I have to give a estimate on hedge trimming, how do you figure out a price?
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How much do you charge for hedge trimming?
Hardcore5657
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If they could get that amount they should be out trimming bushes and not on lawnsite. If we charged that to our regular customers we would lose them ALL.
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Wow, you must service cheapos or have set your prices way low...35/hour is not a lot....
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If I'm having trouble with a quote I always go to the $1/min formula it usually gets you pretty close.
LOL....if that is the case sir...you need better customers....unless you plan on doing all the work yourself forever....would you rather make 95% of what YOU do each day or 40% of what 95 people can do in a day....its a no brainer for me...im only 45 and tired
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Nope, that is the going rate in my area, and it sux! I had a client yesterday add 20 bucks to the check for me to trim her shrubs, a good 2 hour job. I gave her the 20 back and told her I could not do it for that plus I HATE folks telling me what they will pay instead of asking me for a price:hammerhead: So I stay away from shrubs as much as possible. Did a 15 minute trim job today for 15 bucks and she has always paid with no problem. I price mine high so I get very few shrub jobs and I like it that way!
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I can only imagine the quality for 10 bucks an hour. Ryobi with an add on hedger bogging down on anything over quarter inch diameter. Leaving half the clippings on top to die and blowing the other half under the bush. Hoping he can get paid before customer notices.
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This can go downhill quick, I need a good laugh after today!
How much you can charge depends on how good and efficient you and your trimmers are. I charge $50 an hour using a couple different types of Echo trimmers. I do good work and do it fast. Noone has ever complained. If you're using a pruners or hedge clippers, you should get a lot less cause it's gonna take you forever.
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All my hedges are included in my monthly service. I usually mulch the clippings into the yard after I use the blower to get them there. I can trim most of my hedges in about 30 seconds per linear foot with the hedge being shorter than 4 ft. I don't pick up every leaf out of the bed as most have pine bark and can't really tell. I usually get .50 per linear ft less than 4ft in height. Again this is trimming taking only new growth off. If I have to take old growth off when the stems actually turn brown then the price is double if not triple. Every additional 1ft in height if 20% on the .50 per linear ft. Again this is me I have one helper and my route is tight. I only use that formula for annual contracted customers and I figure about 20 trimmings per year. One time callers I usually have a minimum of $40 just to come out I don't do estimates unless they know its a $40 minimum. Their price is usually $2+ per linear ft depending if I mulch them into the yard or have to haul/pick them up.
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Alot of this $ per hour talk is thrown around, but what alot of you guys who charge alot have to understand is alot of us are either solo or out there WITH our crew. Not to mention having accounts right next to each other. I charge $35 an hour for me and a helper. I only work within about a 10 mile radius. I had someone call me to do a yard that was 13 miles away the other day. I told him I would have to charge close to $50 (what some of you guys charge) and he wasn't interested. I can't blame him. Keep in mind the cost of living here is EXTREMELY low. Even compared to other places in the country with low costs of living. I don't pay alot to live here and my customers don't expect to either. A little money goes a long way. In case your wondering I do pay taxes (even sales tax at 8.25%) AND I have a $million insurance policy (per occurrence)
That being said. I've got an office complex that I'm about to try and do the hedges at. There are probably 25-30 individual blocks of hedges between the windows. They are about 3-5 feet long and about 3 feet high. I was thinking I would charge $5 a piece. I think I get one done in about 3-5 min. with helper going behind me blowing out the excess and picking up anything the mower can't. So yeah, about 5-8 bucks a piece.
That being said. I've got an office complex that I'm about to try and do the hedges at. There are probably 25-30 individual blocks of hedges between the windows. They are about 3-5 feet long and about 3 feet high. I was thinking I would charge $5 a piece. I think I get one done in about 3-5 min. with helper going behind me blowing out the excess and picking up anything the mower can't. So yeah, about 5-8 bucks a piece.
Trimming shrubs. Hummm. I bid a large shrub trimming job today. It's a fairly large amount. They also wanted 6 yards of mulch installed. It will probably take all day to get it all done. I priced it at $1400 because I've been sooo busy that I'm not sure if I can fit it in. He said to do it! 
Guess I HAVE to find the time.
Guess I HAVE to find the time.Quality is the key issue IMO, and I'm not blaming the equipment... People have the idea about the value of something that they 'could do' themselves but just don't have the time for... Why would my time be worth less if I'm trimming bushes/trees than if I'm mowing a lawn?
Because a lot of time is spent with indecision and nobody likes the result... See instantly what should be done, then just do it... If you can educate the client on what has happened, then so much the better...
I love our approach of a mow day
lawns mowing $65.00 reg*(30 min mowing 12 mins trimming 4 min blowing)
debris pick up $12.00 ( 3 minutes of time)
chemical application $14.00 (7 minutes time 1/8 a gallon of gly-4 at .50 a gallon cost
Trim 3 front bushes $25.00 (3' 12 minutes
Total bill $116.00 instead of 65.00
If it gets done it gets billed that day with out asking or being told to do it
lawns mowing $65.00 reg*(30 min mowing 12 mins trimming 4 min blowing)
debris pick up $12.00 ( 3 minutes of time)
chemical application $14.00 (7 minutes time 1/8 a gallon of gly-4 at .50 a gallon cost
Trim 3 front bushes $25.00 (3' 12 minutes
Total bill $116.00 instead of 65.00
If it gets done it gets billed that day with out asking or being told to do it
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You mean you can't just trim this hedge here real quick? Your already here! But you do the neighbors hedge (she pays extra every month for that). Well it should be part of basic mowing! These are actual statements I've heard over the years. Names witheld to protect the ignorant.
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I estimate how long a job will take alone no helper,estimate how much fuel I will use in the dump truck, and anything else that might be used, deduct that, how much I might pay someone helping me, and a few other small costs and figure out how much I wanna put in my pocket and there's my price. I just bid a job for some shrub pruning. I have to take 2ft off the top of two burning bush, trim 3 holly's that are 4'x4'. remove one rose bush. and load a handful of brush. I told the lady 475 she said do it. I figure I could do all of this in 4hrs on my own worst case scenario, I'm planning on going there with a helper and getting it done in under 2hrs. after everything is all said and done I should have profited atleast 400 for this job.
We dont give an estimate we go in and when we do an initial councltation we inform them on all of our work we clock in and clock out its that easy them say if it needs done we will just do it and add a few $$ to the bill then we ask will they want us to include bed shaping, mulching, trimming, fertilize, storm cleanup, and then go and i assume if our guys come in and a few twigs are in the grass you want them picked up so the lawn looks good .......the HO gets carried away on the little things and then i hand them a sheet of paper stating they do want the services ....... and then have them sign a gly-4 release at the bottom and then i say the mowing (base Services ) will be about XXX and they go OK ..........XX goes to +++++$ 3 weeks a month lol and no complaints
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That's over $100/hr by yourself, that's outragous, but if you can get it get it!
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