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
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.
