Cost for Mulch Job?

[PNA]

What would you charge for materials and labor to install 360 sq feet of mulch at 3" thick? Please separate cost of material from labor. Also, if the area already has some mulch, is it common practice to remove the old stuff or just cover the old with the new?
Thanks!
PNA

[Seascape]

Thats about 30 -3 cu bags. should run you about $75. If hardwood.

My bid would look like this

3.5 yds hardwood @ $75 per= $262.50
Instal mulch 3.5 man hrs @ $44.00 per=154.00
TOTAL JOB COST= $416.50 COMPLETE

Id also try to up sell something to get 500 off this stop, 3.5 hrs is just industry standard. you can throw 30 bags in 1.5 hrs probally quicker. 2 man hrs or 2 guys 1 hr if you have a good laborer and edging is done.
mike

[maple city]

Call to get prices of mulch in your area, because I am able to get mulch here alot cheaper than that. We got prices the other day at $24.00/yard.

We also run our labor at $30.00/man hour. You need to see what your market will tolerate for labor prices. I can't get $44.00/hr. here.

Seems like the guys in the bigger cities can get the higher labor rates.

[Alpine Naturescapes]

Mike's a good guy, but only the most upscale places in Florida will tolerate those rates. You may be able to get recycled mulch at some of the city dumps. If it's been watered and composted, weeds won't be a problem. If you need the colored mulch though, you will have to pay the dough so charge accordingly. Most places in Florida want cypress mulch. Do any spraying you need BEFORE you lay it. Like iron, weed spray etc. It discolors to an ugly grey with these sprays.
Total charge is usually three times the cost of the mulch, but if it's expensive mulch, just add the extra as a surcharge.

[Fido]

Seascape - Holly crap! At those rates, you should be able to retire and move to Florida in no time!

I charge $30/yd for bulk cedar mulch (I don't do bags unless it's only a couple) plus $5/yd delivery, plus installation. Installation (not including weeding and edging) runs around $40 to $55/yd depending on access and other considerations. If I do it hourly, I charge $40/hr with wheelbarrow and $65/hr with tractor/loader.

So, installed it's about $75 to $90 yd for premium natural cedar. $5 more for red dyed.

[Woody04765]

I get my cedar mulch for $25 per yard. Everyone wants cedar mulch in Texas. I charge $75 per yard delivered and installed. I go to $80 if I have to work around many obstacles that get in the way of a typically and otherwise simple install.

[VALLEYWIDE]

we pay around here anywhere from 25yrd to 30 yrd. i charge just for delivery $55. for me to lay the mulch the rate starts at $90. and thats just adding

[srlawnservice]

3.5 yards bulk mulch installed at 65/yd = 227.50
Mulch cost = 18/yd = 63.00
Delivery fee from mulch provider = 35.00
Total profit for one man thus far = 129.50 (max two hours labor depending on accessibility)
Preen applied at 22 dollars/container = 66.00 (container costs 14.00)
At least 200 linear feet of edging at .50/ft = 100.00

Total cost of job = 393.50
After expenses @:
3.5 hours total = 72.43 hr
4 hours total = 63.38 hr

That's for a one man job.

RL

[MEvans857]

God I feel cheep.

These prices seem a bit high to me. I get my mulch for about $17 per scoop/yard. I charge $45 delivered and installed (not including edging of course). Am I really that low or are you all really that high????

[Ground Works]

Afraid to charge what u are worth

After reading several posts on labor rates and so on. Also I have taken and read alot of advice from here and have also gone and checked on different service compnaies here in my area. Now I live in a very small no money area of Ohio and Wv. Alot on the board seem like u feel prices that some here charge are way to high. I think this depends on what u are trying to do or go with your company. I know that is u call joe's lawn service then u are probably expecting a price that would be lower then a big company, and I mean usually not always. But if I call the lanwscaping compnay here called greenleaf which is the biggedt one here then U would expect to pay more and u would feel comfortable with it....

Also for example there are alot of ads in our paper wanting a handyman to paint or whatever for several different ppl for anywhere from 6 to 10 an hour..

But if I call A House painting company what do u think they are going to charge?? I can get Joe over to paint my whole house at 10$ an hour and will pay him say 500$ or so then when I call the house painting company it is 7000$ both do the same exact Job....

So basically I am trying to say it's what you are comfortable with its how u see yourself and your company, it's where u want your company to go, it;s how desperate u might be..... It's how much equip u got , it's the quality of your work, it's how u want to present the image of you company .

I think all these Factors play into how u decide to charge.

Knowing Mike and taking alot of advice from him, he has a big company does damn good work presents a professional image in his community and basically I am sure can pic and chose his jobs I think at one time he said that he won't do a job thats less then 600$ correct me if I am wrong MIKE.....

But I think that if u pirce low or think u have to go low to compete that may not be the way to go. because word of mouth is your biggest and best advertising so if u are low here then ppl will expect u to always be low...

Just like the 5 jobs I had a bid in to the county I lost the bid but at this time I really feel like I could not do the job and make any money at the price of the bid that won

SO if i did not make any sense sorry lol and if I rambled on to much too bad LOL J/k hey its early sheesh

[Ground Works]

My bid for the mulch

I am doing mine like this
3.5 yards
$100 per yard installed for regular bulk mulch

so mine would come in around $350 installed if no problems just a drop spread and go but again I agree I would try and get the edging in here

[Lawnworks]

How do I estimate a mulch jobs cost?

Need to add this service to my lawn care this season.

[Seascape]

Theres a trick to getting premium rates. But im not sure $416 is premium. I know of neighborhoods i could throw $500 at them and they wouldnt flinch. And make them feel they were getting a break from me. Heres how you do it.,,,when you land in a upscale neighborhood 500k and up homes,, cut no corners. Bend over for these people. Never never slack on quality. Im not talking your run of the mill quality,, i mean way up and beyond quality. get your name rolling in that direction. What happens is they use company A for 2 yrs and all seems well, but finally they fk up a little, mr. smith is talking to mr.jones one saturday morning and mentions this. Mr. jones replies ,"well ive been using company B for 4 yrs, i pay more than X amount of dollars but they just do great work" Mr. smith than replies"ya i see them there all the ime,, i see them in here all time actually,, dont they do glen and helen over there to?" Mr. jones replies" ya,they do a bunch in here,that one,that one ,that one,that one,, theyre all over in here,, i think theyve been back here for years,,I think they are a little expensive but they are very detailed, Mike is a really stand up guy,, he takes really good care of me." So mr smith says" well maybe i should call him" Mr.Jones says,, i just saw one of theyre trucks over at jim and terry's over on saddlebrook,, you know where thats at?" Mr. smith says "ya,, maybe ill run over there" Mr jones says" come in for a second ill give you his card to" Next thing i know,, my phone rings,, at that point every one of you can come in at $100 and wont stand a chance,, i wouldnt even bother showing up honestly if i were you. Than before i get there mr. smith is talking to another neighbor and brings up the fact hes waiting on me to come out and give an estimate and they tell him the same thing. How hard do you thinks its going to be to get $416?

Now that takes time,, and when anything goes wrong you must take care of it and some. I have about 5 primary neighborhoods just like this. I avoid them at times because existing clients stop and talk my head off,, if im really busy i go in stealth. Nothing to loose a bid and get called back the next year either,, and get a horror story and apoligy.And a job. These neighborhoods arent $416 mulch jobs i assure you,, they start at 1k.Go to 4k. Ive been in them since the early 90s.Most of them i have the common areas. Most of them have other lcos swarming in them,, theyre fuel for my fire.

Im not a big co. Small actually. 3 1/2 trucks, and 4 very good guys. I use alot of part time labor. Part time labor that has been coming back for years. But they all know how to use a spade and they can lump mulch, roll trees, or whatever i ask. And most importantly they know my number 1 rule,,, I dont care how long it takes,,, just do it right. Some know all to well how i react when i have to remind someone. Its not pretty,, ive made 280 lb men tear up at noon and apoligize to me at 4. Its my way or the highway no questions asked.Im a very very nice guy until quality slips,, i aint havin it, and its a well know fact all around me.My shirts say it, my sweatshirts say it, my trucks say it, my haircut says it,my breath says it,my forms say it,my help says it, theres no ignoring it. If someone wonders whether or not they can afford me,, they probally cant.

So how did i do it? I went in the neighborhoods that were swarming with lcos,, got 1, than 2, than 3, on and on.All built on word of mouth and quality. Do i loose jobs cause of price? Of course. But i owe it to my upscale customers. Dont make much sense to charge premiums to mr jones than go to my smith and get raped, cause in a sense that means mr jones may have to pick up the slack eventually. Thats not fair, especially since he dont argue prices, and my guys come back w/ a check. If he dont pay me up front so he dont have to worry about it.

Follow this path,, youll never look back i promise. 1 at a time. Each spring it gets better and better.

[glassjoe]

seascape is exactly right. take care of the rich people because they are going to take care of you. they didnt get rich being stupid, so they are usually easier to deal with if there is a problem.
it seems like they simply tell you whats wrong and all you have to say is.
"i'll fix that right away, im sorry it happened, i wont let it happen again"
and thats the end of it. you fix it and they are happy.
on the other hand in lower class neighborhoods people complain and generally are not good at dealing with problems.
they will yell at you and try to get something for free whenever they can.
its like they are taking their life mistakes out on you.
as far as the mulch price you originally asked about, Im in florida and its a mother to get a decent price for mulch, i have to go 45 a yard installed and i am higher than most guys. the mulch costs me 18 a yard for regular cypress mulch so basically im putting a little money in my pocket and keeping my customers happy,
scapes are the only thing in florida you can really name your price on. at least in my area

[srlawnservice]

Seascape is DBO.

RL