]

2,000 for labor for a job that won't even take a full day? What are you guys making... 700,000 ?
WOW you work fast!!!
740 foot of sod--cut, removed, and disposed of and still have time to pick up and spread 7 yards of stone in the same day, you are my hero!

[brjohnso]

You get free equipment? free fuel? free insurence? free dumping? free trucks? and someone supplying you with free money for your retirement?

Those are all expenses... maybe that's where we got on the wrong foot. If you hire a couple guys @ 10 or 12 a hour, this could be done easily in one day. Those are all considered expenses and should not be counted as a part of labor.

[freddyc]

Rent a skid steer--$250 /day

Remove old material-- about 7 yards takes < 2hrs w/skid--guy 2 trims edges as required.

Squirt w/ chemical if you want-- 30 minutes- $50

Lay fabric-- 2 hrs- 2 guys-- $100 material cost

Pay for stone (pre-delivered) $500??

Move stone w/ skid-- <2hrs--have guy 2 spread evenly

Dump material in dump truck and haul away-- 1 hr loading--$100 trucking fee

Pay disposal fee-- $100

So $1100 plus 2 men for a day at $ (your rate--?--about $800 total) = $1900 total job. Add $100 beer money and your home at 4pm and she loves her red rock.

[brjohnso]

Exactly... your estimate provides for a total cost of $2000 with rental equipment, hauling fees, stone, and fabric with labor already included. I was only asking how someone could charge $2000 in labor alone and still have a good percentage of landing the job.

[topsites]

WOW you work fast!!!
740 foot of sod--cut, removed, and disposed of and still have time to pick up and spread 7 yards of stone in the same day, you are my hero!

Ok, 7 yards of stone you say?
Omg my bones hurt just thinking about it...
Rock isn't cheap, I don't know about in your area but around here driveway crap is 25-so a yard but terrapin green runs 45 / cube and terra cota (the red rock) runs right up to $90 / cube so then 600 or so just for the rock?

Labor-wise, man...
It really depends on the size of the stone, tiny pebbles spread like a dream while larger size rocks become a royal pita, the absolute worst is slate chips. Terra cota, might be ok... Still, if I spread mulch for around $25 / cube, I'd say you got to get close to double because it's a lot harder and takes longer, $40 / cube so 40 x 7 = uhhhh....280
We're up to 900.
100 for beer LOL.
Good one, but it doesn't hurt to add a little extra for the bs factor, 100 is ok.
A grand even, forgot to include delivery fee but there's the 100 dollar bs fee, so...

You said sod? Man... That is a pita because to just plop the rock down on top won't look right, or you need tons more rock...
I dunno here.

[carcrz]

Fastest way to do it... spray it first. Get your loader on sight. Have the rock dumped right in the middle & should take about 10 minutes to spread it out.

[carcrz]

I'd be in the 2000 range as well. That rock ain't cheap & it isn't an item that needs replaced every year like mulch.

[olderthandirt]

Fastest way to do it... spray it first. Get your loader on sight. Have the rock dumped right in the middle & should take about 10 minutes to spread it out.

You have to remove the sod or your stone will be 2 inches to high. a skid is not the best machine for this job as it wont cut an even amount off leaving dips that require more rocks. It need to be cut off and hauled away, and a weed barrier and fabric installed to stop the stone from sinking in the ground.
My labor/expense rates would be at 2k + materials for a job like this and it would take 2 guys all day. if they finish in 6 hrs what are they suppose to do for the last 2 hrs? Its clean up and a little maintenece but its still an all day job

[PMLAWN]

My point is that this is not a 1 day job. 1 guy working all day is 1 day of work--- 2 guys working side by side all day is 2 days of work.
I also did not figure in a skid steer as it seemed he was talking labor by hand ( I might be wrong there) And will a skid get where it needs to go. Do you have to remove a fence--More labor. Just getting a skid and loading it and unloading and drive will be at least 2-3 hours.
The time to do a job has nothing to do with the time you are at the site working--- There are many more hours of work producing the job that all must be paid for.
$700.000 a year?? no, but I do not work for free.

[brjohnso]

So let's say you're actually at the job for 8 hours... 2 hours more of anything you can think of... a full 10 hour day.

$2000 in labor total
2 hired hands @ $12 a hour
--------------------
1760 total labor for you
/ 10 hours of work
--------------------
$176.00 per hour

Obviously, you don't work for free.

[PMLAWN]

So let's say you're actually at the job for 8 hours... 2 hours more of anything you can think of... a full 10 hour day.

$2000 in labor total
2 hired hands @ $12 a hour
--------------------
1760 total labor for you
/ 10 hours of work
--------------------
$176.00 per hour

Obviously, you don't work for free.

I did not bring up the $2000, but for kicks let look at that #.
1st I still am not sure this is only going to take one day, but again, just for kicks-- 2 guys 10 hours-- and the guys on that job are 15 and 11 or 26 per hour, plus 28% load is 33.28 an hour for 10 hours so $332 for just the labor on the job.
Over head on 20 hours of labor is about 250-350 depending on equipment used. round to 300+ 332 = 632.
Pick up the rock or deliver you pay either way. Bobcat we said 200. Dump of the grass and time to do it, 40-60 give or take. I am a salesman I get paid to sell the job- 200 (I wonder how many SELL work for nothing???) and profit I want 10% so another 200.

Lets see= $632 + get rock $35+ bobcat $200, dump $50, Commission $200, Profit $200 OK so $1317 --But I still believe you will be there two days so I will stick on the $2000 mark with Mac. Just the way I figure things.
This is not saying that this is right for anybody else but I am happy and my wallet is happy with this way.

[olderthandirt]

So let's say you're actually at the job for 8 hours... 2 hours more of anything you can think of... a full 10 hour day.

$2000 in labor total
2 hired hands @ $12 a hour
--------------------
1760 total labor for you
/ 10 hours of work
--------------------
$176.00 per hour

Obviously, you don't work for free.

Nope and thats why I'm still in business and most fail after a couple yrs.
If your scared of looseing a job because you charge more then you need to learn to sell your company or you will be selling your equipment.
BTW-- its not a 1 day job for 1 man its a 1 day job with 2 men and the right equipment. If you have to spend the time renting and picking up and dropping the equipment off its more likly to turn into a 3 day job :waving: