Soil Structure

[OrganicsMaine]

Originally Posted by ParadiseLS

for me, dethatching 3000 sq. ft. is 30 minutes. i'm going to charge $60, but i would take as low as $30 to do it. and that just includes the raking. so yes, i am just leaving the grass there for $50.

if they want it bagged and put at the curb, it's going to be a whole other story. my clean up is the aerating (which i'm charging extra) and the mowing (which i'm charging extra). and if i have to pick up a bag of extra crap from driveways, sidewalks, roads, etc. in the clean-up, that isn't an issue.

What equipment are you using to dethatch it with. I know if it is a real heavy layer of thatch, then I'd be looking at closer to $100 for that area including clean up, plus aeration/overseeding. Probably about a $250 job for me.

[ParadiseLS]

my bad, my average lawn is under 1000 sq. ft (welcome to suburbia). but i have several at about 1500 sq. ft. and used that as a basis for my calculations. then i decided to double it just to make it a round number at 3000 and didn't extrapolate my prices.

so, 3000 sq. ft.
dethatch......$70-150
aerate......$40-80
mulch-mow......25-50

it's harder for me to keep narrow price ranges when lawns get to 3000sq. ft. just because so many variables come into play....

but let's say they get the combo:

i'd probably charge $160 for standard conditions.

it would take me about 1.5 hours

if i really wanted to make money (and i would), i would pimp some granulated compost, and maybe some gluten to stop dandelions and stuff from moving in until the turf thickens up and becomes lush.

in that case: $285 in my pocket
less about $80 for CGM and compost
less about $5 for fuel

that's better than $100 per hour, and the customer's lawn is going to look good in 7-10 days in good Spring conditions, maybe 14 days or a bit longer if it's mid-summer and they have to irrigate and contend with dry, hot weather.

[ecoguy]

Originally Posted by JDUtah

30 to 50 for a power rake on 3,000 square feet? I could never work that cheap! Are you leaving the grass there? If done properly a power rake will produce enough waste to haul off site that $30 to $50 is WAY WAY WAY too cheap imho.

I was thinking the exact same thing JD. For 3000 sf I would be charging upwards of $400. But then again, I take a TON off. Several truck and trailer loads. Better to do it right the first time.....

[jegoodri]

You all ae great very interesting conversation. Thanks!