Anyone else sub their sod?

I think this is the route I'm going to take this year on larger sod installs. I work solo, and bigger jobs would take me days, if not weeks (since I mow 3 days a week and can't devote entire weeks to one job) to complete. The sod farm gives me a great deal on installs, and can get it done in a few hours, all I have to do is prep the area and give them a check. So I've got a 10-pallet job coming up. I charge $300/pallet for the materials and install, $300 for the ground prep, $95 to kill off the existing lawn (which I sub to my fert guy), $30 for disposal of a little bit of debris and $125 for delivery. So $3550. In reality, I'm paying $170/pallet for the sod AND install, and they'll deliver it for free, plus $95 to my fert guy to kill the lawn and probably about $20 to dispose of the waste. $1815. Which leaves $1735 to go to my business and my pocket, all for a few hours of ground prep and showing up to make sure there's no problems with the install. Yeah, I could pocket a bit more if I did it myself, but for probably 4-5 days of backbreaking work, which isn't worth it in my book, especially since I just don't have time right now between my mowing and other landscaping jobs to do something that timeconsuming.

Anyone else work this way? Seems a no-brainer from where I sit.

 

On some jobs i use a sub. I will end up making about 25-50 cents a yard and i dont even have to do the prep work. The way i look at it is that it enables me to get to the next job quicker. In my area, it seems like people are laying it for next to nothing anyway. I just sold a landscape contract with consists of 13,000 yards but i am going to do it myself because it is a condo complex and the buildings are going to be built in steps. Maybe 3-4 units a year so i can handle that. Bigger ones that need it all right away---i let someone else have the fun.

 

Last fall i sub'ed 9000yds to a sod company. They bring 16 guys and grade and layed the sod for under $1.50 per yd. Now if i whould have bought the sod it would cost me $1.15 to get it delivered so for about 30 cents they graded the yard and installed the sod.

This is a no brainer i can sell it for $2 a yard and make a killing!!! and not have one single worker of mine on site

 

Around my parts we measure area in square yards or square feet not pallets!

LOL

 

We charge by the yard here like 6-10 bucks. We don't sub out our work. A one man crew is limited in the amount of money you can make.

 

Man there is soo much money in sod I would never sub it. 3 employees can lay 1400 sq ft per hour including trimming edges and rolling. After paying for the sod and 3 employees for an hour thats $1,100 per hour. However a 1400sqft yard would take about 4 hours with prep and all. But still, there is such a big profit margin in sod and its really simple if you dont mind lifting alot of weight for extended periods, I dont see why someone would sub it unless they are a huge company and cant find any time to do it, or if their a one man operation.

 

I have a SOD Guy here in GA, charges me .28 a square foot installed (bermuda) it's rolled and looks great, I can't do it myself that cheap!

 

For some larger jobs the sod farms will install it for about the same price as what I would pay to have the sod delivered.

Pretty simple choice to just have them do it all.