When To Adjust Your Lawn Care Service Pricing
Image credit: Paul Moody via Unsplash
You should always adjust your pricing as the demand and the average lawn care prices in your area change, and your business needs evolve.
Here are some examples of when you should adjust your lawn care pricing:
- If you want to target specific neighborhoods with different demographics.
- If you want to add discounts or promotions as part of your marketing strategy.
- The seasons are changing, and you are transitioning to winterization or snow removal jobs.
From time to time, step back and take a look at how your business is performing. Then ask yourself these questions:
- Are you making as much profit as you were hoping to make?
- Have your expenses increased?
- Is your customer base growing?
If you keep these questions at the back of your mind, youll prevent your business from falling behind. Make sure you make these updates to your lawn mowing pricing formula as well!
Sod Or Grassy Area Costs
There are several approaches you can take when it comes to your grassy areas. The simplest approach is to work on some grass maintenance. This might mean that you hire a yard service and get regular fertilizing started.
If you want a bigger overhaul, it might mean removing your current grass areas and changing them up. You have a few options if this is your approach:
- Spray grass seed
- Artificial turf
Lets take a closer look at the cost of the two most popular options.
Installing new sod gives your yard the immediate look of an established lawn. Sod costs between 14 and 60 cents per square foot. Once installed, you need to maintain it, including mowing, water, and fertilization. The average costs to maintain a 500 square foot yard with sod are $848 per year.
A new trend in landscaping is to install artificial turf in grassy areas. Many homeowners are seeing the short and long-term benefits of artificial turf.
It requires zero maintenance once its installed. It lasts for 25 to 30 years without the yearly upkeep of real grass. While you save on the yearly maintenance costs, it does cost more on the front end to install than sod.
Artificial turf costs run between $5 to $21 per square foot. While this price tag is heftier, after installation, you will have zero maintenance costs for the life of the turf.
Lawn Care Cost By Rate
There are several ways that your lawn care professional may bill for the maintenance services provided. Their method of billing depends on the size of the project, the project scope, or the companys preferred method. Below you will see the average cost for lawn maintenance by rate, which is higher than mowing prices because it typically includes one or more maintenance items mentioned in previous sections.
| Rate |
|---|
| $350 – $450 |
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Trained And Experienced Technicians
The service professionals who perform the work in your yard are the most critical part of getting the great lawn youre after. And this workforce is the largest expense of a landscape service business.
As such, you want to know you are getting workers who are worth the costs of lawn care in Northern Virginia. Just like any other service you buy, lower prices could mean less experienced technicians who are paid lower rates.
Turfs Up hires experienced technicians and helps them get their necessary licensing and certifications. We pay them what they are worth because happier employees mean better lawns and happier customers. Well-paid technicians are also more likely to stay with us, which benefits you because they get to know you and your lawn.
We also regularly train them in our best practices. Regular training is essential in keeping technicians up-to-date on best lawn care application techniques. Lawn care practices from walking speed when using granular versus liquid products to equipment calibration can make a difference between a green, lush lawn and one covered in weeds and bare spots.
This experience and training level can cost more but directly benefits you. Well-trained technicians are much more likely to recognize a problem in your lawn and know how to take care of it. Your lawn care costs come with the benefits of better results.
What Is Included In Landscaping Maintenance
It should include all the services necessary to ensure that your landscape is healthy and looking good, including mowing, lawn fertilization and pest control, spring cleanup, spring mulching, tree and shrub insect treatments, leaf removal and edging and trimming. Some contracts also include aeration and over seeding.
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What To Look For
When youre shopping for a new push lawn mower, there are several important factors to consider. The most generally important, and the ones we used to rank our picks, are:
Power
Power is measured differently for gas-powered, corded, and cordless mowers. In gas engines, we measure power by size, using the unit cc .
For gas, the larger the engine , the more powerful it is.
Corded models use amps to measure their power, and the same principle stands: More amperage means more power.
For cordless mowers, we measure the voltage of the battery in volts. Higher voltage means higher power levels.
Whichever type of mower youre looking for, a more powerful engine means the mower blades will move faster and stronger, which in turn means you will be able to take on thicker and taller grass.
In general, gas mowers tend to be the most powerful of the three and therefore are usually best for tougher jobs.
Cutting width
A lawn mowers cutting width refers to how wide its deck is.
The width of the deck determines the area of grass you can cut in a single pass. With a larger cutting width, you can mow your lawn faster, since you will cover more ground with each pass.
If you have a small yard with a lot of twists and turns , a smaller cutting width might actually be more convenient for you. Otherwise, a larger cutting width is better because it means spending less time on mowing.
Weight
Price
Lawn Mowing Rates Per Hour
The average hourly rate for lawn mowing runs between $25 and $80. For tricky properties with fences, trees, childrens play equipment, and other obstacles, your company may charge by the hour rather than by the job. The more obstacles they encounter, the higher the price. Working around many small odd-shaped landscaped areas may also result in an hourly rate charge. Some yards require multiple workers, making the price per hour increase. However, the total cost should remain the same because the total number of hours will be reduced.
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What Services You Want
All companies work with a different pricing structure. Some provide comprehensive packages that include landscaping and lawn care. Others charge a certain rate for mowing that’s dependent on the size and type of lawn. Then, they offer other packages and add-on services for more advanced lawn care.
Here are some optional services that might drive up the cost of lawn care:
- Weeding
- Planting flowers or adding flower beds
- Adding sod or grass
- Treating grass or lawns for growth or health
- Caring for trees or other plants on a regular basis
If you want to add some of these types of services, it might also limit which companies you can deal with. Depending on your location, someone may need to be licensed to provide some of these services. And even if that’s not the case, not everyone who mows lawns is qualified to treat unhealthy trees or plan out flower beds for optimal curb appeal.
Lawn Care Cost: Various Types Of Lawn Care And Lawn Maintenance
When accounting for lawn care costs. If your lawn is relatively small, it will cost less to mow than an acreage. Flags, playground equipment, and lawn furniture can create challenges for lawn care experts to tackle. These challenges will be shown in your bill.
If your garden is on a watering schedule or needs fertilization, expect to pay for these services on top of the normal fees for mowing. Also, you may need more weed control or pest control. Add extras like mulching, trimming, annual leaf cleanup, and additional organic treatments if youre trying to avoid spraying your lawn with chemicals.
If you think about mowing as your primary lawn care function then consider annual or semi-annual tasks like leaf removal, aeration, tree trimming, and winterizing go beyond the basics. Some homeowners want to take it one step further to the curb appeal by enhancing their landscaping.
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C What’s Included In A Lawn Maintenance Vs Lawn Care Service
Some companies offer more than standard lawn care packages. They might offer fertilizer or weed control applications. They’ll also provide tips for the types of grass that work best in different climates and with different soils.
A full-care lawn service can even install new grass or lay pallets of sod. For physical landscape changes like tree pruning or shrub removal, consider hiring a landscaper instead.
Getting Your Lawn Overseeded
Overseeding your lawn via a professional usually cost around $1,200, which you saw in my lawn care pricing chart.
Overseeding can boost the health and appearance of your lawn by encouraging the grass to continue growing even when older and problematic patches die.
When you hire a company to overseed your lawn, you can specify that a disease-resistant or drought-resistant grass seed be used. This will be helpful for you if you live in a harsh climate.
I have an article with detailed recommendations about the best seed to use for overseeding if youd like to learn more.
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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.
How Much Does Lawn Care Cost A Look At Prices In Memphis Tn And Olive Branch Ms
Having a thick and healthy lawn may be a top item on your wishlist. After all, your lawn is something that everyone seesits not like you can hide it if its not looking great.
While you may be anxious to hire a lawn care company to grant those wishes, you also want to know how much does lawn care cost? As you start the process of finding a company, youd like to have a good understanding of what you can expect to pay.
As a lawn care company that is upfront and honest, that doesnt believe in hidden costs or dragging you along, well tell you upfront the lawn care cost you can expect to pay.
Lawn care costs in Memphis TN and Olive Branch, MS areas typically start anywhere from $43 to $64 per visit, or between $246 and $608 annually.
At Master Lawn, our average customer is right around $55 per visit and $400 per year, making that number in the middle of what other companies in our region costand there are reasons for that which well explain. We believe that you should not only know the answer to how much does lawn care cost in Memphis TN and Olive Branch MS? But that you should also know why lawn care costs what it does. And more importantly, why some companies cost more than others.
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How Much Does Lawn Care Cost In Portland
Over at lawnsite.com, a forum mainly frequented by landscape professionals, there was once a busy thread that posts an interesting question. The poster asks, “Should I put prices for landscape maintenance, lawn care, lawn mowing, etc. on my website?”
The consensus is “No”. Many of the respondents feel that you are locking yourself into your lowest price and maybe giving the competition an advantage. I disagree. Rather than argue with strangers, I decided to post everything I know about landscape maintenance program pricing in the Portland area.
How Often Should You Mow Your Lawn
The frequency of mowing your lawn depends on the weather in your area, the season, and your personal preference. During the prime growing season, you will most likely want to mow your yard weekly, though you may stretch that to ten days if you live in a hot area with lots of sun and prefer longer grass to protect the roots from the heat. Preseason and the end of the growing season see slower growth, so bi-weekly mowing will likely be sufficient.
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Why Is Lawn Care Important
As most of us know, appropriate and consistent lawn care is essential if you want a beautiful lawn.
If your lawn doesnt get the care and maintenance it needs, you will end up with a variety of problems, such as pests, browning, ugly thin patches, and even lawn diseases.
Your grass can eventually die, as well. You dont want to end up in this situation, so make sure you learn about all the care your lawn needs and the steps you can take to make sure it gets it.
I have a lot of great resources for homeowners looking to make their grass green and healthy on this site, so I hope youll look around.
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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Scotts Outdoor Power Tools 2000
Reel lawn mowers like this one require more work than gas or electric mowers. As you push a reel lawn mower, youre manually making the blades spin.
That being said, reel mowers can be an affordable, eco-friendly option for small lawns and homeowners who dont mind a little extra sweat.
If you think a reel mower might be up your alley, the 2000-20 model from Scotts Outdoor will give you the best bang for your buck. The mower has a 20-inch cutting deck, larger than most other reel mowers . Its ergonomic handle has a cushioned grip to help counterbalance the extra strain a reel mower puts on the user.
Since it doesnt have a motor, the Scotts Outdoor 2000-20 is the lightest push mower on our list. You wont have to worry about buying fuel, charging batteries, or avoiding a cord. This mower runs on pure manpower.
Specifications:
Why We Chose Lawn Love
Lawn Love is a great provider for anyone worried about getting all of their lawn care needs covered in a single plan. Because Lawn Love acts more as an aggregator site, customers are able to customize their lawn treatment plans to receive any service they are looking for, as well as the frequency of service.
We recommend you get your free lawn analysis from Lawn Love to find a local provider that works for you.
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Check Out The Lawn In Question
You should always check out your customers lawn before giving them a quote, regardless of whether you charge by the hour or by size.
Your customer can say they just want their lawn mowed, but once you arrive, you may notice that some extra care is required before you can mow. As a result, additional services need to be included in the estimate you offer them.
For example, you might discover that what your customer may think is overgrown grass is actually weeds, requiring weed control on top of regular mowing.
Youll want to inspect the lawn so you can assess its condition and determine what type of treatment it needs. This ensures that you deliver an accurate estimate from the beginning and avoid surprising your customer with extra charges later.
Tree Pruning Or Trimming
Dont neglect the trees on your property. Its essential that you have them pruned every winter so that you wont end up with any dying branches.
This is a safety issue, and it will also encourage green growth when the spring arrives.
Beyond this, trees that are limbed-up and pruned allow more light to get to your lawn, which will improve the health and thickness of your lawn. It also just makes your property look better.
On average, homeowners with trees on their properties spend between about $292 and $638 to have tree branches pruned and to get their trees limbed up.
Beyond this number from my lawn care pricing chart, the exact price youll pay depends on the number of trees they have and the size of the trees.
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