Organic Landscaping, Only hand tools?

[tcalb2]

Tell me what you guys think. I life in Rhode Island and recently opened a landscape company and i'm trying to offer a hand tools only service. Push reel mowers and brooms. I don't know how much demand there is for this type of service i've talked with a company in Canada who does this exact service.

[Raven386]

i dont really think that there is a real demand for this.

[tcalb2]

Yea i'm not sure either. I sent out about 60 surveys in my area to see what the response would be. hopefully I'll hear back from some of them with an answer if there interested of not.

[PaperCutter]

Seems to me you'd have to charge a lot to make it worth your while. The push reel mowers suck in the long grass- you'd be hosed if you had two weeks straight of rain.

[THEGOLDPRO]

that or he's too cheap to buy any equipment. d0od can spend like 300 bucks for all the tools he will need for a "hand tools only service".

[tcalb2]

Ha thanks for the input guys. Yea if I had a alot of rain I'd be done.
Yea part of the idea of hand tools only is that the equipment cost would be greatly lower then with power tools. So that would bring my overhead down, so I could be a little bit more competitive with my pricing. I have to get more information about it. I'm just not sure there is a demand in my area for this type of service. Has anyone heard of companies doing this type of service? I've sent out a bunch of surveys, I'll let you guys know if I get any bits.

[Raven386]

Ha thanks for the input guys. Yea if I had a alot of rain I'd be done.
Yea part of the idea of hand tools only is that the equipment cost would be greatly lower then with power tools. So that would bring my overhead down, so I could be a little bit more competitive with my pricing. I have to get more information about it. I'm just not sure there is a demand in my area for this type of service. Has anyone heard of companies doing this type of service? I've sent out a bunch of surveys, I'll let you guys know if I get any bits.


by competitive you dont mean low-ball do you?

[General Landscaping]

I think when it comes time to "walk the walk", the customers will forget the "green" way and go with the most efficient service method.

Unless you just have a bunch of hardcore hippies in your area......who knows?

[Rax]

I would imagine that the only people that would be interested in this type of service are the tree huggers. No harmful emissions. No noise.
They may be willing to pay double, IF they really care about the environment.

[tcalb2]

Yea, To answer your question about low-balling. I really can't low ball with this service. I meant that I could be more comparable to someone who was using power equipment. Obviously its going to take alot longer to cut the lawn with this type of machine, and I'm limited to how big of a lawn I can cut. I meant if my over head was lower I could go lower on my rates so that my "hand tools only service" could be comparable to ABC landscapes power tool service.

[tcalb2]

Yea the feeling I'm getting so far are responses that they are interested but bottom line they want to know how much more if any they are going to be charged for this special serivce. This will probable be the deciding factor to stay with there current landscaper or go with me.

[PaperCutter]

At the end of the day, there are only certain services that people are going to see as being better if done with hand tools. For example, I prefer to do my shrub work with hand tools; it allows me to spend a little more time analyzing the health of the plant, the best way to shape it, etc. But how many homeowners are willing to pay for the extra hours? As for mowing and weekly maintenance, how would you trim? With a scythe?

The only customers I ever had who would've loved a hand-tool only approach were cranky older folks who accused me of "using a chainsaw" to shear their hedges when I came in with the gas-powered trimmers. If this is who you want to build a niche business around, god love ya.

Also, pros use gas-powered mowers for a reason. Doing multiple lawns a day with a push reel mower is going to take one heck of a toll on you. You may have quads the size of Schwarzenegger, but you'll be hating life come August.

[tcalb2]

ha thanks, I'm trying to figure out how I would edge. I've been running my business part-time with power tools I have a nice little set up. But like anyone out there who does this, theres some many companies to choose from. Especially the guys with no insurance or licenses, who just come in and low ball the jobs, I'm just looking for a way to combat that seeing as i'm going full time this year.

[PaperCutter]

How far out of East Greenwich do you go? Does it get really cutthroat heading closer to the water? I used to work up in Cumberland.

[tcalb2]

Well I've done a few estimates this month in the hill and barbour district here, bonnet shores and some in north kingstown and yea I've seen some really low estimates. Alot of the times i'll be in a neighborhood cutting someones lawn and a truck with two guys who don't speak english will pull up with two 20 inch mowers and a weedwacker and buzz through a lawn, in and out. Here in rhode island you don't need to have insurance if all you do is cut lawns, so it opens the door to alot of hacks and fly by nighters. It just really hurts the guys like me who are trying to make a living and who are legitimate. Most of my clients don't go the route of the non-legitimate companies, but lately people are really price shopping i don't know if its because of the economy or what but i see alot of it here.

[tcalb2]

Oh I do warwick, east greenwich, north kingstown and narragansett right now. I'm trying to narrow my accounts down to less towns but I have great repeat work customers in narragansett and north kingstown.