pricing by total lawn area

[Care Free LC]

i am a new comer here, and i tried the search function first but keep getting an error message and no results.
i know several companies on here charge by time it takes to do the job. i always seem to come up a little short handed when i bid this way. does anyone charge by measured area? if so what is the going rate? i am in texas and i do not want to lowball every other crew out here. i would like to try this way of doing things to get an idea of how different it compares price wise to how my "eyeball" technique has been working.
anybody wanna share their rates?
Thanks
Robert

[smcunningham]

I here alot of people say a 1$ a min. I do that and add 8 bucks to the total mins. 20min lawn charge 28$
But I'm very fast compared to alot of lco I see mowing.....I'm very effi.

[stevenf]

I think charging $1.00 a minute is OUTRAGIOUS! Thats why I only charge $60.00 an hour :rolleyes: . Most of my yards were in neighborhoods, the lowest was $30, the highest was $40.

[Runner]

The "dollar a minute thing" is a washup, and has been explained and proven to be too many times on here. It has been explained thoroughly, with points that have been brought up like A guy with a 36" and a 52" mower charges the same? A 21" Snapper and a $10,000 Lazer? Come on...It doesn't work like that. While it seems like a great formula to follow for it's simplicity, let's face it....it isn't realistic...ANYwhere.
The Main thing is....take a business lesson. No, you don't have to go to college...the answer(S) is/are right on this site. Do a search using the words KNOW YOUR COSTS. The answer lays within. Also, take these three words, study them, and carry them with you for the rest of your life.

[bohiaa]

there is some advice in the ADVICE FOR NEW GUYS area...

In there it says to get a mesureing wheel and check the lawns your doing now then when you go on a bid you can measure them out...this will help you get a better ideal of how to bid...

Good luck

[Care Free LC]

i want to know more about the dollar figure associated with the sq ft or total area was charged. is it 25 cents per xxx or how do you figure it into dollars when you mow by the areas size?

[carcrz]

I figure by time it will take me & how much I should be making per hour to cover all costs and make a healthy profit. Now, you can go by square footage if you know how much ground you can cover in a minute, but every property has different obstacles that need to be accounted for.

[HOOLIE]

What to charge for a lawn...a simple rule of thumb...find out what other LCOs charge in your area, and pretty much you'll need to charge around what they charge. Unfortunately, you don't get to set the price on cookie-cutter lawn cuts.

[Runner]

i want to know more about the dollar figure associated with the sq ft or total area was charged. is it 25 cents per xxx or how do you figure it into dollars when you mow by the areas size?

Again, no, because I can tell you 40,000 ft. of flat wide open area is gong to be much different than say 20,000 divided into six small islands with 12 inch curbs and say perhaps a 120 ft. long ditch of 45 degree embankment. See what I mean?:walking:

[jdmcat]

i want to know more about the dollar figure associated with the sq ft or total area was charged. is it 25 cents per xxx or how do you figure it into dollars when you mow by the areas size?

if it's a flat lawn with few or no obstacles (trees, beds, etc) i charge $5/1000 sq. ft. if its on a hill, its bumpy, or there are a lot of trees to go around, i charge $6-7/1000. that's the going rate around here. like the others said, find out what the other lco's in your area charge and know your costs. you don't want to overcharge but at the same time you don't want to lose money either.

[jdmcat]

oh, and theres a $20 minimum too, even if it's only 200 sq. ft.