mulch estimate...........

[ltw77]

I have a customer that needs 35 yds of mulch spread around the property. The majority will be going 150'-200' from the dump site. He is offering me the opportunity but his other option is having it sprayed in. I asked how much they were charging to spray it and he says $14.00 per yard plus the mulch. Am I on crack?! I was figuring max 2 days and charging around $1,000(just spreading). Thats just under $30 a yard. I thought that was low?! I am going to make some calls and find out what the total is from the 2 companies he mentioned. Just curious what you guys felt about this?? Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dekalb lawn man]

I would charge about 1500 to do that work if I were you. However the real question is, how busy are you and do you really need the money?

[Superior L & L]

You may just want to walk away from that one! It would probably take 2 guys with no machines two days. Thats a lot of work for $500.00

NO THANKS.

Bark blowers are great for contractors, charge your customer $55.00 per yard and pay a blower truck $35.00 per yard installed.
It just sucks when a customer can hire a blower truck company

[terrapro]

yep about $1500 is what id charge

[bishoplandscape]

Don't ever take a customer's word for it did you actually see a written estimate because i think that is way low price for a sprayer.:nono:

[Alpha01]

Don't do it. Save yourself the headache. Better you walk away from it now than in the middle of the job after you figure how little you are making and how much work your doing for pennies

[Grits]

I think $1500 is too low. I would charge about $2400 for it.

[ltw77]

I gotta say, I thought I was losing it for a minute! This cust has always been straight up w/ me or so I thought. I think I will tell him I am not going to insult him by giving him a price that is out of the ballpark. Then throw my number in at the end and say there is no way I could touch it for less. It would show respect but give him a chance to maybe come back with the old, "Well, I really like you and I wanna give you my business....blah, blah, blah". I guess we will see tomorrow, I'll post up the results tomorrow. Thanks a lot everyone for the feedback!!

[Grits]

You and a helper could do it in one day. You would be working hard, but you could do it. I can install 6 yds in about 1.5 hrs, by myself. So I think 2 guys could do 35 in one day. Go for it! I love mulch jobs. Lots of money to be made.

[SILVERSTREAK INC]

my buddys spraying, dxown in VA hes getting 35 a yard installed, no one is etting mulch for less than 10 a yard, so for 24 a yard its really cheap. my buddy is on the cheap side and thats at 35, he normally trys higher....but other guys are killing the business doing one yard at a time out of a pickup for 35 installed....

id save yourself the headaches and look for better ways to make the cash....buttt if he knows your doing it all by hand he might justify and go along with a 30 or 40 dollar charge per yard....

good luck

[garrettlawn]

me and partner did a 20 yard job the other day. Had to transport the mulch from our shop (7 miles) to job site. got it done ina day. 1400. Had a job with 30 yards of mulch and some bush trimming got right at 2k for it. Two days of work there.

[terrapro]

You and a helper could do it in one day. You would be working hard, but you could do it. I can install 6 yds in about 1.5 hrs, by myself. So I think 2 guys could do 35 in one day. Go for it! I love mulch jobs. Lots of money to be made.

so if my math is anywhere near correct which it probably isnt so correct me if im wrong....you would be loading, wheelbarrowing, dumping, and spreading a 10cubft wheelbarrow every 4.185 minutes by yourself. :rolleyes:

i have been doing this for a long time(7yrs) and know that is impossible on a normal 5figure+ landscape. theres alot of walking and crawling around on your knees involved in laying mulch. that cape must give you super powers or something man.

i do around 1.5-2yds per hour by myself but ive also learned not to kill myself, there will be more work to do tomorrow.

but if you really can roll out 6yds that fast good for you :weightlifter:

[supercuts]

Don't ever take a customer's word for it did you actually see a written estimate because i think that is way low price for a sprayer.:nono:

bishop, im not sure of the gvw of that truck, but i would guess its severly overweight, that skid steer hasnt stopped loading it since ive watched it.

anyway, quote that job as you wish to be paid at a fair price rather than walking away, that way you gave an estimate, your customer wont think less of you and your business for not being able to handle work, and who knows, you might actually get it. but it certainly charge a good amount for that much work

[ltw77]

well I talked to my cust today and I chose NOT to give him a price. I just said that I don't have the equipment to be competitive with the volume he needs for his property. He said he understood and that it wasn't a problem but he wanted to give me 1st dibs on the job. I thanked him for the opportunity and asked that he think of me in the future with any other work for him or his friends/relatives. All in all, I don't think it went badly, I just wish I could have been competitive.

[garrettlawn]

i dotn think i would have wanted to be competitive with that. not making any money and busting your butt to do it really sucks.

[GreenN'Clean]

Id charge around $2000

[lawnMaster5000]

The way I stay competitive with those large jobs is by subbing the work out to a blower company.

I come in and do all the prep work then hire a blower company to spread the mulch. They charge $35/yd.

I get a discount for having all the prep work done and for giving them repeat business.

This also works when I have several small jobs together, I get the company to come and blow 10, 3-5yd jobs. I meet the minimum b/c the jobs are so close they let it bill as one job site.


Also, $14/yd plus mulch is not a bad price. You have no idea what they are charging per yard for the mulch. I would be it is a competitive rate with what you would pay at a nursery. In my area that is about $22/yd for double ground.

[topsites]

You can not compete with a blower spreader, so for the most part once a customer's mulch order exceeds 14 or 15 cu.yds. (the trucking minimum) this becomes the cost effective alternative, simply tell them the mechanical blower truck is their most viable financial choice and leave it at that.
I can just barely match the cost of the truck in my area ($45 / cu.yd.) but that truck can spread it so thin that I can only spread it as thin if I do it by hand (and I mean hand spread) and for me to spread such a large qty of mulch by hand is not feasible so again it's not cost effective for me (or the customer).
That they would think it might be cheaper can come across as a bit odd but for the uninformed not such an unusual question, it is our job to educate the customer, nicely if at all possible.

At least in my area they give contractors a 10% discount, money I could put in my pocket, say for 35 cu.yds. x 45 = $150 split it with the customer and I get 75 bucks, but really by the time this 3-way rigmarole is all said and done I'm at least as well off cutting grass or doing something else. And I don't think you can pocket the whole 10% because then the customer has no incentive to involve a 3rd party in it, but it also goes against my principles to cash in on what is already a done deal without my involvement (if that makes sense, I kinda hope it does).

[Your Lawn First]

Don't do it