How Much Should I Pay For Lawn Mowing

How Much To Charge For Lawn Mowing

Along with fast food, retail, or babysitting, one of the few options available to teens just entering the work world is that of mowing lawns for pocket change.

But what many people fail to realize is how profitable running a lawn mowing business can be if you play your cards right.

The landscaping business has grown over the past decade to be an almost $100 billion industry, supporting around 1 million workers and half-a-million small businesses.

So, how much should you charge for each lawn mowing job if you want to make a living?

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?

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.

Read Also: How To Estimate Lawn Cutting

Lawn Care Price Based On Size

Even though you shouldnt price based on the square footage of the lot, knowing the size will still help you estimate the total cost of a job.

The price of lawn care is greatly affected by the size of the lawn, which will be an element you use to determine the labor that goes into it.

Now that you know what goes into the costs of lawn care services and your different pricing options lets nail down how much to charge for your services.

Find out how automation tools grow your field service business.

Recommended Reading: How To Remove Weeds From Grass Lawn

Lawn Service Cost By Type Of Service

Mowing is not the only service that these professionals usually provide, nor is it the only service your lawn may require. Your yard maintenance cost may include many maintenance tasks that may be used to help bring your lawn back to a healthy state, prepare it for the upcoming season, or reduce the risk of weeds, pests, and other intrusions into your yard that can damage its aesthetic. Below, you will see the average lawn maintenance cost based on the most common maintenance tasks that may be combined with your mowing to keep the outdoor of your home as beautiful and healthy as possible.

Recommended Reading: How Do You Treat Lawn Fungus

Estimate The Lawn Care Service Time

Walk the apartments and start calculating your average service times based on property sizes youve done before.

In other words, break down the apartment complex into smaller sections so you can estimate on smaller, bite sized property sizes .

When youre first starting to bid apartments, this is much easier than trying to calculate for one large property.

Based on your previous experience with each bite sized piece, jot down how much time you think itll take to do each section.

Then, add up each property piece, and youve now calculated how long you think itll take you to service the entire apartment complex.

To Water Or Not To Water

Many North Texas homeowners stop watering their lawns in the fall and winter months, thinking itâs time for their grass to go dormant for the colder months. But your grass still needs water.

Your grass goes to âsleepâ or dormant to preserve moisture and nutrients. This is why your lawn turns a brownish or gray color. Your lawn needs water in the fall and winter months to help roots stay healthy for growth in the spring months. But your lawn will need less water than in the summer months.

Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. .

Read Also: Do It Yourself Lawn Care Schedule

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.

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.

Don’t Miss: How Much Should I Pay For Lawn Care

Which Is The Best Trugreen Plan

The TruGreen plans vary based on the services you need, so no single program is better than the others. If you just want the basic services, TruMaintenance is the most affordable. If youre looking for white-glove service, TruSignature covers your lawn, garden beds, trees, and everything in between. You can also opt for the TruNatural if children or pets frequent your lawn.

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.

Recommended Reading: How To Treat Lawn For Dandelions

Does Higher Pay Equal Less Turnover

In a nutshell, higher pay can help equal less turnover, but its not guaranteed.

Here’s the thing, you dont want to be the low payer among competitors.

If you become known as the low paying employer , youll likely get poor employee candidates, decreased employee retention, less work completed, and lower quality work.

However, remember that paying employees is so much more than their take-home pay. While money in their pockets is important, it’s not the end-all be-all.

It’s important to pay what’s within the budget while still maintaining profit goals.

Also, incentives go a long way. For example, bonuses, benefits, and lunches all factor in when trying to attract the best employees.

Always remember, people want to feel appreciated. If you treat your employees like family, then chances are they’ll work hard for you and put their best foot forward.

If they get nickel-and-dimed and micromanaged, then they’ll likely look elsewhere .

Now, thats not to say employees dont have to be held accountable. Weve all seen people that take advantage.

For example, a half hour lunch turns into 45 minutes, or a job is finished and the crew drags their feet starting the next job. It happens. As the lawn care business owner, you just want to minimize it.

How Much Does Professional Lawn Care Cost

Professional lawn care costs anywhere between $48 and $211, depending on the customers yard. If the customer only wants basic lawn mowing services, then they can expect to pay $25-150 per week.

The numbers cited above are national figures, so professional lawn care fees in your area may be different. The numbers can also differ if you take per hour and per square feet rates into account.

Many factors play into the pricing of lawn care services, but the most prominent ones are:

• Lawn size: Naturally, larger lawns lead to higher costs because theres more work to be done. However, especially large lawns may cost less per square foot because its not as detail-oriented.
• Labor requirement: Especially large lawns may need more lawn care professionals. The more lawn care professionals are assigned to a job, the higher the cost.
• Lawn layout: A flat, empty lawn is easier to take care of than hilly lawns with fences and trees. More complicated lawns will lead to more labor-intensive jobs and higher costs.
• Travel expenses: Generally, travel costs are included in your hourly quote. However, clients who live especially far away may be charged a travel surcharge to cover excess fuel costs.
• Equipment costs: Advanced equipment helps lawn professionals get the job done more effectively but usually at an increased cost due to more expensive upkeep.

You May Like: How To Remove Weeds From Grass Lawn

Lawn Mowing Prices Per Acre

You can expect to pay between $50 and $100 per acre for average lawn mowing prices. Charging lawn care prices per acre is more common with commercial services providing maintenance for large plots of land. However, some smaller companies charge a per acre cost for homes with less acreage as well. The lawn care prices per acre are typically a little higher than per square foot, primarily because they will use additional gas and time going to the far edge of the property and back than they would with a smaller space. Below you will see the lawn care cost per acre average per mow for companies that charge their services based on acreage.

How You Can Keep Your Lawn Healthy Year

If a healthy lawn is what you want, then year-round maintenance is vital. Your lawn needs different treatments and maintenance depending on the season to ensure that it is properly prepared for the months when it is at its peak for growing. Below you will see some of the most common maintenance tasks performed during each season of the year.

Read Also: What Are The Best Lawn Mower Blades

Factors That Influence The Cost Of A Lawn Care Service

Your final price of lawn maintenance services relies on several factors. A customer service representative should cover these factors during the quote process to provide you with an accurate estimate. We have listed some of the most crucial factors for you below.

• Lawn size: One of the most significant factors is your lawns size. The larger the lawn, the higher the price.
• Obstacles: Features like trees, fences, rocks, planters, and other obstacles that workers will have to work around will add to your cost.
• Steep hills: If your lawn is hilly or features some steep hills, you should expect some extra cost added to your monthly price due to the challenges they present.
• Labor: Depending on the number of services you require or the size of your lawn, a lawn care company may have to add multiple technicians to your job. The number of workers and hours worked will influence your cost.
• Travel time: In a similar vein to the labor required for the job, if your home is further out for the lawn care service than other homes, then additional charges may be added to your monthly fee.

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

Read Also: How Often Do You Fertilize Lawn

How Much Should I Pay A Teenager To Mow My Lawn

Regardless of age, it can be difficult to figure out how much you should pay a teenager to mow your lawn. There are many benefits to hiring a teenager, including the fact that they will get valuable experience and make some extra money. Even if you dont think youll need to hire a teenager for your lawn, its worth the effort to find out the appropriate amount.

Using the money youd spend on gas and a can of soda will help you get a fair price for their services. However, if the teen doesnt have a car or owns their own equipment, they can charge a low fee for their services. Remember to be generous with the amount you pay, though. A couple dollars is worth a lot more to them than to you.

The cost of hiring a teenager to mow your lawn will depend on how much you need the service and how big your yard is. You can start with a minimum of $10 for a small lawn, but you should be more generous if you need a large lawn mowed frequently. In addition, you can hire a jobbing teenager to do the job for a lower price.

While paying a teenager to mow your lawn is not as hard as it might seem, its important to remember that youre not only paying for the actual labor, but youre also providing the teenager with the tools, gas, and food. If youre paying a teenager for lawn care, make sure you pay enough for the service to cover their expenses. In the case of injuries, you cant waive liability, but you can purchase work comp insurance if the job involves any risks.

What Influences Lawn Mowing Costs

There are several lawn mowing cost factors to consider when pricing your jobs.

For example, does your lawn mowing service only include lawn mowing, or will you offer other services such as leaf removal and clean-up as part of a package?

Other factors to consider include:

• Size of the yard.
• Location of the job site.
• Local weather conditions.

Its important to note that location plays an important role in determining the cost of lawn care.

As a result, you should price differently for residential and commercial properties. The same goes for warmer climates where grass may grow quicker and colder climates that require winterization.

Read Also: How To Get Commercial Lawn Care Jobs

Check Out Your Lawn Care Contractors

Before you take on a lawn care contractor, be sure to check them out. There are several boxes they have to tick before you should let them onto your property. If the contractor is a reputable company, then these should not be difficult for them to provide. Here are some examples of what they should have and what you should ask for.

How Much Does It Cost To Start My Lawnmowing Business

The first thing you need to do is make sure you have enough money to get the essentials: a lawn mower, weed eater/string trimmer, a leaf blower, and a tool kit. Lets assume that you already have a safe place to keep your equipment, a shed or garage, and reliable transportation in the form of a 2019 Ford F150 a much cheaper/older car or no car at all at start will do just as well but lets take this as an example. Here are some of the average costs for the above items, purchased brand new .

Push Mower: $100-$400

Leaf Blower: $130-$300

Small Engine Tool Kit: $40-$200

For those with deep pockets or for rapidly growing businesses, a riding mower and/or a trailer for carrying bigger equipment is probably a good idea as well.

Riding Mower: $1,500-$3,000

Also Read: How Late & Early Can you Mow Lawn

Also Check: How To Treat Weeds In Lawn

/2 Acre Lot Lawn Mowing Pricing

$60 Lawn Example

Amount of Grass: 11,500 Sq. Ft

Lot Size: 22,600 Sq. Ft

Notable characteristics:

This lawn has nearly twice the amount of grass than the 1/4 example above, but it is only $10 more per mowing service. Why?

• Few obstacles This lawn has a couple trees and beds in the lawn, but for the most part, it is wide open mowing.
• Slight slope in the back Its hard to tell, but this lawn has a slight slope in the back, not enough to affect the price though.

Pictures of this lawn:

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.

You May Like: How To Repair Dead Spots In Lawn