Rates Vary A Little By Location
Much of this depends on what part of the country you live in.
For example, pricing for lawn maintenance services in warmer climates such as Florida or California are more competitive than they are as compares to cooler climates.
You might be wondering why this is?
Well, think about it. The lawn care business is more stable in climates where the grass needs cutting year-round. Naturally, in an area where grass grows for shorter seasons, lawn care services have to figure out how to make ends meet, during the wintertime.
Put another way, lawn mowing services are treated more as a commodity in warmer climates.
And more as a luxury service in Northern climates.
Is It Worth Paying For Lawn Care
Hiring a professional lawn care company in your area saves more time than money, but it can be financially beneficial in the long run as well. If you don’t have the time to keep up with mowing, watering, and treating lawn issues throughout the year, you could end up with costly issues like overgrown thatch, disease, or pests.
Labor And Mowing Time
Lawncare pros factor $50 to $75 or more per hour to cover the cost to pay their crew, fuel, equipment upkeep, insurance and other costs.
Commercial riding mowers cut at 8-12 MPH, so they cover an acre of ground in about 20-25 minutes. So, you can see that it takes just a few minutes to mow most suburban lots.
Using a walk-behind mower takes 2-3 times longer.
Primary labor-related cost factors, besides DIY vs Pro, are:
- Distance to your home from their facility or last job
- Whether the company is fully insured
- Length of your grass
- Configuration/complexity of your yard
- Whether they can use riding mowers or must cut with a walk-behind, narrower-width mower
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How Often Should A Lawn Be Mowed
When its growing, a lawn may be mown every one or two weeks. You dont want to allow it to get too short because that risks sun damage. In the winter, you may need it once a month. Lawn experts recommend that you enable enough time between mows to allow your lawn to dry out. This encourages root growth.
Dependent upon:
Season
In the winter, its inadvisable to mow too often. In the summer, you are likely to need services about two weeks apart.
The type of lawn you have
Certain types of grass grow more quickly than others. Plus, a weedy lawn tends to look untidy faster than a uniformly planted lawn. Some examples of grass are unusually thick and take longer to mow.
Condition of the Lawn
If your grass is already quite high, your first mow may require a higher fee. Sometimes a lawn care company must do whipper snipping before running the mower. Since this may take twice the time, it maybe twice the cost. A big clean-up job will cost even more where shrubs, trees and obstacles are involved.
Where you live
The climate will be a significant factor in how slowly or quickly your lawn grows. It may also impact lawn mowing rates if theres a bigger demand.
How Much Does It Cost To Mow A Lawn
According to Bob Vila, the average cost for mowing a lawn is around $130 , although you could pay as much as little as $30 for a small area or $515 for a very large garden.
If you have a 5,000-square-foot lawn and it takes someone about 2.5 hours to mow it, edge it and handle the clippings, you’re looking at between $60 and $150 for the service if your contractor charges per hour.
But that’s just an average based on very basic lawn care services. Your cost could be higher or lower depending on a variety of factors.
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What Do Lawn Care Service Providers Require To Be Successful
To be competitive and earn a profit, lawn care companies must be efficient. To be as efficient as possible for our customers, we must have state-of-the-art equipment, dedicated employees, and foolproof systems. Therefore, most lawn care companies can mow, trim, edge, and clean up 1-2 acres of grass in less than an hour.
If a homeowner were to tackle this job on his own, or even with a partner, it would most likely take a lot longer than this. On average, we can service your property in 1/2 or even 1/3 of the time it takes the average homeowner with residential equipment.
Our efficiency comes at a cost, though. Lawn care companies must spend thousands of dollars on equipment and maintenance to be this efficient for our customers. Now this $60 seems a lot different, especially when it would take the average homeowner 2-3 hours to complete the same work .
Why Choose Crewcut For Lawn Mowing Services In New Zealand
Most people put a lot of pride and care in maintaining their properties. The last thing they want is a lawn care service provider coming in and making an awful job of it. Therefore, theres a lot of value in doing your homework to find a reliable and highly-regarded lawn care service provider such as Crewcut.
You can enjoy professional team members, franchisees throughout the country, and a full range of services. Competitive pricing is also something Crewcut prides itself on, so you can rest assured that value is part of the package too.
If the time has come to put your lawn care needs back in the hands of someone who takes pride and effort in the task at hand, then get in touch. Quality lawn care services near you await.
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Working Capital And Other Business Startup Costs
Like any business, a lawn care service must also have a certain amount of working capital. And the amount you will require will depend upon the clientele you target.
For example, having a strictly residential client base will require less working capital than a commercial property based lawn care service. However, the way that you set up your payment structure will also affect the necessary working capital.
Lets say you wanted to work solely with residential clients. You could maintain a policy where you are paid weekly by the client or even paid each visit. This sort of structure would eliminate the need for a significant working capital due to client payment regularity.
On the other side of the coin is the commercial market. Most companies expect to pay on at least net 30 terms and often stretch their names longer. It is merely the nature of doing business. You can imagine that if you have staff on hand and that your clients wont pay you for weeks after the work completion, who is paying your team in the interim? You are, and right out of your working capital.
Working Capital Example
Johnny has a landscape company that he has just started and has acquired some decent contracts to establish. Johnny hires two workers and pays them both $16 per hour for 40 hours of work per week.
Get inspired and find a catchy landscaping business name on my list here
Number Of Lawn Care Visits
The number of service visits performed within the lawn care program also directly impacts lawn care prices. Each visit could be made up of a varying number of applications.
Before agreeing to any services, make sure you know how many visits and specific applications the each visit on the program will include. You want to be able to feel confident that your lawn care company is including just the right number of actual treatments .
Knowing whats included is important. Otherwise, you may fall victim to a common marketing scheme in the lawn care industry which is to underprice services just to hook you. This occurs when lawn care companies give you their rock bottom price knowing that it doesnt actually include everything you really need. In the end, you may wind up paying just as much with all of the add-on services and upcharges you have to tack on than you would have with another company that offered everything you needed from the start.
At Master Lawn, we have found that the sweet spot is 7 to 10 visits, which allows us to get all important services completed. This also helps people to choose the program that is best for them both based on their own needs as well as what Master Lawn feels will help their lawn the most. When applicable, we are able to combine certain applications in order to pass savings along to the customer. It is never our goal to upcharge for services that we can offer at a more affordable price when possible.
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Faq About Lawn Mower Costs
1. What is the best lawn mower for the price?
According to our research, the best lawn mower for the price is the gas-powered 170 cc, 21-inch model from PowerSmart. Learn more about the 10 best lawn mowers for the money.
2. How much does lawn mower repair cost?
Depending on the necessary work and parts, you should expect to pay between $60 and $95 for a professional lawn mower repair.
3. How much does professional lawn mowing cost?
The actual cost of lawn mowing depends on the size of your yard and labor costs where you live, but on national average you can expect to pay $29 to $65 overall or $33 to $70 per hour. Get accurate lawn mowing quotes specific to your ZIP code from LawnStarter.
How Much Do Lawn Care Services Cost In New Zealand
Then, we get to the nuts and bolts. How much do lawn mowing services cost in New Zealand? Thats the million-dollar question.
Every lawn care provider will establish different costs that work for them. Some set their prices based on whether they use a ride-on or push mower if they have to travel out of their way, and the condition of the lawn.
A small lawn can be in the vicinity of $25, $30, $40, or $50. A medium or large yard, on the other hand, can be over $50 including or excluding GST, depending on how the person you hired had structured their invoice or quote.
Pricing can also differ depending on whether its a one-off lawn mowing service or you become a regular customer.
Pricing may also vary and become a set hourly rate if you have a property with steep slopes or you require mowing services on a lifestyle block, farm, field, business, or somewhere other than your residential address. Its worth talking to your local lawn care expert about their rates and conditions for service. As a bare minimum, you can expect a charge of $25 including or excluding GST, and with possible travel costs.
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What Should I Budget For A Professional Landscaper
Since everyone needs a starting line to consider, it helps to look at the state and national averages for landscaping costs to get pricing ideas.
When you hire a professional landscaper for smaller jobs, the price is typically around $50 to $100 per hour. That cost shouldnt be per worker, but it does need to cover the time a team spends at your property.
If it takes about 30 minutes to mow your quarter-acre yard, you could expect a price of $25 to $50 per visit. That breaks down to about $100 to $200 per month.
When you need high-end landscape solutions, the cost profile often shifts to square footage. Those prices range from about $4 to $12. That means you could pay up to $1,200 for 100 square feet of work, not including the cost of the items involved, such as boulders, fountains, or other special needs.
If you need a professional landscaper budget for a project starting from scratch, the cost to lay sod and install features is often somewhere between $3,500 to $16,000. Anyone with a larger property to design and manage will usually pay even more.
What Influences Lawn Mowing Cost
You probably know that prices vary from company to company. However, they generally stay within a relatively stable range. Aside from the obvious that we covered in the mowing calculator, factors that affect lawn mowing cost include the following:
- Whats included in the mowing service? Is it just mowing, or does the company offer all-inclusive packages, with weed-eating, edging, and disposing of the grass clippings? Do they also provide another service, for example, lawn ferilization?
- Has the lawn been mowed regularly? If its a new lawn that has never been mowed, or it has been neglected for some time, mowing will probably take longer and will require more labor than a regular lawns, and therefore may potentially cost more.
- Do you want to hire the company for regular mowing? Unfortunately, mowing does not last forever. You might want to consider setting up a regular mowing service with your provider. In most companies, the more frequent the mowing, the less it costs. For example, the same company can charge $50 for a one-time mowing service, but their price would drop to $45 for the same lawn if it was mowed by them twice a month, and to $40 if it was done on a weekly basis.
- How far from the companys headquarters do you live? If it takes a while for them to drive to you, the lawn care company might want to charge more due to transportation costs such as gas.
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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:
Should I Sharpen Or Replace My Lawn Mower Blade
Lawn mower blades are built for durability and can usually be salvaged with regular sharpening. However, if you notice large dents and chips on the edge that arent smoothed out with a blade sharpener, its time to invest in new blades. Yard debris can also wear down a blade over years, resulting in thin weak metal.
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Hardscaping And Outdoor Living Spaces
An important part of any landscaping project is the hardscape work. Its not the glamorous or even pretty part of the landscaping, but it established the framework for the landscape plan. It can also be the most costly part of any landscape project because it is so labor-intensive.
Hardscape features include:
Before you begin any landscape project, you want to have a clear plan on your hardscape needs. For example, you dont want to pay to install sod and then later decide you need to haul rocks to build a retaining wall. You certainly dont want to install sod and then realize moving sprinklers is a hassle and need an irrigation system.
Hardscape features are where working with experts can really help your landscape plan. Landscapers often have landscape architects that work with them to help homeowners see the hardscape things that need to be done or that could be done to add real interest to the overall landscaping.
Of course, this is a more costly feature, but one that is often the most impactful when landscaping.
Outdoor living spaces have also become the rage as homeowners have spent more and more time at home. Make your outdoor living space part of your overall plan. This would include things like a patio area, outdoor kitchen, and a fire pit that allows your family to gather together in your yard.
Lawn Service Cost Estimator By Brand
Many brands, like Lawn Doctor and TruGreen, do not publish prices online. This is because what youll pay can vary so significantly based on the condition of your lawn, its size, and where you live.
Heres a look at what youll pay with two different popular brands:
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TruComplete Lawn Plan: $780 per year.
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Scotts LawnService: $650 per year.
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Cost To Hire A Lawn Aeration Service
Lawn aeration is perhaps not the most well-known of lawn care activities, but it is extremely important and, if you own a lawn, you have probably heard about this activity.
Aeration and the right fertilizers keep lawns healthy and lush green all year round. Soils that are compacted and hard turn the lawn brown or yellow, while causing weed growth, and ultimately, damage. Aeration reduces compaction, oxidizes the soil and allows the roots to feed on the proper nutrients, and to be as vigorous as possible. The lawn aerator perforates the soil, creating small holes to allow air, water and other nutrients to circulate, resulting in a healthier lawn.
Remember That Lawn Care Is An Investment
Your home is one of the biggest purchases youll ever make, so youll want to protect that investment by ensuring your lawn is healthy and well-manicured.
Find your lawn care pro today, and we hope you enjoy your beautiful new yard for many years to come.
When you’re ready, get free estimates on HomeGuide from trusted lawn care pros:
Daniel W.
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