[s&wlawncare]

Just wondering how all of you working in alabama go about giving estimates. I always just really look and guess what i think it will be worth. This sometimes really screws me over. I just want to know how all of you do this? Also do any of you work in the auburn area , b/c i am wondering if there are plentiful opportunities? b/c i will be coming down there to go to school soon.

 

[HOMER]

It helps to know the going rate for the area your in......once you have an idea then you need to know what you need to make to cover your expenses. This all depends on your overhead and how much profit you intend to put in your pocket. You can guess all you want but you might guess low and not only hurt yourself but others in the biz as well.

 

[KDLAWN]

hey s&wlawncare, what part of Alabama are you from?..where I am (birmingham) I try to get a minimum of $35/hr... I am part timer but try to be as professional as possible.... with upkeep and making it worth my time and trying to keep the integrity to the professon. I may loose some accounts by not lowballing the compatition but the accounts I do get inthe heat are worth the money I bid for them and expetaly this time of year when your really just cutting the tops off.... hope this helps...

 

[KDLAWN]

are yall going to the Expo in louisville KY in Oct?

 

[NickN]

Price by the lot size.Measure with a measuring wheel.$65.00 per acre,50 for a
half acre. Always subject to change(charge more) for alot of trimming.
Don't underbid.You'll hate yourself like I did. If folks won't pay what your worth,you're better off without them,cause they'll bleed you dry every chance they get.Factor in your drive time,maintanance on equipment,time spent advertising,etc.,, and you don't come away making alot of money.Like others have said here before,I can go broke sitting at home doing nothing versus going broke working your arse off.

 

[Tider6972]

in montgomery, 60-70 bucks an hour is easy.

KDLawns, no offence, but 35 an hour is less money than you can make working for wally world, unless you work with a 21 murray and a hoe from the trunk of a 63 cadillac, no license, no insurance ! LOL

if you are using commercial equipment, CHARGE for it ...make a living !

my typical suburban property, in a $110,000 -$160,000 price area, 12-15 M foot lot, sidewalk, driveway 3-4 trees and front of house beds to edge/trim , is 45-65 bucks..1 man can do it with a
21 (!) in an hour ! a 52 lazer and your in / out in 20-25 minutes !

Raise your prices, for your families !

 

[s&wlawncare]

Hey kdlawn, i am from muscle shoals. I am also charging around $35/hour but i am probably going to raise prices a little. The only problem is that competition is tough here.

 

[jasonlong]

Around Phenix City, I can usually get around $45/hr. When I slip into Auburn, my rock bottom price is $55/hr. KD, I would think in Bham, you could get a lot more, unless the area is too saturated with other LCOs.

 

[Tider6972]

with those charging $60 up.....rates vary in every market.

Why choose less income ?

jasonlong is correct at 55 [&up] in aubun-opelika; and Hoover-Vestavia
is better.

Do quality work and ask for your price. You can get it.

 

[vipermanz]

birmingham is super saturated with lco's in mt. brook next to vestavia, i've "heard" of people getting almost 100 an hour, but that is an area with $450,000 houses

 

[s&wlawncare]

WOW!! A hundred dollars an hour, i could never get that up here in muscle shoals. The most i ever get is about $65-70/hr on a good day, but most of the time $35-40/hr

 

[Tider6972]

i was talking trim, mow, blo services, full service guys get what you are talking..but most in the old money Mtn Brook, Cahaba Heights, Homewood areas are full service, so you're bout rite !!

and guys, it ain't all that unusual for the lco cutting next door to a guy
charging 60 and up to be getting 35-40 bucks ( ...cause they didn't ask for 60.

JMO

 

[KDLAWN]

I cut in suburbs just north of Birmingham and yes there is a LOC on every corner here... maybe I am still alittle low.. I guess the only way to know is to keep jacking the price up until they won't pay anymore ..then when I lose all my accounts because of some other LCO across the street underbided me.. then I'll know I charged too much....lol..lol... seriously..I may try and go up on the price next year and just see what happens

 

[HOMER]

You can average 60-70.00 an hour easy by being efficient and choosing the right yards. I don't advertise my hourly rates but I do make that on 90% of my yards. If it's something other than mowing then I give an estimate based on $1.00 a minute----sometimes I make it and sometimes I miss it by a little.......sometimes I miss it by a bunch!!! Match the yards your doing with the equipment you have and you should see an increase in your hourly rate. If I bid a yard at 35.00 then I should be out in 25 minutes tops in the summer and no longer than 35 minutes in the fall/winter months. If I achieve that then I hit my $1.00 a minute or $60.00 an hour.

 

[KDLAWN]

and Yes I am a full service operation.. Walker mower, shindawa edger/trimmer, stihl blowers, scag, 21"toro

 

[Tider6972]

one HUGE way to improve efficiency is to mulch and not bag, assuming you are bagging with the walker.

2 years ago in montgomery it seemed 90% of LCOs were bagging with walkers....for several reasons, this year there seems to be
half of that ...it's too time consuming and to damn much work ! LOL ...and most clients won't noticed you changed 'til way after
you've made the change, if they ever do ! If you have objections, sell the environmental benefits of recycling !!!

The biggest hurdle you will have to jump, if you decide to change, is YOUR OWN ATTITUDE : i assure you, the customer is less convinced that their clippings must be bagged than YOU are ! Once you sell yourself, you can easily sell them !

Walker guys are a dedicated bunch. The loyalty in some instances is amazing !

Wish you the best, and these thoughts are intended to just be food for thought; I absolutely am NOT trying to run your business !!! Only YOU know what's best for you.

 

[jasonlong]

I totally agree with Tider. Regardless of your "average" job cost, your actual $/hr is weighed heavily on efficiency. I dropped Walker, picked up an Exmark and a Hustler. If you keep the blades sharpe and cut at the correct height you cant tell the difference from my past bagging. But, I still miss my Walkers on fall and spring cleanup jobs.