How do you think I did on pricing this job?

[McG_Landscaping]

Originally Posted by Above Par Lawns

How do you factor in monthly business expenses/insurance & wear and depreciation of equipment/truck?

insurance payment/12months= insurance per month.
equipment repairs/12 months= wear and tear
truck value /how many years you think it'll last/ 12 months.

everyone will tell you different numbers. In Connecticut they are able to get much more than we are able to in Pennsylvania and I am sure that is different than what you can get where you are at. I know personally I need to be at 45/hr alone or 60 with a helper to make a profit. it all depends on your overhead and expenses/debt. its really hard to say what you should charge because only you can know that. There have been jobs where I make 20/hr because I underbid it or it was for family and jobs where I have made $600/hr. Right now its winter and I am doing odd ball stuff to try and keep busy. Id rather work for $30-$40 an hour now and make some income instead of sitting on my butt waiting for snow. During my busy times though, I will pass on jobs if I am not making $60+ an hour alone. I sometimes feel cheated if I am trimming bushes for an hour and only make $60 when I know I could have made an easy $120 on it for the same amount of work. If the customer is feeling they are getting a deal at $120 then they are happy and I am making out. If you buy a pair of $500 extended reach trimmers and can get the job done in 1 hour compared to the guy with hand shears which takes 2 hours, your investment is helping you complete the job much quicker. It all comes down to having the right equipment for the job. You said you had to take 2 trucks to pick up 2.5 yards of mulch? maybe you should have just had it delivered? Personally I would have taken the 1 yard of compost over when doing the edging and spread it at the same time. Then gone and picked up the mulch in my truck (I can carry 5 yards) and spread it. Finally I would have loaded up all of the edging on my truck and hauled it to my dump site. During mulching season I will go spend a day or two edging places then go back and mulch those different places the next day or two. it prevents me from carrying mulch and having to deal with debris. After seeing the pics it shouldnt have taken you that long... especially with a helper. The hardest part would be lifting the barrels over the wall. Honestly you will probably get faster if you are just starting out, but there should be no reason you and a helper couldn't spread all of that in an hour