hard to say without pics or bed size-sometimes hourly rate plus hourly rate for equipment, larger beds priced by footage.. I would give him an estimate before you start or he will thank you and give you $40 when your done, since you let him determine on the first job what the cost was for your labor. good luck to ya

 

dflksdfhslkdfhs

 

HEre it is..

 

Sorry the machine. In our OP doesn't work. No machine can match hand cut egdes. Anybody what to disagree on this?

 

I agree, I always use a shovel. That neighborhood probably has underground phone and cable buried about two inches below the sod, so that will have to get fixed, and if you hit an irrigation system you can put any profits toward fixing it. Just shovel it :weightlifter:

 

If the Local service getting shi@@y . Just say your lines are to be buried at XXX depth. We had one cable installer *****ed at us for cutting the lines .This is in a HOA. We ended up cutting many lines that day edging beds He said we are to blame. I say BS. The lines are to be buries at XXX depth. and that shut him the F-up.

 

Why would you even risk hitting something underground? Call the utility companies and they will mark the ground for you.

 

Why would you even risk hitting something underground? Call the utility companies and they will mark the ground for you.

Yes, that's the correct way of doing it, but seriously, who expects a bed-edger to actually hit a phone line. I would think that it should be buried at least 6 inches in the ground.

It's not like it's an invisible dog fence or something like that.

 

If the Local service getting shi@@y . Just say your lines are to be buried at XXX depth. We had one cable installer *****ed at us for cutting the lines .This is in a HOA. We ended up cutting many lines that day edging beds He said we are to blame. I say BS. The lines are to be buries at XXX depth. and that shut him the F-up.

it is simple call to get everything located.It doesn't matter if you hit a power line 2" deep.If you would have got it located then you would have known it was there.In NC if you don't call in a locate then the bill is yours as I am sure it is the same everywhere.I hit 2 fiber optic cables that were just installed a few weeks prior to me hitting them and guess what they were only 8" deep.BTW that was 4yrs ago and we never heard from the phone company about a bill for that one.

 

Shovel or Machine? Triple the amount of time or...?

 

Sorry the machine. In our OP doesn't work. No machine can match hand cut egdes. Anybody what to disagree on this?

I'll disagree, BUT I will say I only know of one type edger thats worth a crap. Our Little Wonder leaves a nice clean edge every time. You will always have a use for a shovel, we still have to use it for touch ups and on the back side of the edges after cutting with the machine most of the time.

 

well if you guys can't make up your mind of what one to use, how much should of I quote him?

 

I didn't mean to get everyone off on a rant, I just know I haven't cut any lines with a shovel. I feel bad I didn't call 6 years ago when I cut the lines on those jobs. Usually, I always call, and I always wear my seat belt, and I always drive the speed limit. Anyway, I charge by the foot and add a fee for hauling any sod to the dump. What to charge is up to you.

 

Look local code is what we should be looking at. If you cut a line cutting a bed line. Guess what. You the landscaper shouldn't be at fault. Why local code. if your guy's get hurt cut bed line. then the person doing the buried lines are not follow code. We have cut irr lines to cable lines right to phone. Found out that the company the these people hire only buried them subsurface. Meaning at grass level. Wait then they never buried the lines at all. Thats why I alway ask, If you have this or that done. and sign a contract to seal the deal. As far as a quote goes. figure it out you cost then figure out you profit. Sorry that the best your going to get. If someone on lawnsite give you a ball park QUOTE. F it you need to price your service by you Loc cal. PEACE

 

I would figure my time to spade edge the beds and charge at least $20.00 per hour. I can edge and clean up about 50 to 75 feet in an hour. Unless you have located the utilitys, use a spade.
Hope this helps
Tim

 

I agree with those that say the best way is with a shovel,and the way it will look best.

Never been a big fan of the bed edgers,you cant get the same definition you get doing it the old fashioned way.

 

Why is everyone dissing the bed edger ?????

I've had nothing but great results with a Brown bed edger. It makes my curves look great.

Either doing a small job with a bed edger or using a shovel on short runs, I always use my trimmer when done to clean up the lines.

No way will I use a shovel on 1200 feet of bed lines at one of my properties.

I would charge labor, my mean rate is $45/hr + hauling + rental fee + 20% of final bill (if you are efficient).

Some guys just charge just by the foot, but it all depends on the customer and if you are doing other services also.

 

well if you guys can't make up your mind of what one to use, how much should of I quote him?

Its your business man, Charge what you need to. After getting your butt fried a few times, you will begin to charge the right price and get almost no jobs and then adjust your price accordingly.

For mulch it is pretty safe to charge $65/yd for the mulch plus installation. We don't use bed edgers down here because we edge every week no matter what.

 

To answer your question: I would say work off the production rates listed above and charge the maximum labor rate you can get. Bed edging by hand is hard work but it turns out better than any machine I know of.
Machines can be next to useless. In Spring when everything is soggy the bed edgers get mud built up inside and ya waste more time trying to keep them clean than actually working. B/c of wet conditions they have to go slow too. So, you mite as well dig 'em by hand unless its a really big job and then I would say wait as long as you can so the soil is dry and crumbly.
In WI our law states any time you break the surface of the soil you must call "diggers hotline". However they do not locate lines buried by the homeowner. Keep in mind that utilites can be less than minimum depth due to grade changes that occur after installation. Cable TV is notorious for putting their cable very shallow. They are NOT normally a located utility, howver they have always come out and fixed all my "oops" with no charge to myself or the homeowner.
PS: I know there are some out there who rototill gardens for people-you 2 should be calling diggers hotline, I've gotten lucky over the years

 

I would charge enough to cover your overhead and put a little extra money into your pocket... Whatever you do, if they don't pay you, post them on www.clientcritic.com

 

Its your business man, Charge what you need to. After getting your butt fried a few times, you will begin to charge the right price and get almost no jobs and then adjust your price accordingly.

For mulch it is pretty safe to charge $65/yd for the mulch plus installation. We don't use bed edgers down here because we edge every week no matter what.

I understand what your saying. I know that he told me once I was done eding the beds, he would order the mulch. So you figure in that there is no hauling fee for the mulch. So if I am not getting the mulch I should charge him $35 or $40 per yard. I mean thats good with me if he agrees, but will see

 

I would figure my time to spade edge the beds and charge at least $20.00 per hour. I can edge and clean up about 50 to 75 feet in an hour. Unless you have located the utilitys, use a spade.
Hope this helps
Tim

You edge 50 to 75 feet in hour with a shovel!? Thats fast, thats like almost a foot a minute! Imagine what a machine would do..

 

We use a Brown Bed Edger that does a beautiful job and charge anywhere from $0.50 to $1.00 per linear foot, depending on the size of the edging job, the customer, and what else we are doing for the customer.

BTW, the Brown machine will do 50-75 feet in 1-2 minutes.

 

I recently talked to a Verizon employee and he stated code was 6-12" depth for burried lines.

 

I recently talked to a Verizon employee and he stated code was 6-12" depth for burried lines.

What is that, a joke. Never seen a new installation more that 3 inches in the ground.