How Much Does It Cost To Mow My Lawn

Your Questions About Lawn Care Pricing Answered

Figuring out roughly how much to charge for lawn mowing is one thing, but a lot goes into determining the final price. Itâs a balancing act that professionals need to master if theyâre going to succeed in this business.

Here are some of the most common questions people have about lawn care prices.

The Factors Of Determining A Fair Lawn Care Rate

It’s crazy because it’s not as straightforward a question as you might think

• First of all should you try to negotiate an hourly rate with your lawn care service provider?

• Should you worry about effectively how much youre paying them per hour?

• And what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn mowing services?

After all. You don’t want to come off like this person. Do you?

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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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.

How To Save On Lawn Care

To save money, Farley suggests banding together with your neighbors to hire one lawn care company.

You can often get a group discount since the lawn pro can save on drive time, he says. He also recommends that you make sure whoever you hire has insurance. Its not uncommon to have a mower kick up a rock and crack a window, so youll want to make sure youre not responsible for that cost.

Other ways to save include getting rid of grass all together and planting drought-resistant shrubs and installing artificial grass or other low- or no-maintenance alternatives.

The worst thing you can do when it comes to your lawn is nothing.

If you dont care for your lawn, it will inevitably die and/or get overrun with weeds, Farley says. Once that happens, you have to replace your lawn, which is extremely expensive, usually a minimum of $2,000 for a fifth-of-an-acre lot. Caring for your lawn requires either hard work on your part or paying for someone else to do the hard workthere are no silver bullets.

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About Remodeling Expense

Remodeling Expenses provides homeowners with accurate cost information on home services and level the playing field for consumers and service professionals. We aim to have data on all US zip codes, so homeowners from all over the country can lookup accurate and up to date pricing information.

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We were in the planning stages of our exterior remodeling project that included: New siding, windows, fencing, and a deck refacing.

RemodelingExpense had pretty darn accurate cost calculators that helped us budget our projects, all relevant to our zipcode and contractors near me. I felt good Knowing exactly how much I should pay without getting ripped off. Francesca, Charlotte, NC

Buying A Lawn Mower And Diy

If you choose to mow your own lawn the main cost involved is purchasing a lawn mower, which you can get for a significantly lower price on second hand sites or garage sales.

Lawn mower costs:

• Amazon Bosch Lawn Mower $215.00
• Self Operating Lawn Mower $1700

Mowing your lawn on a regular basis stops weeds from growing and makes your yard look great. If you dont have the time or prefer spending your afternoons with friends and family, there are several lawn mowing professionals that can help you.

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How Much Should I Pay My Teenager To Mow The Lawn

Warm weather, combined with recent rain, finally has my lawn green and growing. Ive dropped my first application of fertilizer, pulled my lawn mower from the shed, and generally gotten ready for another season of lawn care. Soon enough, my lawn will need to be mowed regularly.

I love being outside and mowing the lawn, but Im a busy guy and the two hours it takes to cut the grass and trim around the house is sometimes hard to find.

That being said, I have a teenage son who is looking to earn some extra money. Hed like to get a part-time job, but getting one at age 15 is difficult, because most business require applicants to be at least 16.

Mowing the lawn would be a perfect way for me to save some time, and for him to earn some money. But heres the question:

How much should I pay him to mow my lawn?

My three options:

Cost Of Winterizing Your Lawn

Depending on where you live, you may need to winterize your lawn for the harsh winter weather. Winterizing your lawn will ensure the lawn your worked so hard to keep healthy and beautiful does not die from the first snow, and can also prevent dead spots or the unappealing brown spots that we all see too often at the beginning of spring.

The average cost for winterizing a lawn is about $400, but the price can vary drastically depending on where you live and the size of your lawn. If you have a lawn care provider you can ask them about their winterizing process and what your lawn would need, or you can find a lawn care professional today to take on the job.

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Experience Of The Lawn Care Provider

A service providers training, experience, and expertise can affect your total lawn care costs. If youre hiring a pro who is new to the industry, you can expect to pay much less than hiring a pro with years of experience. Keep in mind that hiring a more experienced professional is likely to provide better results.

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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What Other Care Might My Lawn Need Apart From Mowing

Cutting is one element of all-round, professional lawn care. To keep a lawn looking its best, it will require watering in prolonged dry periods, edging to provide that neat finish, weeding for unwanted plants and moss, scarifying and feeding with lawn food. To keep a lawn looking its best month in month out, there should be an annual programme of care and maintenance of which mowing is just one element.

Whats The Average Cost Of Lawn Care Per Acre

The average cost of lawn care per acre ranges from $60 to $2,000 and up. What youll pay depends on factors like the services you purchase, the size of your property and regional costs. For example, if you live near a large city and need to fertilize an acre, you can expect to pay significantly more than if you live in a suburban or rural area and need mowing services for your property.

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What Is The Cost Of Weeding Your Lawn

The average cost per hour of weeding ranges between $12 and $40. While many people enjoy gardening as a hobby, others would prefer to hire an expert to handle regular weeding around plants and flowers. Professionals who undertake this job would need to come back on a regular basis, or they can use weed killer as a more permanent solution.

Why Do Lawn Mowing Costs Rise When The Grass Is Long

Even the best lawn mower wont slash its way through grass effectively when its too long. If the person you hire attempts to do this, a couple of things could happen:

• Theyll damage the blades on their mower

• If they do damage the blades on their mower, they may not be able to complete the job

• Youll experience uneven results, which nobody wants

To prepare long grass for a mower, the professional who comes to your home will need to engage in a little slashing. In other words, theyll use different tools to chop the grass down to a cuttable size.

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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:

• What’s 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 it’s 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 company’s 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.

Lawn Care Costs Per Acre

Lawn care prices per acre run from $150 to $250. Just like with mowing, more significant lawn care such as seeding, weed control, fertilization, and aeration is typically priced per acre, with many companies performing more than one of these services at a time. Maintenance costs range widely due to the variety of services that may be needed. They may include one or more services, such as seeding with fertilization or aeration. These services are usually performed and billed separately from mowing. If you have several acres, costs will definitely be higher:

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What Is Involved In The Costs Of Lawn Care

You may be wondering how someone who offers lawn care services sets their pricing, and dont be afraid to ask. Often, supply and demand come into play, but it can also come down to the services they are offering and your unique situation.

If you require a service that your lawn care provider has to outsource, then this may come at a higher cost. You may also pay less for some services if you initially hire someone to mow your lawns. The more you can pack into one visit, the more competitively priced the costs of lawn care will be.

Where you live may also feature in the pricing structure of lawn mowing. If you are on the outskirts of a township, you live rurally, or your contractor has a per-kilometre rate, then these may appear on your invoice as well.

The best thing you can do is talk to your preferred lawn care provider. They can outline all costs with complete transparency so that you can avoid any unexpected fees.

Factor In Overhead And Equipment

Once youve got labor sorted, its time to add the cost of general supplies and overhead.

Overhead can include phone bills, office space, internet, vehicle payments, and gas. But, one of the most overlooked costs is maintenance and equipment.

Equipment should be factored into each job as an expense. Its expensive to purchase and maintain equipmenteven a basic mower needs its engine repaired, spark plug replaced, and oil changed. If you have more expensive equipment, then costing this into your price is critical.

Edward explains, the fact is that equipment has to drive revenue. It could cost you $20,000 to buy, and thats $20,000 to replace down the line, plus maintenance. We include all this in our final price.

So, how do you cost that into your lawn care pricing?

Edward explains, I think of it this way: I need to be making $100 an hour to use expensive equipment to make it worthwhile for commercial and residential work.

Youll want to buy something new again eventually, he says, so you do need enough profit to do thatmaybe its a couple dollars a job over the course of a year. Maybe its a percentage of all jobs, or the jobs you use that equipment on. The rule of thumb for me is that I charge two times the hourly rate of labor just to have the equipment on the site.

Pro tip: some professionals tack on an additional 15%-20% on top of their estimate to account for overhead costs.

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Are There Any Obstacles That Could Make It Hard To Mow Your Lawn

Do you have a relatively flat lawn that doesnt have many trees and bushes on it? Its going to be pretty easy for a lawn mowing service to knock your lawn out without charging you an arm and a leg for it.

But if you have a lawn that has hills or if you have a lawn with tons of trees and other obstacles, it can present problems for a lawn mowing service. Theyll have to take their time when mowing your lawn, and youll end up paying the price for it.

You obviously cant do a whole lot about any obstacles situated throughout your lawn. But you can make sure youre aware of them and the role that they might play in the price you pay for lawn mowing.

Type Of Yard And Landscape

The structure of your yard can also change the average cost of lawn service. A flat, wide-open yard with few obstacles can be mowed and cared for quickly. A yard with hills, trees, flower beds, structures and fence lines or other obstacles takes more time and care. It can’t all be mowed with a fast-riding mower. A lawn care professional will typically consider all of these things when giving you a quote.

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What Type Of Grass Do You Have

There are two main categories of lawn grass: cool-season, which typically grow during early spring and fall, and warm-season, which flourish during late spring and summer. Popular cool-season grasses include rye, Kentucky bluegrass and fescues. Two examples of warm-season grasses include Bermuda and zoysia grass.

Each of these different types of grass require different lawn care regimens. For example, lawn care pros will typically cut Kentucky bluegrass shorter during warm weather than Bermuda grass. The different types of grasses also have different sun and shade needs, different needs for fertilization and watering, and even different needs for how often to cut during cool or warm months.

All these factors are compounded by your geographic region and local climate. By working with a lawn care professional you can be sure your grass will get the proper attention and treatment to allow it to flourish.

How Much Should You Charge For Mowing Lawns

Choose an hourly rate for lawn mowing. This should not include trimming with a weed eater or clipping hedges. Lets assume you choose $20 per hour. If you estimate a job at a small residence will take 20 minutes, then divide your $20 rate by three and round up to the next dollar. This would make your fee $6.66,

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Whats Included In The Price Of Lawn Mowing Services

Lawn care companies like to provide discounts on one-off services by bundling common lawn care services into a single package. These mowing packages often include mowing, edging, weeding, and leaf removal services.

Depending on what a lawn needs, itâs easy for homeowners to add on other services, such as watering and fertilization.

Remember that itâs common to provide discounts for committing to a long-term lawn care contract. Loyalty rewards are always appreciated in this hotly contested business.

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.

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