What's a Fair Price?

[Mowman]

To aerate a 2 acre lawn how much would you all charge? I know most of you are charging $10.00 per 1000sq.ft. At that rate the cost would be Heart Stopping to most people, not ? Wouldn't that be like $800.00 ? Thanks for your input. I need to submit this bid on 9/20.
Thanks,
Mowman

[Runner]

43.56x$10.00x2 = 871.20. That's pretty cheap for 2 acres. Aerating is an expensive process and service. Actually, I go at $15 per m.

[Lawn-Scapes]

You mean to tell me your time is not worth $400 per hour? ;)

Some will say they can command that price...

The consensus seems to be 3-4 times the mow price.

[plow kid]

I gotta agree with you mowman, in N.W. Ohio people would have a coronary at that price, we average around $65.00 for 10k no seed or fert, but then again it also depends what you are aerating with a 20" wb or a 60" pull behind.

[DanG]

If someone told me it would cost that much do do my yard I'd laugh them right off of it.:)

I can see maybe three times what the mowing would be. Example for one acre.
$50.00 lawn care
around $150.00 to aerate

You can rent an aerater for $35.00 a day up here.
If I told them it was some outragous price thats just what they'd do.

Dan G.

[NC Big Daddy]

So let me guess....You'll core 2 acres for $65....Guess you'll mow the thing for $35. Well Geeeeee you'd be making $17.50 a hour right. :rolleyes: It's no wonder some of you guys can't make a living.
Try this charge $10 per k (or what ever) and give the person 10% off per acre. But dont sell yourself short! Do a good job and get paid for it.

[HBFOXJr]

Figure out how long to do including travel etc, cost of machine and charge a flat rate equal to $100/hr more or less.

I charge $85 for the 1st 5K and then $10/k. Takes care of travel and marking sprinklers and invisible dog fences.

When you start getting 3/4 acre and bigger you get some production efficiency. But remember, for any given machine you can only get so much done per hour no matter how big or how easy.

[plow kid]

Originally posted by NC Big Daddy
So let me guess....You'll core 2 acres for $65....Guess you'll mow the thing for $35.
Umm NO! around $200-$250 for aerating, as for cutting most likely around $75-100

Originally posted by NC Big Daddy
Well Geeeeee you'd be making $17.50 a hour right. :rolleyes: It's no wonder some of you guys can't make a living.


Actually I average $1.00 a minnute for mowing/trimming







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[grassman50]

i would say that a fair price would be at least three times the cost of a mowing. If you charge like $50.00 for an acres worth of mowing, which is average for me, then charge $150.00 to aerate. And it also depends on what equipment you are using. if you are using a walk behind blue- bird, plan on doing nothing for the next couple days afterwards cause you will be worn to H@@L! So charge like $200.00 If you are using something simple, like a pull behind, charge like $150.00, and get out of there fast and move on to the next job.

[RMDoyon]

First of all...
Since when does the price of mowing have anything to do with the aeration market? There is no connection whatsoever, especially from a costing standpoint.

Mowing is a commodity, which means lower margins. Aerating is a specialty, which means high margins.

Everyone owns a mower, almost no one owns an aerater. Which means for a typical homeowner a trip to a rental yard, if he's lucky after waiting in line there's one in stock. Then gets to dump it into the back of his car/truck with the rental yard help and hopefully there's help at the other end to lift it out and back in. Never mind actually running the thing.
Around here these things go for $60 per day and yearly aerating is mandatory in these hard clay soils.

Today I aerated two lawns.

The first one was 12890 sf. I charged him $174.34 he got several quotes and I got the job.

The second lawn was 12591SF. I charged Her $172.24 for aeration, $108.02 for overseeding and $57.08 for fertilization.

I grossed $511.68 for 4 hours (including drive time).

My equipment will core at over an acre an hour flat out but in reality each of these yards took one hour each with many obstacles and curves.

Roger