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:
Pricing Guide: How Much Does Lawn Care Cost
How much does lawn care cost? That depends on what lawn care services you need. While mowing costs on average $29 to $65, yard cleanup prices range from $170.50 to $374.30, and overseeding will typically cost $336 to $1,010 depending on the size of your lawn.
The golden rule: The size of your yard and the services you require will have the most significant impact on how much you spend on lawn care.
Our pricing guide should help you estimate how much different lawn care services will cost you. Well review their prices, how the services can benefit your lawn, and what other factors can affect total cost.
How Much Does Lawn Care Cost For Big Gardens
So far, weve discussed using a grass-cutting service for a small backyard only. As a rough guide, small means two car spaces. If you own a yard that could fit four cars in it, be ready to increase your budget. For a backyard only, this means youll pay $70 to $90. If youre lucky enough to own a garden that can fit six or more cars, your lawn care costs will range between $100 and $120.
Although the prices rise in line with your gardens size, you could enjoy financial benefits in certain circumstances. For example, if youre trying to sell your house, having a pristine lawn gives it greater kerb appeal. Also, if youre self-employed or you work from home, the hours you save when hiring someone to cut your grass go back into your business. Essentially, the cost of lawn care pays for itself in these cases.
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How Often Should You Mow A Lawn
There is no set-in-stone schedule for mowing your lawn, as each grass variety grows at a different rate depending on the season. Once you determine the type of grass in your lawn and its ideal height, aim to remove no more than the top third of the blade at a time to retain its healthy structure.
In the high growing season, this will likely break down to about once a week, which is why lawn care specialists often offer weekly plans.
Hire a Lawn Mowing & Landscaping Professional Near You
What Are The Advantages Of Hiring A Gardener To Mow The Lawn
There are lots of benefits to having a regular slot when your grass is cut each week and these include:-
- It creates time for you to concentrate on other more important or enjoyable garden projects grass cutting is very time consuming
- A gardener can manage a regular programme of lawn care including edging, feeding and scarifying when the grass needs it
- If you are busy working, then you can sit outside during the evening or at weekends and just enjoy the peace of your garden with a lovely mown lawn and without feeling pressured to be cutting it constantly
- For people who have limited mobility or other physical restrictions, a grass cutting service can free them of the task and allow them to undertake other lighter duties in the garden or just sit back and enjoy it
- If you need specific equipment either because the lawn has got out of hand or needs some other special attention, then a garden contractor can usually provide this for you. He may also have a larger and more efficient mower which will cut the grass more quickly and to a better finish than if you did it yourself
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How To Keep Your Lawn Looking Its Best All Year Round
Mowing the lawn may seem easy in principle, yet achieving the perfect lawn is something of an art form. From getting perfect stripes and framing, to keeping it in good condition all year round no matter the weather, theres a lot of little things to remember.
Regular grass cutting is key, with weekly cuts from spring to autumn ensuring the grass stays in good condition. Following the one third rule only cutting off the top third of the grass helps keep moisture in the grass and reduces the damage done. You should also mow in the evening or early morning for the best results and especially not when the grass is wet.
Dont neglect your mower either. Keep blades sharp and make sure it isnt underpowered for the work required.
Regular lawn maintenance should include:
- Lawn feeding, ideally twice a year or more.
- Regular watering in line with any seasonal rain growth to ensure you dont overwater.
- Prompt removal of weeds and leaves.
- Regular removal of dog waste as it can damage the grass if left out. Bear in mind its not a fertiliser.
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
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How To Make A Lawn Care Pricing Sheet
A lawn care pricing sheet lists the costs of all your services. It helps you keep your pricing consistent across all jobs. When youre estimating a job, you can look at this sheet and get a base estimate to build on.
Create a price sheet once you know how much you want to charge for each service. This should include your most common services and yard sizes so you have consistent pricing to refer to when making lawn care estimates.
In addition to the lawn care pricing sheet sample at the start of this article, heres an example of a basic lawn care pricing chart:
| Lawn care service |
READ MORE:Use this lawn care services list to quote faster
What Are The Factors Which Affect Lawn Mowing Prices
There are three main factors which can affect the cost of lawn mowing and these are:-
- Where you live prices in the South East and London are always higher than the regions
- How big the lawn area is and how long it takes to cut
- How busy the season is, prices can be affected by an element of supply and demand. If there is a drought then most people wont be left with any grass to cut but if we have a traditional English summer which is sun and rain then grass growth can be constant and strong from April through to the end of the summer
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How To Find Lawns To Mow
Whether youre just starting or have been doing this for years, the bulk of the marketing efforts for a lawn care professional should focus on finding lawns to mow.
But how do you find more lawns to mow? Here are some great ways to do so:
- Promote your business through word of mouth.
- Implement a referral program where current customers can get discounts by referring friends or family.
- Create print materials like business cards, brochures, and flyers to distribute in your area.
- Make a website for your business to showcase your work and list important information, like prices and locations.
What Our Research Indicates About Landscaping Rates
GreenPal recently conducted a poll of over 10,000 lawn care service providers all over the country about how much they charge for weekly or bi-weekly lawn mowing services.
As it turns out.
78% of lawn care professionals we polled responded they charge at least $60 per man per hour. Or $1 a minute.
Next. 12% responded they charge on average $50 per man per hour
Lastly, 10% responded they charge $40 per man per hour or less
But thats just part of the story
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Does Your Company Use A Gas Mower
Fluctuating gas prices will have an affect on the cost of your lawn mowing and trimming services if your service provider uses a gas mower. Some companies will reflect those prices in their cost per service each time, while other companies may update their pricing yearly. For example, a company may increase prices by $5-$10 after a year if gas prices have continued to climb, but they won’t change their prices on a week-by-week basis.
Some companies use only electrical mowers and trimmers, so fluctuations in gas prices don’t affect them. Their equipment runs from pre-charged batteries or through extension cords plugged into your electrical outlets.
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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Do Gas Mowers Play A Part In The Cost Of Mowing A Lawn
One aspect that often goes overlooked by professionals and customers alike is the cost of running a gas mower. Many companies are moving away from gas mowers to avoid fluctuations in their service pricing.
Since these mowers run on gas, international gas prices will impact the cost. It might only be by a few dollars, but if the markets spike or drop, customers will see it in their pricing.
Cost Of Weeding Your Lawn
Wedding your lawn is also very important maintenance. Removing unwanted and unsightly weeds is a sure way to improve the appearance of your lawn. If you have a regular lawn care professional who does your weekly mowing and trimming, you can ask them to get rid of the weeds on their next visit. There are a couple ways to go about weeding your lawn. You can pull them regularly or you can kill them with chemicals designed for the job for a more permanent solution.
The average cost of weeding is about $12 and $40 per hour, depending on which method you choose and how many weeds you have. Using weed killer is usually the more expensive route and cost closer to the $25 – $40 per hour mark since you are paying for labor and the chemicals.
Many weed killers are environmentally safe and pet friendly, but some are not. Be sure to consult a lawn care professional before making decisions on which path to take.
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Where Do You Live
When youre wondering, How much does it cost to have your lawn mowed?, the first thing youll want to consider is the location of your home. Its going to determine how much itll cost you to have a professional landscaping company come out to tend to your lawn.
If you live just a few minutes away from the lawn care service youre going to use, you should be able to have your lawn mowed for a very affordable price. But if a service is going to have to drive 30 minutes just to get to your house, it could result in the prices going up on you.
Most services will factor in how long it takes to get to a customers house when providing them with a quote for lawn mowing and other lawn care services.
What Is The Cost Of Garden Maintenance
When you are searching around for a reliable Dublin garden maintenance service one of your first questions is often, what is the cost of garden maintenance in Leinster?
At Mr Kerb Appeal I always try to be as transparent as possible so here is a quick breakdown of my costs.
Fortnightly garden maintenance starts from 173 per month, weekly garden care visits start from 320 per month and a monthly scheduled visit costs 170 for 4 hours on site. If you just need help in the garden once or twice a year my half and full day packages are prefect for you. The Garden Tidy package is 170 and a full days Garden Blitz package is 300.
Now that you have the clear pricing for my range of garden maintenance services, lets have a look at these packages in more detail.
- 12 monthly service by Direct Debit
- 2 hrs Garden Care
- Grass cut
- 12 monthly service by Direct Debit
- 2 hrs Garden Care
- Grass cut
- 12 monthly service by Direct Debit
- 4 hrs Garden Care
- Windows cleaned
- Fascia, Soffit & Gutters
- Power washing
- Hard surface treatments
- Lawn Treatments
- Full Property Care
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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.
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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How To Quote A Lawn Mowing Job
Quoting a lawn mowing job requires you to strike a balance between earning profits and giving a fair price to the client.
When quoting a lawn mowing job, you can use one of these three approaches:
- Time-based rate: Most new lawn care professionals charge by the hour because its a straightforward and transparent way to price jobs. With this pricing method, you can also factor in equipment setup and cleanup in your hourly rates, earning you an extra bit of cash before and after work.
- Square footage rate: Pricing your job by how many square feet youre mowing is a fair pricing method for businesses. However, this approach doesnt factor in whether a clients lawn has hilly terrain or trees, which can throw off your calculations and extend job hours.
- Flat rate: The simplest pricing model is to charge a flat rate regardless of the time you take to complete the job. This is best used for recurring clients.
Keep in mind that not all yards are large enough for you to turn a profit. So you dont lose money working on especially small lawns, consider setting a minimum rate or price.
When To Adjust Your Lawn Care Service Pricing
Your hourly rate and service rates may change over time, depending on your service area and business needs.
For example, you might need to adjust pricing if:
- You offer packages like mowing, trimming, and watering during the summer months, and bi-weekly snow removal or less intensive lawn services in the winter
- The job is out of your normal scope and requires more work than your initial terms of service stated
- The job site is farther away so your gas mileage is higher than usual
- The cost of labor is less than the supplies for a particular job like fertilization or weed control application
- You want to target specific neighborhoods by offering a group rate
- The job or client has specific needs outside of your usual scope
- You want to offer discounts or special rates for marketing promotions
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