How Much Do Lawn Care Companies Charge

Garden Landscaping & Maintenance Cost Factors

As you work to find and hire a gardener, you can generally expect some or all of these services included in the scope of their work:

• Planting, including shrubs, trees perennials and annual plants.
• Maintenance, like mowing, pruning and fertilizing.
• Removing debris, like brush or other yard waste.
• Weed removal and prevention.

These services may also include pest and disease prevention. They could also include plant examination and plant training. This is where the plant is shaped to grow in a specific way. Ultimately, it fits the design of your propertys landscape.

What Do Most Lawn Care Companies Charge

The cost of lawn care services by different companies varies depending on the size of the lawn, services included in lawn care and the frequency of visits. Some companies charge their customers by the hour, while others charge depending on the service and size of the yard.

The lawn care pricing chart below is intended to give you a baseline idea of how much a lawn care service costs on average across the United States. Depending on where you live and the size of your property, these prices will change.

In addition to that, if you have trees, fences, obstacles and childrens playing structures on your lawn, the lawn care prices will automatically increase. Nonetheless, lets go ahead and discuss the cost of lawn care by service type and factors which can increase the lawn care costs in detail.

So What Is A Fair Rate

No doubt about it, the consensus among the lawn care services who participated in our poll is that the average charge for professional lawn mowing services is around $1 per minute of grass cutting.

Put another way, let’s say it takes your lawn mowing service 30 minutes to mow your yard by himself. You can figure the $30 per lawn mowing is a fair price to pay based on average market pricing.

Now let’s say he has a helper and there are 2 men on the lawn care team?

Well, then he needs to be in and out of your lawn in 15-20 mins for that $30 price.

Make sense?

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What Should I Beware Of

One thing to be mindful of when comparing lawn-mowing prices is whether the quote youre getting seems reasonable.

Also, keep in mind that a lawn-mowing professional or company might try to bump up the price simply because you live in a fancy neighborhood. Why? Because they think you can afford it, Farley says.

Regardless of what sort of neighborhood you live in, there are some things you can do to avoid lawn care rip-offs. The Better Business Bureau, Better Homes & Gardens, HomeAdvisor and the National Association of Lawn Care Professionals offer these tips:

Lawn Care Cost Per Square Foot

Though pricing per square foot is not the most common method for pricing this type of project, you can expect to pay between $0.03 and $0.08 per sq.ft. The square foot pricing method is almost always reserved for yard sizes that are less than an acre and may be the preferred method for heavily landscaped or wooded yards.

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Lawn Replacement Or Restoration Costs

Sod costs between $120 and $400 per pallet. Youll pay between $2,500 and $6,620 to fully replace or restore an average-sized lawn thats about one-fifth of an acre.

To seed a lawn costs between $410 and $1,510. It takes between one and two years for a seeded lawn to fully grow in. During this time, its susceptible to pests and damage. Sod is a much quicker way to get the look and feel you want.

Landscaping & Lawn Care Costs In Canada

Canadians have spent less money on landscaping jobs in the last 5 years. Its safe to say the average Canadian is spending less in general since 2008, so this trend isnt surprising. With an average project cost of nearly $13,000.00 for reviews under the category of Landscaping Contractor and Designers, theres still plenty of beautiful yards in Canada.

Maybe a little less spending on major landscaping designs isnt a bad thing at all. A recent story by the Globe and Mail suggests that extensive landscaping is one of the six renovations that do not add value to your home. Elaborate landscaping requires regular maintenance which can be costly and time consuming. This is an important consideration when designing your landscape.

Across Canada the trends in pricing are fairly stable. Our review data suggests slightly lower costs in Alberta with average costs trending around $5-$6,000 in Calgary and Edmonton. On the other end of the spectrum, Ontario lawns trend toward a higher average of closer to $11,000. Rural areas, as opposed to urban Toronto yards, tend to be driving up the numbers. Understandable since the average Toronto yard is a fraction of the size of their rural neighbors.

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Keep Your Lawn Green And Tidy In Just A Few Clicks

Enjoy stress-free lawn maintenance in the GTA

The warm summer months in Toronto bring outdoor food markets, festivals, and trips up north to cottage country. With so much going on in the provinces capital, why spend time at home cutting your grass? Yardly has you covered for lawn mowing services so you can relax and enjoy the sun with your family and friends. Weve got your back for all your lawn care needs!

When does Yardly offer grass cutting in Toronto?

Our lawn mowing services are available between May and October every year. We also offer Spring and Fall Clean Ups in April and November, respectively.

Where in Toronto and the GTA does Yardly service?

Yardly services most surrounding municipalities of the Greater Toronto Area including the City of Toronto, East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and York as well as select areas in the regions of Durham , Halton , Hamilton, Peel , and York .

How do I get started?

Getting started with Yardly is easy and our services are backed with a satisfaction guarantee! Simply find your quote online and order today.

Current Condition Of Lawn

For some lawn care services, the healthier you keep your lawn, the less you may need to pay.

For example, if youre not maintaining your lawn with the proper detaching, aeration, or watering regimen, then you may have to spend more money to fight off pests, disease, and heat stress. Or, if you havent had your lawn mowed in weeks, you may be charged a higher fee to cut the overgrown grass.

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What Are The Average Acreage Mowing Prices

For customers with large properties, charging per acre may be the best option for a quick and accurate estimate.

Although prices differ, you should expect to charge around $175 per acre for mowing alone. However, that bill can quickly add up if additional landscaping is involved.

Large properties that only require mowing dont require as much prep time or edging, so its possible to charge less than the average per acre for large yards and still make a profit.

Image credit: Tomasz Zajda via Adobe Stock

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Whats Not Included In The Cost Of Lawn Care Services

Every company is different, but for the most part, the cost of lawn care services includes:

• Lawn care materials
• A series of visits

Additionally, many companies will come to your home free of charge between visits for touch ups or re-dos for problem areas. Some companies also include post-emergent crabgrass control in their lawn care prices.

Its important to point out, however, that some lawn care services cost extra. These extra services could include aeration, overseeding, grub control and insect control.

When you compare lawn care programs, be sure to pay as much attention to what is NOT included as what is. Some of these services are infrequently needed, but make sure your lawn care company explains what the potential costs could be.

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How Much To Charge For Lawn Care Jobs

How much should I charge for

• Mowing a yard?
• Removing bushes and adding flowers?

There is a very simple answer to every single one of these questions.

It depends.

• Time spent on the job
• Your clients

This is why you should NEVER copy your competitors pricing. You will lose money.

Plus, there’s a decent change that your competitors copied their competitors, and theyre losing money right now.

The ONLY way to properly price your lawn care services is to know your numbers.

So, you must ask yourself:How can I maximize my profits AND the value I give to my clients?

This is called The Pricing Sweet Spot. This magic number allows you to make your clients extremely happy and puts a healthy amount of cash in your pocket after every job.

Find Out The Track Record

Ask how long a lawn care provider has been in business. What level of experience and education does the person or a providers staff have? Also, is the provider properly licensed and insured?

Unfortunately, some providers are fly-by-night operators that havent been in business very long and are interested only in taking your money, not in providing top-notch service. As noted by MarketWatch, providing lawn care requires little more than some equipment and a business license. Almost no training is required.

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Lawn Care Products Utilized

Like any other product you might purchase, there are varying levels of quality. The types of lawn care products a company utilizes are directly reflected in the price you pay for lawn care services. That means when a company uses a higher quality product, youll likely pay a little more for their services.

Like technician experience, products can have a big impact on results. Simply put, higher quality products are going to work better. A lawn care company that costs less might be making up for charging less by using lower quality products.

Diy Vs Professional Lawn Care

When shopping for lawn care service providers, consider whether you want do-it-yourself or professional lawn care. DIY lawn care is more affordable, but a professional lawn care provider could be a better option, depending on your landscaping needs. Below is a breakdown of both services.

• DIY Lawn Care: Do-it-yourself lawn care is exactly what it sounds like. Typically, the brand will conduct a lawn analysis and send a package of products recommended for your lawn care needs. You then apply the treatments and handle any required watering and lawn mowing yourself.
• Professional Lawn Care: A professional lawn care service is all-inclusive. A professional will analyze your property, create a routine treatment plan and then visit your property according to that plan. This service typically includes mowing, watering and tree services.
• Combination Lawn Care: Professional lawn care services also offer combination plans. These allow you to have professionals perform complex services such as lawn aeration or tree services but handle more standard tasks, such as mowing and leaf removal, yourself.

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Erect A New Fence Or Garden Wall

If your garden-space is looking particularly run-down, it may be worth considering installing a new fence or garden wall to brighten up the space.

Depending on the size of your garden perimeter, a new fence could be as cheap as £650 including materials and installation, and brick walls can cost as little as £50 per square metre.

How To Save Money On Lawn Care Services

If you love the idea of professional lawn care but not the added household expense, think strategically about signing on for the long term with a lawn company. “Lawn mowing is a competitive business,” says one lawn care pro. As a result, many companies will negotiate discounts and deals based on frequency of visits.

If you are planning to become a regular customer, ask about package rates and bundling lawn mowing and trimming with other lawn care services such as landscaping and fertilization. Lawn care pros benefit by providing you with multiple services, your pocketbook benefits from the discounts, and your lawn benefits from the holistic care.

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How Often Should I Treat My Lawn

Whilst it may be tempting to frequently treat your lawn in the hopes of helping it progress, too much interference, or too many of the same treatments, can also cause lawn issues its important to find the right balance of treatments that works for your lawn and its needs.

Most lawn care specialists will recommend a yearly maintenance schedule for your lawn based on soil and dominant grass type, which will cover your lawn needs, tailored to the seasonal weather expectations.

Below is a table outlining the preferred time of year for treatments to take place:

Length And Type Of Grass

The length and type of grass is also a consideration. Of course most types grass can be cut, but if it is usually difficult and might take more time costs increase. Different types of grass grow at different rates, with summer seasons type of grass growing at a higher rate. Weather such as temperature, and rain also affect the growth of grass. One helpful rule is not cutting more than one-third of the length of the grass from just one cutting.

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Factors That Contribute To The Price

Each lawn possesses unique characteristics that determine lawn maintenance costs. Many lawn care contractors do not have pre-set rates, and they will request an on-site assessment before giving the homeowner a cost estimate. This is necessary to identify the various factors that could impact their overall costs.

Below is a list of factors that contribute to the overall price:

Size of the yard Yard size is one of the most important factors determining lawn care prices. Naturally, service providers incur more expenses while servicing large-sized yards, and they spend more time working on large lawns than smaller ones. These costs can add up pretty quickly if the lawn care professional is charging by the hour per person, and has several workers deployed on-site.

How often How often homeowners schedule their lawn care is another factor determining their overall lawn maintenance costs. Scheduling monthly visits may seem to cost less than a bi-weekly service, but this can result in an overgrown lawn requiring hours of extra work during the routine monthly service. Homeowners who desire a perfectly manicured lawn while paying fixed rates, usually opt for bi-weekly service.

Landscaper insurance A lawn service firm with liability insurance, and or workers compensation, will charge more for its services to pay for insurance premiums.

Benchmarking Your Business Report

Pricing is a perennial issue for the landscape industry. Here are the benchmarks to be sure youre covering your expenses and making a profit.

Pricing is a constant pressure for landscape businesses, whether youre operating a lawn care company, design/build firm or commercial maintenance business.

Pricing is the one common frustration because no matter the market or economic landscape, youll always face low-ballers and feel cornered by clients who try to squeeze the profit out of a contract.

Its important to know your numbers, know where you need to be and know when to say when on lowering a price, says Jim Huston, president of J.R. Huston Consulting.

Huston describes a contractor who wanted to lower his hourly labor pay rate by $2 an hour because it would decrease the cost of services by 10 percent and allow him to pick up more work. We really dug into the numbers and discovered that he could lower the hourly rate, Huston says. Well, that contractor did, in fact, end up adding many more clients because his market was particularly competitive. If you know your costs, then you can make those decisions, Houston says.

A bottom-up pricing strategy tells you:

• How low you can go with pricing
• How much room you have to value-engineer a contract to retain a client or compete against another bidder
• The bottom-line price you can build up from, and perhaps generously, depending on the market and economy

Get your break-even.

How low are your numbers?

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Are The Lawn Care Products The Gardener Uses Organic And Safe For The Environment

One of the main concerns for lawn treatment is that it is safe for pets and children to go on afterwards. There are organic treatments and you should check with your contractor about the safety of the products they use and if there is any recommended period that children and pets need to be kept off the grass after it has been treated.

Save Money By Bundling Lawn Care Services

Does your lawn need a lot of love? Dont worry we are here to help with all of your lawn care needs.

Did you know?

You can save up to 30% with Lawn Love by bundling your lawn services. You can schedule a recurring mowing service along with leaf removal or yard cleanup depending on your needs. With flexibility on the frequency of your recurring services, you can create a fully customized lawn care plan while also saving you money.

Bundling services is especially helpful if youre hosting events like an open house or using your home as a vacation rental. By mixing and matching services, you can stay on top of your lawn maintenance and can also add a personal touch when needed.

Manage everything from one location and sleep soundly knowing that Lawn Love has all of your needs covered.

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