Need Help with Bid on Hedges ASAP! [Archive] - LawnSite.com™

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BrandonH

05-20-2004, 12:09 PM

I just finished looking at a property where they want me to trim there hedges and give them a quote on their lawn as well for the times they're out of town. I can handle the bid on the lawn, but have never done any hedge trimming jobs this large. I've tried bidding hourly before and nobody seemed to like it...everyone I've talked to wants me to quote them a price for the whole job so there aren't any surprises.

The large hedges are in good shape they only need about 6-8" trimmed off to shape them up. The small ones only need a few inched trimmed off.

Here's what I have:

220' of 3' hedges that are about 18" deep
43' of 8' hedges that are about 4 ' deep
15 individual hedges that are 8' tall and each side is approx. 4'
24 small round bushes about 2' tall

I have absolutely no idea where to start with this. I keep trying to estimate how long it will take me, but to be honest with you I have no idea. The owner usually does it himself and says it takes him a couple of days with several break, so he was no help. He also said that when they first moved in they have a creew of 5 guys come in and do some work and they were there all day...which I can't see it taking that long.

I'd appreciate any help with this...I'm just looking for help from some of you that frequently do larger hedge jobs and know a little more about it than me.

Thanks,
Brandon

EZTarget

05-20-2004, 12:21 PM

dont forget cleanup.

i did a hedge job that i bid about right but it sure came close because of the cleanup. then you got to get rid of it.

i wont do these flat rate anymore unless i know i am gonna cover myself considerably.

i just walked away from a 4hr job because of cleanup. i would have had a grand ol time whackin these hedges and shrubs but in the end i would have needed a freakin dump truck for the clean up.

gator-town

05-20-2004, 12:50 PM

BrandonH ... if anyone can come up with a formula for calc cost on this senario they are better than most ... I have spent many hours on the clippers, both standing and on a ladder, so speaking from experience only ... remember its always figuring "HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE TIMES YOUR PRICE PER HOUR OF DOING THAT TASK" ... double your price for the 8 footers due to the ladder and the time associated with moving it around vs walking ... cleanup takes almost as long as clipping it you let them hit the ground ... tarps is the only way to go if you have them (money well spent) othewise blow (if possible) into piles and either pick it up (bag, cans, etc ), use bagger mower, or mulch ... This job is two full days work (20 hours) for 1-man (figure more than 24 hours for 2-man ... 2-men do not work as hard as 1-man) ... 20 x $30 (my rate for this task)=$600 + $100 for hauling off clippings, and general PITA factor... would NOT touch this job for less that $700 minimum (most likely I would charge $800 because I like to round up to even numbers) ... it does not answer your question but will give you some thoughts ... good luck .

bayoulawn

05-20-2004, 12:57 PM

800 Sounds good to me also

bayoulawn

05-20-2004, 12:58 PM

Its better to overbid and make a little money than underbid and LOSE.

BrandonH

05-20-2004, 01:11 PM

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking somewhere along the lines of $600, but that sure seemed high to me. Now that some of you are saying higher than that maybe I'm just not estimating the time right. I can dump on premises so I don't have to haul off the clippings.

-Brandon

BrandonH

05-22-2004, 08:25 PM

Well after some thought I decided to go for $550. Some of the deciding factors were that I dump on site, and I really need the work right now. I faxed the estimate yesterday and got a call this morning asking when I could do the job. Normally I work solo, but I'm getting a little help with this one. I've only done small hedge trimming jobs in the past, so I can only imagine how sore and tired I would be if I tried to tackle something like this solo. Thanks agian for the advice.

-Brandon