What is the average?

[ashtonbritney]

I would like to say that I think this has great information.
Thank you to all of you would take the time to answer questions!!!

I used to be a lead man in the lawn service business for 6-7 years but that was 10 years ago. I am interested in getting back to the industry and being my own boss. I recently moved to Charlotte, NC and am learning the market. I am ready to put in some hard work and upfront my money. Here is my question. How many accounts, on average, would it take to make it? Average size is .4 to .6 acre lot, several trees, most have islands with shrubs, average drive. I have a ransomes 4 ft walk behind, and very basic equipment. I believe in a professional attire, professional work ethic, and doing a great job but also keeping in mind the bottom dollar.
The web site is filled with pricing info but it ranges from everyones oppinion and experience from $20 to $100. I would like to start fresh next spring.
Any help from would greatly be appreciated. I know this is long and again I thank you for your time.

Looking for the perfect green

[Scott]

reply

The cost of living in your area or your living standards would be major factors in deciding this. I'd do some local networking and find out what your LCO's are making then cut that by 1/3 to get a true number because we all lie to each other when confronted.<img src="http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/cwm/cwm/silly.gif" border=0>

[Maddog]

reply

Here in Goldsboro NC the cost of living is a little different from Charlotte but this may help a little.

For the average size lot you are talking about I get between $30 - $35 depending on the dificlty. I have found this to be the best pricing range. This is for mowing,trimming,edging drives and sidewalks and blowing every thing else is extra. Bushes are $5 to $8 each depending on height.

I do loose some to lower biders but will usually get a good percentage of what I buid on.

I can't compete with the guys driving around with a Rally/Murray riding mower and a $50 Weadeater featherlite, no blower. They will mow for $5 to $10 less.

Hope this helps some for your area.

Wayne

[Phil Nilsson]

reply

Here are some mowing guidelines ... pick and choose from these examples:

Mowing prices vary quite a bit

Here's a sampling of some prices - various markets in U.S.

10,000 square foot residential lawn mowed & trimmed in 25 min. one man
2 man crew mows $800.00 to $1,000.00 in billable sales per day
A 5,000 square foot lawn mowed for $35.00
A 10,000 square foot lawn mowed for $45.00
A 10,000 square foot lawn mowed for $30.00
Mowing production per hour 8,000 to 10,000 square feet per man
Mowing price at $4.50 per 1,000 square feet
Mowing price based on .003 to .004 cents per square foot of lawn
Mowing price of $55.00 to mow a half acre (approx. 22,000 square feet)
Mowing price of $60.00 to mow 20,000 square feet in an hour
Mowing price based on producing $40.00 to $50.00 per hour in billings
Mowing price based on mowing on an acre an hour at $60.00 per hour
Mowing price for ¼ acre $25.00 to $35.00
Mowing price for ½ acre $40.00 to $50.00
Mowing price for 1 acre $55.00 to $70.00
Cemetery mowing - 1 hour mowing, two hours trimming per acre

<b>P.S. These are guidelines</b> ... pricing will vary depending on (local) economic conditions ... for example if a major employer laid off 20,000 workers within a 10 mile radius of your market tomorrow morning, none of the above would apply? By the same token if there was a scarcity of workers in your market (all are fully employed) (can't find workers) the demand for services would exceed the supply of those to do it and prices would "rise" above these rates?


Phil Nilsson
Nilsson Associates Consultants
Visit Lawn Service & Landscaping Book Store


Edited by - Phil Nilsson on Sep 05 2002 9:44:13 PM

[srlawnservice]

reply

I'm really curious to hear what you end up getting. I grew up about 40 miles south of Charlotte, just inside the SC border in a town called Blacksburg, slightly south of Gastonia.

I do a lawn service in the Northern VA area on weekends....0022/sq ft for mowing, .035 sq ft for edging. The mowing is ENTIRE lot size, trimming of structure included. Lookin at your avg lot size, we are about 45 for 1/2 acre. However, after 10K sq ft the price drops to .0011 per sq/ft. In other words, 10K sq ft is .0022...15K sq ft is 10K sq ft at .0022 plus 5K sq ft at .0011.

rl

[kutnkru]

reply

When I was in HighPoint Nc a few years back for the summer i inquired quite a bit about what the "field" was like as compared to Ny standards.

The one thing that I heard the most was people liked having their services based on a monthly rate. This way it didnt break them at the beginning or end, and contractors claimed that it was easier to sell "add-on" services because of this.

The average lot was probably about 8-10m/sf in size and had roughly 5-10 minutes worth of trimming and blowing. They were getting roughly $250 monthly, including the 5-step fert program w/ ammendment, aeration once per season, and shearing of shrubbery.

I also spoke with several homeowners who were in a heavily catered to area, and they didnt seem to think that the $3k per year was out of the question for peace of mind about their homes grounds management.