How Much To Charge for Shrub Trimming (and WHY)
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- čas přidán 10. 06. 2024
- Trimming shrubs is not the easiest of tasks... A lot of times in the beginning of my lawn care business I would underbid this type of work... I would think, "I'm already here mowing, I can just add the hedges for $30 or $40..." This type of thinking sucks all the profit out of the mowing. It is important to at least MEET your mowing rate, but you can absolutely charge MORE for the same amount of time when hedge trimming. Bush trimming is labor intensive and you have material you have to haul away and dispose of increasing the overall time on task for the job... Meaning, once you finish the job, you're not really finished until you unload everything. If you are a solo guy it is especially important to 1. Charge appropriately 2. Pace yourself and 3) Reduce your overall labor by mulching debris down instead of raking it up whenever possible.
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Here's a fun story that I like to tell that relates to your point in this video.
A woman was eating an early lunch at her favorite restaurant and noticed Picasso sitting at a table near her. After several minutes of deliberation, she approached him sheepishly and asked if she could bother him for just a minute of his time. He looked up from his meal, greeted her with a smile and invited her to sit with him at his table. As she sat she slid a napkin across the table and asked if he would be willing to take maybe just 5 or 10 minutes of his time and make a small doodle that she could show to her friends. Again he smiled, searched his pockets and produced what appeared to be a rather expensive and well made pen. Without saying a word he went to work and in seemingly no time at all had produced a brilliant sketch of his view from the corner. "Oh it's just wonderful, my friends will be just green with envy!" She exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're pleased" Picasso beamed. "That will be $10,000"
She was shocked. "Ten thousand dollars?" She echoed back to him incredoulusly "It took you no more than 5 minutes!"
"Yes ma'am" Picasso agreed. "But it cost me many thousands of dollars and many more thousands of painstaking hours to hone and perfect the skillset that allowed me to do such a work in no more than 5 minutes. The same skillset that gives my works value in the first place mind you."
I use the block method. Hourly rate put into blocks 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full. I add the blocks as individual services in my CRM (jobber) and I eye ball the job select a time block, and add all the things we’ll be doing within the block.
This made my quotes super easy, much better than counting shrubs, and adding a variation factor for size, too complicated.
Good stuff Jonathan!
I like that method as well!
All my customers have hedges and bed maintenance needs. When i first started i dreaded doing hedges because it is labor intensive and i found out that i wasn't charging enough. Because I do a great job on hedges and found ways to be efficient during the trimming and the cleanup I raised my prices 25% and then 50%. After that not one client batted an eye and all were satisfied with the completed job. I ran a clock on every trim job. Get out of the truck and the timer starts. I was happy with 90$ an hour in North Atlanta suburbs. Some guys got more and some less.
Same. I keep quoting jobs and literally had a lady say “thats it?” 😂 i quoted $400 she felt bad and paid me $500. And later she said her lawn guy did basically the same thing for $1200 i made $100 an hr at $500 solo. He priced too high but it makes me feel better shooting for $100 hr. East TN.
@edensgardenshed9622 good deal. Yeah some guys prices are outrageous and they should know better to charge folks that kinda money. I've gotten the same sorts of tips from great clients. You treat them right and they'll do the same for you.
Fantastic points you’re making here.
Thanks!
From the north here, Toronto Canada. 100% agree mulch what you can but from what I seen in the first house you visited, if that takes 3 guys more than an hour to do at the quality seen in vid you all are doing it wrong. Keep making money, like your vids but I could have trimmed that all myself in an hour and I'm not young anymore
High quality video. Informative, interesting, and great visual examples.
I appreciate that, thank you.
What I used to do when I worked in a crew was I’d hedge everything, and my two workers would rake up after me. I’m the best and fastest hedge trimmer so it just made sense. After years of doing commercial hedging I can do it all by myself without getting tired. I tried giving the hedge trimmer to a new guy and he was complaining after 5 minutes.
Ya, it's definitely a learned skill set to be efficient with them.
Doing like 56 on a property tomorrow and the next day if needed is trimming with my apprentices cleaning. We charge both ways depending on the daytime, like how long if smaller jobs or by shrub on larger jobs.
I recently bout an echo gas hedge trimmer that’s pretty light for the lower jobs and I use my Stihl kombi with an extension pole for higher jobs. It has the articulating head on it so it does just about anything.
Yeah dude three trimmers in five cleaners because I trim it takes three people to keep up with my trim rate... I don't have people trim that can't match my rate and I'm 55, been doing this s*** for 30 freaking years... Appreciate ya✌️
Thanks for this video. I have begun selling Packages to include hedge trimming and flower bed maintenance to a typical mowing service. I am frustrated because I feel like doing the hedges every visit is nice for easy cleanup and curb appeal, but it has sucked the profit out of my mowing. Maintenance packages are very popular in my market, but it is very frustrating to calculate per man hour rates on each individual service when everything is packaged together. Thank you for your perspective. I think I will change this up.
Bill them year round, so it's paid for spread out. This way, even if all you do is a shrub visit or a 10 minute weed snatch visit in the slower mowing months, you're being paid
I use an Echo pas. I use a 3 foot extension to reduce the use of a ladder. A little heavy but worth it.
Reminds me of a client (close in family circle unrelated) even tried pulling "i need you here mowing my lawn a certain length of time" (15+yrs ago just scored my first commercial mower was a 36" xmark turf tracer HP wit stand on velke (that got a flat every 15hrs) so i started knocking stuff out faster than the honda tv5002 2stroke, so she got a little insulted for her 1/2 acre $25 cut. 🤦🏾♂️
That's why do it early in the morning 💪
I charge $75 per man per hour + trash disposal fee.
I’m sorry if it’s too high for the customer.
But, like you said Jonathan, it’s a VERY intensive work.
I’m not rude to the clients, but, tale it or leave it.
I make sure everything is done the right way and I charge exactly the time I expend in that job.
I do weekly svs and include the hedges and trim them every other week and no pickup . Bill from Tampa
Do you do flat rate billing for everything that's included in your service?
@@FloridaTurfPros Correct.
With the high humidity, I am basting in my own body Fat🤣🤣
That type of QUALITY PRUNING, needs a follow up of Trim Teck, plant growth regulator-
Under a PGR, that cutting will only need to be done another time this year, and will look as if someone clips by hand daily.
Have you thought about bringing a Florida Lawn And Ornamental Pest Control Operator on the team?
I'm in Navarre if you'd like to talk- we could do mosquito control as well.
Those shrubs would be extra wonderful growing under plant growth regulator....
I'm close by, in Navarre.
Less growth on the hedges means less money brought in from the client. I'd rather get paid well for hedges 4 or 5 times throughout the growing season than to charge once for the growth regulator.
@@M3MAX Agreed. Growth regulators are only good if you have given the customer an annual rate to maintain the bushes year round.. Your only getting X amount of money so limiting the amount of trimming with growth regulators would be a good idea in this case. This is popular with commercial/HOA accounts. Otherwise, let them grow so I can charge you again.
@@bladesofglorylawncarellc559
You'll have a superior looking product with material on regs, and a landscaper is completely judged on eye appeal. You'll get your 4-5 trims in value by pricing it in, but trim twice and spend more time looking nice, with minimal clean up.
Reg shrubs look way better than constant pruning shrubs, in my opinion.
I started using a shoulder strap almost any time I'm doing a hedge job. I try to rest my arms as much as possible so reduce the fatigue cause man those hedge trimmers will beat you up after a long day
I've never used a shoulder strap but may give it a try.
You should put a trap under the hedges. It'll make cleanup easier.
It can also take longer sometimes.
We were strawing over these beds once hedges were completed so didn't have to worry much about it.
Love the sun glasses...
What are the brand
I really like them too... They're Oakley Holbrooks and the len's are the Prizm color
Hey man does that PAS ever feel like it lacks power to you when running the hedger attachment? I've got the 2620, which I believe is their most powerful model, and it struggles to run a brush cutter attatchment and a tiller attatchment.
I've never had an issue with power on it.
Hope you answer this just starting the video
What do you do when you finish trimming and the customer comes out and says I wanted the Bush cut down much more ? And they are not willing to pay more
This is a conversation I have before we start pruning so everyone is on the same page. I explain a "Hard prune" (taking a substantial amount of shrubs) takes longer and the rates are different than a maintenance trim.
To add on I tell them we do not complete and hard shrub resets outside of mid/late fall otherwise they will be mad they have nothing but sticks and try to blame it on us
What kind of smart watch do you use?
Zepp
When did you get the chevy?
A few months ago... traded in the 7.3 250 for a 2500 diesel
Is that a Apple watch ? And what model I been thinking about getting one I'm diabetic for my dexcom 7 reader I'm tired of pulling my phone outta my pocket consistently.
It's a Zepp, I've been pretty happy with it... it's a low budget one for sure though
@@FloridaTurfPros Thanks you right it's compatible they have that at Walmart actually well thats cool now I know it will work.
Removing the guard off that hedge trimmer will increase your productivity.
I've debated on doing this.
$1,250
If you use electric trimmers, they're so much lighter! You can go all day trimming with Makita trimmers.
Nobody wants to run massive electrical cords around yards.That's just not practical or professional.
@@RidersInBlack very true, but all electric equipment runs on a battery these days
I would be interested to try this.
@@ericvaughn battery and electric are two different types. I run a cordless Milwaukee Quick Lok set that does well with trimming and blowing.
They die in a hour or so and can't cut thick branches.they might work for a home owner
hedge trimming sux, when someone calls just for hedge trimming I dont answer...
Then how do you know they called for hedge trimming? 😂
@@edensgardenshed9622 🤣🤣😅😂😂
@@edensgardenshed9622maybe the caller id says hedge trimming. lol
@@edensgardenshed9622 because they leave a message... How else?
@@edensgardenshed9622voicemail.