How To Price Garden Maintenance

In this video I show you round a garden I manage and tell you exactly what I have priced the garden at and why I have done so!

[@johnwignall5413]

All very fair, been in the game 30 years, a few tips for beginners. 1. When pricing, find out if the property has a compost heap for cuttings, fallen leaves etc, and if not, talk them into having one. 2. Get the best kit you can afford, don't buy rubbish from B&Q, get Stihl kit, it comes with a commercial guarantee, nobody wants unreliable machines. 3. Get a mower than can mulch, you can cut in the wet, no waste. 4. Check if there are large trees downwind of the property, because you will end up with the neighbours leaves. 5. Most important, get out of private residential properties, commercial sites and management companies are way more lucrative, guaranteed year round money and proper specs and contracts!

[@rooroo3199]

Brilliant advice. thanks. I'm just about to start up a small garden maintenance business. Gonna get great tools, Honda roller mower, stihl petrol strimmer , blower etc.

[@imcompitentfool]

This is the kind of video I have been looking for, Its really hard starting out on your own, and very hard pricing a job, I think everyone prices wrong when they first start out, because its hard to gage how much work can be involved in a job, I also think its because you are always desperate to get more customers, usually at your own expense.

[@tamokotai]

Great video, it really helps to have transparent pricing. This is a great resource for those of us starting out. Thank you and I hope your business is still going strong.

[@westcountrygardenpro7535]

Still going strong Daniel. Not as strong as my desire to make KZbin videos though!

[@abdisalamahmed8971]

I like your honesty I am gong through the same thing at the moment just completed my first year

[@luton1971]

Love all your videos they are certainly helping me with setting out on my own. keep up the good work :)

[@arnobertogna4718]

Love the way you think - I do the same in Australia & once you provide quality work , your key customers will stick with you - & I’m fully booked some 6 weeks out.

[@hanniballecterspsychiatris8613]

I wish I'd done this from the beginning with my business. A lot of money was, and is still, lost doing the hourly. I find the elderly clients like the hourly rate so they know exactly what to expect, rather than turn up, do whats necessary and go. Different generation. Great videos mate, very informative.

[@alias-_unknown9999]

Thanks for the video mate . Brilliant insight

[@mowtownni4587]

Cracking video, yes your right nobody talks prices, yes been there done that with hedges that took far longer than planned for.

[@jasongardener3425]

very intresting and honest 👍

[@stuartreadman118]

Very true words,good video

[@wowrulerlvl70]

Thanks so much for making this video I'm a gardener of 8 years in the trade from when I left school and have had many operations recently to contend with. This is the motivation I needed to start something for myself.

[@mahfoozapiarysocialmedia3401]

where are you from ? please send me your email

[@thomasmccullagh8282]

Great video Simon, I never have done the hourly rate either,it suits the elderly clients,but not me you need to be in and out ASAP.the hourly rate just keeps a shackle around yr neck.pricing has always been my theme.as for making mistakes in the early years did plenty of that,still do on the odd occasion 20 years down the line but this game is a learning curve.

[@lincsfencingandgardeningse9128]

cracking video .and I think we've all been there with pricing up a job wrong. love the sign writing on van too

[@westcountrygardenpro7535]

Michael Hubbard Thanks Michael. That was filmed a while ago so that van has now been upgraded and the sign writing has changed as well

[@lincsfencingandgardeningse9128]

West Country Garden Pro you will have to do.an update I've just decided to sign my truck as I'm starting to see that it helps just as u much as the best paid ad's

[@matthausdixon9834]

Great video. I’m looking into starting up myself. Just with the basics at first mowing and strimming etc. I want to get the prices right to start off instead of having a set price and then upping the price possibly ruining a business friendship with a customer.

[@rooroo3199]

Did you get going? How was your experience? Thanks

[@mantrafiscus]

I found this very interesting. I would have thought that a hourly rate would have been better in case you under estimated how long it would take but then when you explained it I could see how it wasn't. I actually guessed £30 a visit so wasn't to far off.

[@markoashwin]

Top video.

[@rooroo3199]

Great video. Agree with every word. I'm just about to start up and have exactly the same mentality. The days of bunging someone 20 quid to do the garden are long gone. Customers have to realise you've invested thousands in van, fuel and tools which has to be paid back and you're doing physical labour better than they can do it.

[@digitalsketchguy]

1 hour tops, i would bill for £75 min. Window cleaners are in and out of my property in London in under 10 minutes and bill me £20. Had a gardener - well, two guys - do my back garden hedge last summer. Overgrown and my back was playing up. They had all the gear, removed the cuttings, about a 1/4 van load and charged me £65 for about 40 minutes work. No problem. I gave them £70 as i was happy with job. You have a nicely branded van, you have the gear, skills and you're there ready to start. If they wants desperate Dan for £10 move on to next client. PS Where's your website?

[@robthesamplist]

£75 is ridiculous for a grass cut and strim in a garden that size. £30-35 is about right for that garden. Most will try and charge £40.

[@mikesmith8187]

I can relate to the hedge cutting you got caught on, we’ve all there. I won’t do hedges if I can help it.

[@bipolarbobsttchannel3286]

Brilliant cheers

[@s1914]

Good vid - would be interested to know what you charge for hedge cutting specifically

[@rust1987]

Great video thanks for that Im into my second year and still struggle on some prices, you lose a lot of interest when you undercut yourself Im now pricing set instead of hourly also Cheers Scarborough Steve

[@MariaDoSocorro-pu3fd]

NÃO deixaria essa planta na parede da casa🤗🤗🤗👍👍👍❤🌹

[@mackthomas8750]

I'm a 15 year old boy with about 25 customers that I do hedge cutting grass cutting scarifying weeding jobs for and out of all of my customers I've got to hourly rate customers and and I do not really like those jobs that much because I feel like you've got to work constantly you can't have a 5 minute break if someone texts you you can't pick up your phone because you're scared of the customer seeing you on your phone thinking you're just sat there doing nothing and if you had just got hourly rate customers you wouldn't want to expand your business because you wouldn't be bothered how long a job takes you so you wouldn't need to buy better machinery you could do it slower where is if you're not hourly rate you want to buy better machinery and be more efficient

[@westcountrygardenpro7535]

Spot on Mack. With a brain like that at 15...get out of gardening!

[@darrenupton5500]

i only work on set fees. its the way to go

[@MariaDoSocorro-pu3fd]

🤗🤗🤗👍👍👍❤🌹gostei

[@chrisbaker8722]

are you still in business would be cool to see some new videos.

[@tonyhughjohnson3685]

Hi just Starting Gardening How Much Should i Charge for Alot Of Weeding Coming Out Of Badly Broken patio path?. It All Over & Very Thick Once I've Cut it They Just Leave it for it to Grow All Over Again,

[@McFraneth]

Set fees are the best. You have room to manoeuvre within each month. We also work out km from home to the garden and include 0,60 cents per kilometre. Seems piddly, but it's fair to each client and fair to us. Also find a good accountant. I had a brill woman in Falmouth when I was on my own.

[@raw6460]

McFraneth Fradet interested in the woman.in Falmouth

[@McFraneth]

I'm really sorry, I cannot remember her name for the life of me. But she'd be retired now probably anyway. I found her by chatting to a painter and decorator. Networking is always the best way! :)

[@azicohen6015]

Hi mate, love the video, and thanks for sharing your tips. I’m starting up my own gardening firm and was wondering what van you’d recommend i get to start with (not wanting anything too big, but reliable and good size for basic tools) Thanks again!

[@robthesamplist]

Cant go wrong with a berlingo 08 shape onwards. if you can't afford a Renault traffic or vivaro that is. Expect to pay about 4-5 grand for a decent 2011-2012 berlingo with about 70k on it. They last forever if the oil is changed regular I'm talking 300k miles berlingos go on for. Don't forget to get insurance and a waste license, get caught carrying 1 blade of grass form a job without a waste license and you risk a huge huge fine.

[@azicohen6015]

Thanks for the tip! Really appreciate it. Going to go with a Berlingo for now i think :) Cheers again matey

[@robthesamplist]

Good luck, all the best. Try and get one vat free if you can, harder to come by but they are out there.

[@davidcarley6278]

I've been there on a job

[@ralphlondon1272]

Have you uped the price yet?

[@tonyhughjohnson3685]

Hi I'm just Starting Out Cutting peoples Lawns, Im There for a Good few Hours i get Only £20.00 & the Garden When i get There is in a pretty poor State the Lawn isn't Straight There Holes in the Lawn, it a Medium size Garden with Weeding Coming Out All-Over the path. How Much Should i be Charging?.

[@chrisevansgardenservicesjo8093]

I allways go flat rate

[@super-sim1665]

Hard work gardening. Some people don't pay. They expect waste removed free and don't get £10 an hour won't pay for the fuel used on small jobs.

[@Gonthor1000]

What do you do with all the clippings and debris? Do you pack it in that van? Or drop it in her green bin?

[@ralfrudiger7276]

You take it with you. It is unprofessional to dump the greenery into their bin. Professional Gardening accumulates A LOT of debris. Charge them for dumping it! Charge the dumping price and the time it takes to dump it.

[@greensnake00]

Good stuff, theres some anxiety released

[@alex897609]

Hi there, Just wondered if your set price of £35 included the customers waste removal ?

[@westcountrygardenpro7535]

Don't think it did mate

[@jamesdorsett6733]

How long did the initial garden clearance take that you charged £200 for? Was that a whole day or?

[@robthesamplist]

3-4 hours my guess.

[@sylviadugdale1035]

200£ for initial clean up sounds about right especially if you think what it costs for a call out plumber or locksmith

[@switchbladeromance1466]

I do the same thing..hourly rate??..never quote it😀..good luck to you..35 quid sounded spot on👍

[@williammorris7895]

Horrid feeling when 30mins into a big job you realise that you've way underpriced yourself... but, most of us have been there 😂

[@mickowen568]

1 half hr max

[@bidders77]

I think we've all undercut ourselves at times trying to get jobs when starting out.

[@Khp1983]

bidders77 no pun intended 😂

[@l200manc9]

Been in horticulture most of my life and self employed gardener for the last 8yrs, £35 is a bit steep for the amount of work involved, but if there’s no one too see you arrive and leave half an hour later then it’s do able, personally I would of charged £20 per visit plus extra for the hedge.

[@assacoon]

l200 manc and you'd probably be using cheap tools and dump the waste in a layby on the way home. Priced about right I'd say as I'd allow an hour per visit with two of us.

[@robthesamplist]

labourers earn 120-150 a day. Are you telling me you would do 7 of these hour cuts a day at £20? I couldn't think of anything worse. The extra 10 you makes a huge difference to it being viable. If the client thinks its steep its because you are not selling yourself properly.

[@jackhoward4515]

That's not fair putting cheaper gardeners down! I charge 12.00 per hour and I been able to keep my customers for 10 years. Also it reliable work.

[@kevinogrady9446]

Im 19 and do for 12-15 an hour some jobs and it would be hard to grow a business and love very comfortably at that. But combine this with set price jobs and garden clear puts which can net up to 70 euro per hour then you make progress. Working commercial projects etc. I'd like to hear some of your advice?

[@kevinogrady9446]

I meant to say Live

[@stiggdogg13]

Smoke me a kipper I'll be back for breakfast

[@tanglewood777]

15 pound an hour no tar your better training to b tree surgeon much better mony I can earn easy 150 an hour

[@mikexdxd4781]

6:17 stopped bulshiting

[@Noname-mx2nf]

That’s too cheap mate

[@westcountrygardenpro7535]

What would you suggest? Bearing in mind this is a 4 1/2yr old video

[@Noname-mx2nf]

West Country Garden Pro oh sorry didn’t see the date posted.... rate must be up now...cheers

[@theraanmanfrombacup7403]

£200, you are absolutely bonkers, who is paying that for 2 hours work

[@TheGav0071]

Listen to what he's saying. He has to pay for dumping, hauling, insurance, maint on eqpt plus his profit. 200 is nothing!!