Mowing/Maintenance vs. Installation what % each

[lamblawnscaping]

As we gear up for our third season, we are focusing most of our marketing efforts on landscape installation and lawn care programs rather than mowing. We finished last season with about 100 mowing customers and will be letting the least profitable ones go this year to make room for higher priced full service customers. I was just wondering what balance you guys try to maintain. Landscaping has been much more profitable than mowing for us, although the steady cash flow of mowing is nice.

[Sam Grinold]

Maitainance is good steady year round income. I have seen guys get out of mnt and fold up soon after. I dont always like it but it is a nessasary evil. I am doing the same as you, weeding out the hags and slow payers to concentrate on existing clients and more installs . Now i am doing 75% maintance 25% construction

[PAPS]

Right now we are at approx. 35% maintenance and 65% construction (and other).

[visions landscape]

We ran about 75% Maint 25% innstall last year. This year We picked up some major installs, but we did grow our mait also. Three maint crews and one crew on install and irrigation.

[David Haggerty]

Gotta love those recurring charges.

Being solo I'd have to spend so much time selling an installation,
I'd never recoup my expenses.

Dave

[gusbuster]

I've been doing maintenace and sod and sprinkler installs only the last 20 years. I don't do major landscape projects. Why, if you don't have the equipment, can't be compitive.

My business is 90% maintenance 5% sod and sprink jobs & 5% repairs during the months of nov dec jan feb. It changes to 60% maintenance, 30 % sod and sprink installs and 10% sprink repairs the remaining months.

John

[longslawn]

Were about 30% maintenance and 70% landscape,irrigation installation. I veiw maintenance as a necessary evil. It provides cash flow year round and open the door to additional work. Hope to get to about 10% maintenance and 90% landscape in the next couple of years.

[Little Guy]

I do 60% maint and 40% construction, thats monday-wed maint
and thursday-friday (sat/sun if needed) construction. But I don't generally work on weekends, thats my KIDS time.


Most of us need maint. for solid income. With out those customers, good luck finding much construction work with all the people in this business.



Little Guy
:blob2:

[Mykster]

As far as the construction(Commercial) goes, does the builder for the property already have the Landscape Co. picked when he submits his bid to whoever he's building for?

[Little Guy]

Not always! If it is in the contract for the bid they do, otherwise most times it is left up to the General Contractor to decide. But the landscape design/plans are already approved by the town if needed! Before the building is started.

You will find that alot of time it does not hurt to approach the site or call the contactor and ask questions.

Hope it helped a LITTLE!



Little Guy:blob2:

[lamblawnscaping]

Speaking of builders,

I just got the maintenance contract on the model home and some other areas from a major national luxury home builder. I have heard others say watch out for builders, but I have a really good feeling about this one (i know the girl who pays the bills). It is my first full service contract that includes everything. Mowing, Fert/weed control, pruning, mulching, seasonal color rotation, the whole nine yards. What the project manager seemed to like was that there would always be one of the owners supervising any crews working on his property. I don't think my bid was the cheapest either. Anyway, if all goes well with the maintenance this year, possibly I could get all the installs next year. That is where the money really starts. They well probably build about 30 homes this year and all of them have to be fully sodded and landscaped. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.