Need Some Help On Shrub Removal

[Leisure Time Lawn Care]

I Have One Of My Lawn Clients Contact Me Today And Wants Me To Remove Some Shrubs In His Back Yard. They Are Medium Sized And I Will Have To Dig Them Up By Hand (cannot Get Any Equipment Through Gate) I Am Also Going To Have To Bring In Some Dirt To Fill In The Holes And Level Out.

I Was Wondering How Much To Charge?? Do I Charge By The Bush Or By The Job.

Any suggestions would be helpful

Thanks

[Wells]

If it was my client I would tell them that type of job is based on T&M.
Let them know your labor rate and do your best to estimate the time and materials required to finish the project.

[Leisure Time Lawn Care]

should I use the same lobor rate as cutting lawns?????

[Wells]

Depends on your market, around here a mowing company can be found on every corner but a tree company is harder to come by so you can charge more for those types of services.

[Leisure Time Lawn Care]

Thanks For The Info Wells

[LB1234]

what size gate?

there are a few mini-skids (i.e. dingo) that can fit through 36" gates. Would save a bunch on back breaking labor.

[metro36]

what size gate?

there are a few mini-skids (i.e. dingo) that can fit through 36" gates. Would save a bunch on back breaking labor.

I would definatley look into a dingo or other mini skid. It would save you alot of time and labor.

[Runner]

Another option is this...Arfe there any other trees in the back? If so, a come-along is a wonderful device, and we've used one on several cases for this sort of thing. Make sure to wrap the tree so no scarfing is done, and buy yourself a mattok to help you along. A mattock (also known as a forester's axe), is a valuable tool. It is like an axe that has a pick-like blade going the other way (horizontal) on the other side. This is a destruction tool and works well for cutting roots. You will still have some digging to do, but not NEARLY as much work going through roots with the come-along.

[supercuts]

i take fence sections down all the time to fit equiptment in, try that route rent a machine $250, dig'em up, charge them alot. should be making at least $500/day with a machine like that (unfortunatley including the rental) plus materials. sure you could up the price

[Leisure Time Lawn Care]

well I got the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are a total of 12 little bushes that need to be removed (5 in front yard and 7 in the back) I also have to build a berm in place of the shrubs. I figuring on about 2-3 yards of top soil will do it.
I am charging them $450.00 I figure about 4-5 hours for me and another guy to do it. What you guys think???? To high or to low

[LB1234]

3yds topsoil plus cost to deliver is going to be around 60-70 bucks. About 30 bucks dump fee, I'm assuming another 25 in misc. costs with seed, straw etc. for the berm, assume another 50 in overhead....so cost to perform the job I'll assume to be 175 less the 450 is 275 bucks for 10 man-hours or about 28 an hour.


I dunno seems a little low, but if it works for you great. Good luck with it:waving:

[Leisure Time Lawn Care]

I am not putting down any seed or anything, the customer is going to plant flowers were the birm is going. I am going to bring the top soil in my self and I am tking the stumps and brush to my parents house to burn..

[chris638]

We have a stump grinder, so all we have to do is cut the bushes off and grind the stumps, then add dirt. Going rate for something like that in our area is about $400.00. $15.00 per bush removed and $75.00 per yard of soil installed. But with the stump grinder you don't have near the labor involved.

[Duekster]

We cut the top off. We just dig around them then chain saw the stump below the soil line, drill holes in the roots and add something to kill the roots.

[ed2hess]

We cut the top off. We just dig around them then chain saw the stump below the soil line, drill holes in the roots and add something to kill the roots.

That would make this job easy money.......

[chris638]

Hey Duekster, how can you afford to keep buying chain for your saws if you keep doing it that way. You would hit so much dirt with the chain that it would be ruined by the time you cut 5 bushes. Not to mention you still have the stump there. Try digging though that the first time and hit it.

[Duekster]

It can be rough on the chain and you might have to go spend 6 bucks to re-sharpen it.

Cut off the shrub, dig around it a good size hole. You still have to wrestle with the base a good bit and use a pick ax a bit.

I know my guys removed a 20 foot red tip in about 20 min. Less than 1 man hour.

What is a chain saw? 250 bucks. I have done about 20 shrubs / trees this way that I am aware of with the same saw. It still works. Add 20 bucks per job for a new saw.

[LB1234]

I stand corrected...:drinkup:


Seems as if you are going to make some good coin...

[mdvaden]

well I got the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are a total of 12 little bushes that need to be removed (5 in front yard and 7 in the back) I also have to build a berm in place of the shrubs. I figuring on about 2-3 yards of top soil will do it.
I am charging them $450.00 I figure about 4-5 hours for me and another guy to do it. What you guys think???? To high or to low
Sounds fair.

If you were off a bit, no big deal.

Its good that you went with a fixed price.

In most cases, when professionals can't set a fixed price, its indicative that they don't have the experience required to understand the project.

A fixed price is more certain for the customers financial situation, and can cause them to have more confidence.

[YankeeJanke]

That sounds about right. It comes up to about $50. per hour for both of you.

[sheshovel]

Sounds like a fine price to me. I would of course like to add a few thoughts. He said "small bushes" and to me that means no heavy equipment will be required. There are jobs where yes, having a mini skidsteer or a dingo or a Kaboda will make you money and there are jobs where they are just not worth bothering with.
I mean com'on 12 little shrubs and he is being advised to rent equipment, take down fences, an possibly tear up the clients lawn just to dig them up?
Had he added the cost of the rental, plus his windshield time and p/up and delivery to his labor quote, he most likely would not have landed this job at all.\
So remember, you can waste time and not land these jobs sometimes because you are only thinking about how to do it easier and not using common sense about the tools and equipment you need compared to the work required.

There is not a darn thing wrong with digging them up using a sharp spade, a mattock , a pair of good lops a wheelbarrow and a little hard work.

[fiveoboy01]

Yeah I agree. If they're tiny, they can be dug out by hand. More time, but less equipment cost, especially if you'd have to rent something.

I don't know if this is possible for you, but I've pulled out quite a few bushes with my truck. I have a monstrously heavy duty nylon strap with a loop at each end, make a noose at one end to go around the base of the bush and cinch it up tight, then just hang the other end on the towball. I've pulled out 4 and 5 foot tall shrubs this way with no problem, and generally very little of the root system is left in the ground.