What would you charge?

[Matts lawn care]

This is an upcoming job of mine. I will be pruning all bushes, trees. cutting out all the dead stuff/removing vines growing through bushes and hauling away to the landfill. Then I will need to edge 264 feet of the beds and add 10 cubic yards of mulch. Along with pressure washing the brick planters in front of the house and walkway. I have already come up with numbers but just want to make shore I'm not undercharging. Attached are pictures of the job.

[Matts lawn care]

more pictures!

[Matts lawn care]

Last one...
I am predicting 2 days with me and my buddy working.

[Matts lawn care]

May be this should be moved to the Starting A Lawn Care & Landscaping Business section?

[tthomass]

Do you know your daily overhead? Here is why:

Matts Lawn Care
-$300 daily overhead expense
-$1,000 job
-$700 profit

Rock Water Farm
-$600 daily overhead expense
-$1,200 job
-$600 profit

Understand the example I'm showing?

[Matts lawn care]

Here are my costs.
Mulch $190 + $20 delivery = $210
dump fee = $20
labor 1 1/2 days, 12 hrs about at 8 per hour =$96
gas $20
lunch $10

Total job I have estimated to be
$1170.60
-$356.00
=$814.6

[capelawncare.com]

I could be wrong....But that looks like a lot more than 10 yards of mulch me.

[Matts lawn care]

I overestimated 1 cubic yard. I should be fine.

[Harley-D]

Sounds and looks good to me. You have enough money in there to handle the job and anything that comes up. I think you might be a little short on the labor. It's really hot and humid out. Things really slow by about 2pm.

I'm shocked that the price of the overall job is that low for your area. That's at least a 1500 dollar job, but spend the time and do a good job and i'll bet you ten to one you get at least three calls from it.

[PatriotLandscape]

So you bill your customers to eat lunch out?

It may be a fine way of making you feel that you have it covered but really lunch is never and can never be associated as a cost of goods sold.

You don't have insurance? pay worker's comp? payroll tax?

[Matts lawn care]

I am fully insured with Erie, pay taxes and the hole shabang. I was just explaining my cost of doing business for the day(s) of work. Thats not the customers bill. As I said on the first line, "Here are my costs."

Harley-D
The illegals run all over this place handing out flyer's in the thousands any lawn 15-40 (3-4 Acre) its crazy!

[Harley-D]

I agree with you matt. On the charging the customer to pay for lunch. I'm pretty sure that your not putting that as a line item on the bid but patriot is saying that ins., taxes, etc are fixed costs and should always be considered when bidding. The customer should also pay these costs for you.

Your cost of doing business should be paid for by the customer. Thing is:fixed costs are always there but a much larger issue when your company is a million dollars rather than 100k. Some may argue. I loved my bidding and estimating class in college and will always remember the line "the customer pays for everything, even the depreciation on the truck sitting out front"
Consider every hidden cost and pass it on. Otherwise, your giving your customer something for free.