How Would You Price this Land Clearing / Landscape Job

[climbingmonkey24]

This isn’t a job I’m doing but it’s something I looked at, I was just wondering what you guys would price this out to be to remove all these weeds / vines and disposal? There’s a chain link fence underneath that you can barely see because there’s so many.

I suspect there’s a good amount of hours invested in the job. We aren’t talking about a couple weeds in a garden.

I’m more curious what the rate for something like this would be.

 

[flushcut]

I know what I need to charge an hour but I can't tell you what you need to charge an hour.
Charge by the hour X however many hours you think you'll be there, maybe pad the estimate by X percent to hep insulate any run over in time and if you come in under your time limit then adjust final price.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

I know what I need to charge an hour but I can't tell you what you need to charge an hour.
Charge by the hour X however many hours you think you'll be there, maybe pad the estimate by X percent to hep insulate any run over in time and if you come in under your time limit then adjust final price.

I know what I charge an hour and I’m not even doing the job, I’m just curious if others would use the same rate for tree work for something like this, etc.

Some people expecting work like this to be done cheaper, etc.

In my opinion there’s a good amount of labor involved.

 

[Boomslang]

I did something similar-ish to this the other day. Nowhere near as overgrown as this, but it was clearing around a chain link fence. It took way longer than I expected because it was all hand work with secateurs and handsaws and trying to untangle it all from the fence. You don't want to be using power tools around chain link, I have the kickback scar to prove it.

If the option exists I would do a herbicide application and come back when everything is dead and brittle and easier to pull out.

 

[TCtreeswinger]

Kill it and come back. Time and materials bid at a time frame because some people want every twig gone. Not your issue that it was left that long. Might be easier to have a fence company tear the whole thing out? Looked at one like this this spring.

 

[southsoundtree]

Not tree-rates to do ambitious 15-y.o.’s work.

A brush cutter and chainsaw will speed it along.

 

[Reach]

I know what I charge an hour and I’m not even doing the job, I’m just curious if others would use the same rate for tree work for something like this, etc.

Some people expecting work like this to be done cheaper, etc.

In my opinion there’s a good amount of labor involved.

We bill at the same rates no matter what we are doing - the way I see it, there is no reason to do one job for less per hour when we could be doing something else at our regular rates, so we charge the same rates always.

 

[flushcut]

I know what I charge an hour and I’m not even doing the job, I’m just curious if others would use the same rate for tree work for something like this, etc.

Some people expecting work like this to be done cheaper, etc.

In my opinion there’s a good amount of labor involved.

My price is my price. I look at ot this way you are still paying your guys, your insurance company doesn't care how you pay your bill, the tax man don't GAF they just want their nut, and lastly the bank the all benevolent overlord with hand out streatched like the reaper himself. Your business costs don't change per job they are always there regardless of what the job is. Time is money.

 

[JaredDTS]

I try to explain to people its not worth my time or there money to pay my rate to do something like this. As mentioned above if you do it, you are only hurting yourself to charge less than what you are worth.

 

[Basswood]

Interesting, so you guys don’t change pricing for ground work vs climbing/tree work? For side jobs I have in the past charged different per hour for the two.

 

[Reach]

Interesting, so you guys don’t change pricing for ground work vs climbing/tree work? For side jobs I have in the past charged different per hour for the two.

We do not, a crew bills at the same rate no matter what they are doing. The only time the rates change is on a project with a lot of chip hauling; we will add a bit to the project cost to cover the extra fuel and truck wear.

 

[Tom Lynch]

I'd estimate it, then bill them hourly at my regular rate. I wouldn't quote that. I'd also suggest they find some teen and make it a nice little cash job for him, so I wouldn't have to do it.

 

[Jehinten]

I would also quote at my normal rate but whenever working near a fence, particularly chain link fencing, I add a stipulation that I do not cut past where it has grown into the fence. Its too easy to tear up saws and fencing trying to cut that stuff out of there. Instead I'll cut the excess off, they can spray it and break it out after it becomes brittle.

That particularly fence is probably better off cutting the chainkink out and replacing it after the growth is removed. Likely cheaper too than paying to untangle the wood out of that fence.

 

[evo]

Airspade.? But I agree remove the entangled vines after they are crispy

 

[Serf Life]

Interesting, so you guys don’t change pricing for ground work vs climbing/tree work? For side jobs I have in the past charged different per hour for the two.

I have but moving away from that due to reasons already given. Starting out I charged $15 less per hour on the ground and royally fucked myself busting out the climbing jobs in an hour.

 

[Basswood]

I have but moving away from that due to reasons already given. Starting out I charged $15 less per hour on the ground and royally fucked myself busting out the climbing jobs in an hour.

So you would change rates on same jobsite when it would go to groundwork?

 

[Serf Life]

Yup. Wanting to be “fair” to the customer and not valuing my workmanship or toll on the body. This was for jobs I did hourly, not quoted. Quite numb.

 

[Basswood]

Yup. Wanting to be “fair” to the customer and not valuing my workmanship or toll on the body. This was for jobs I did hourly, not quoted. Quite numb.

It’s definitely an interesting idea I never thought of. Appreciate you sharing the experience on that.