I am NOT in the trade and a keen DIYer and do most things myself (I am only 73! ) but love your videos and honesty. I am a retired accountant and can see the sense you talk. Keep up your good work.
Professional grounds maintenance operatives that are qualified & insured with all the necessary equipment such as yourself should be charging the same as the other trade's such as plumbers/joiners etc for turning up on jobs. Great content chap.
Rob thank you! thank you so much, this needs to be spoken more about in my opinion. I started out properly around a year back and I've been burnt on jobs no end of times just swinging in the dark when quoting. After a year im starting to get the feel for the jobs and what kind of price i should be charging but a video like this two years back would have just given me that platform i needed and i have no doubt you will have helped many people who are starting out with just this short 10 min vid. Obviously its not set in stone, obviously everyone has got their own overheads and everything else you hear other youtubers say, but just as a baseline as a guide, from a successful mentor as someone i look up to its nice to have that assurance. hope I make sense there. All the best mate, Cameron, Ledward's Garden Services in Chesterfield!
Totally agree...great comment. I just started a few weeks ago, and I look to this man and a few others who don't mind talking and giving advice on pricing...as I said to Rob a few weeks back - his experiences and mistakes have been our learning curve... All the best from. Hunter's Garden Maintenance in Fife. 😊👍
Thank you Cameron. What you have said makes perfect sense. I used to under price jobs massively. In my opinion money should be talked about more than it is. Watch this space other you tubers might catch on. 👍🏻
Rob, what you charge is up to you, if you get what you are asking for then everyone is happy, a fair’s day’s work deserves a fair’s day pay, the before and after pictures of the lawn you scarified is great, I look after a bowling green, and I was taught the worst it looks after it is done , the better job you have done, nice one man.
I’m thinking of starting my own grass cutting business at the age of 19 just hoping everything goes well, love your videos so helpful and a joy to watch 😊
average cost a of a gardener in uk is now between 28 pound to 35 pound an hour. if we can all start say and charging that. i did a job today 50 mins it taken. got 40 pound. im starting to charge new customers 40 pound if im there an hour and 30 pound local for the hour. good video rob.
Spot on. Good advice on charging. PGG quotes £25 to £36.50 for self employed gardener. But theres a big dofference from tunring up woth a pair of felcos for the day in one garden versus smashing out 10 gardens with £5k of kit in the van.
You’ve helped me as I’m now in my second season Rob ty so much, it’s hard work scarify and your prices are spot on and you explain it so well too. Keep up the great work and ty for being honest, we need more ppl like you mate. Keith. Smiley Gardens in Hertfordshire
Great video Rob. I think at the beginning I was too cheap. People would say that to me, but like you mentioned about machinery plus more importantly experience. I’ve more or less doubled my prices now, I’ve probably kept 90% of my regulars. Winning probably 80% of my quotes and potential clients are happy to wait a couple of weeks for me to quote new work. I think when we love what we do, we put more effort into our work and naturally attract the right clients that don’t try to knock you down.
spot on. pretty much my way of doing it down to a tee. I'm happy with what I take home and plan on expanding widely as I have ties in many places. You never know, could make myself a millionaire from it one day ;) never say never but if you're happy, that's all that matters.
My wife keeps telling me that I don't charge enough. Now she's heard your wise words. I will have to up my rates! Great adivse, Rob. Keep it up, which I'm sure you will!
Thanks for being honest Rob - sounds about right. There are so many costs that have to be covered before you even turn up to do a garden and they need to be covered.
I think you did a valuable service to the gardening community. Any discussion of money is always awkward, but it is necessary. We have to pull one another up. Knowing how much it would cost to rent, is a valuable tool. Hopefully some will realize that they need to price more realistically. There will be people who cannot afford higher rates, and that is sad. But you as an individual cannot be the charity. All tradesmen must earn a living wage. As always Good Luck and enjoy the summer.
I’ve been going for a couple of months now Rob and I’ve been very lucky as work is coming in thick and fast. Your videos are always very good. Just wanted to say thank you for your honesty 👍
Cheers for being honest Rob. Good to be reminded of our worth as professionals with years of knowledge and thosands of pounds of kit. Hard to know your worth sometimes when your out there on your own. All the best. Andy
Great video Rob. I'm on my 2nd year business is good and I want to thank you. You helped and inspired me to start my own business at 19. leaving the comfort of my previous job driving digger that i had since leaving school in search of being my own boss. Your the first gardening youtuber I come across when I first had the thought of creating a gardening business. You helped me tenfold, so thank you. Keep up the great work and keep mowing 🍀
Thanks for making this video. Like you, I bought the Weibang Intrepid 46 at the beginning of the year, and I've been struggling to market Scarifying. I'm in my first year and successful in other areas, so it's no biggy. Don't have finished some brilliant Scarifying jobs with it, and I agree it's a bit big and far too powerful, but at least it shows your clients you mean business 😉 thanks for the help on the pricing.
Great honest video Rob regarding pricing and clients. Always nice to read through other subscribers comments🙂 Keep up the good work & 👍 the green gold is definatly growing, too fast at the minute moment. All the best to you for the weeks ahead. I look forward to the next one😎
Great video Rob, thanks a lot. I think your prices are about right for north east. I did a scarifying job this week for a regular client and she was really surprised I charged £60, similar size to your video. It was hard work and and took 1 hour 20. Grass sure is growing!! Cheers
Hi Rob, Good video im north of Manchester and for me those are my prices i do charge, New customers always ask how much do i charge a hour i dont anymore.. I just take a look and charge according without ripping them off.. Thats a cracking Weibang i have the lawnmower weibang i love it...Take care...Lee😊
I appreciate this mate, I'm just in the process of increasing my rates to £30 an hour, awaiting replies at the same time as I have sent out my monthly invoices. I truly feel that its the correct amount to be charging, for all that you have spoken about. Regarding scarifying, I think were on the same mark but go about it a different way. From my increase it may add up different, but I'll continue the same model this september and next year too unless it doesn't reflect the value properly. But last year, as an example, I would do scarifying on my hourly rate at £22 and charge the scarifier that I own out at about 80% the local rate for hire, plus waste, seed and compost that I make a markup on, albeit small, just to account for the time spent sourcing the materials or taking the waste away. You're doing a grand job it seems. Only recently come across your videos, hence the comment on one from a few months back! But they're great just to see what people are charging The downside to gardening is there are a lot of people who do it for pocket money/beer money or to get out of the house now that they've retired. They're charging about £15 an hour and some customers don't see the difference between gardeners when hiring. It's only after they see the end results, that they understand what thousands of pounds of equipment achieve, when used by people who have the knowledge and muscle to do this job professionally.
Along the same lines as what you discussed. A shop suggested to me that if I suggest to the customer the scarifier is hired at £60 the customer is more likely to accept the cost/higher charge
Great video Rob!! Dont worry what other people think is too cheap or expensive- people live in different areas where prices differ, everyone has varying reasons for charging what they do- as long as youre happy with your price that's all that matters! One thing i would say- is try pricing off m2. That way you'll be able to work out a price that works for you for any sized lawn, rather than guestimating! Knowing the m2 you'll also be able to calculate volumes of seed and compost etc with ease. Best of luck 👍
Hi Rob, would you consider doing a live Q&A, im thinking about starting a lawn care service and i got a few question, your videos have been gold, thanks very much!
Hi Rob, hope you are well. Which one of the Clover Professional Compost range would you recommend. I see a lot use the Field Compost No4, but it is crazy money.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices Hey Rob, thanks for replying! I really appreciated the info, from your experience! Hope the weather is good up in Low Fell. 👌
Sounds about right to me Rob, not too high not too low….the other day I had a quote of a bit of fencing and they quoted me their labour at £57 plus VAT per hour 😮….so I done it myself
Hi Rob, I think your pricing is right and for a minimum charge per hr. I advertise on a local neighbour app and the subject of hedge cutting came up at 4hrs work for £120. No mention of type of hedge or how high however quite a few responded saying how dear that was with one person claiming that they only pay £15 per hr and thats high!. These type of customers don't understand the cost of buying and maintaining equipment is expensive plus travel time to a job and back is still working and so unless your charging a decent amount, you're working for nothing.
Great video again man. Its so tricky to know if your charging right. Better to charge more than less. I think you could afford to charge a little more sounds like your top class. 👍
A well known lawn company with a colourful thumb has their charges available online on an area basis. I found just undercutting them is a good starting point. I've just had a happy client have front and back lawns heavily scarified and reseeded. They were happy with £275, took me about 4 hours plus some loading, unloading etc. Taking cost of seed, compost and equipment it was about right. Particularly as I did the neighbour's straight afterwards too.
If youre honest about your pricing your customers always have a choice to engage you or not. You can look yourself in the eye and be happy that its a two way win win until things change. Unremarkably, change is to be welcomed. . . . ..
As a rule of thumb, I charge 3.5x mowing charge for scarifying/lawn raking ( 2 passes with scarifier/lawn rake , 1 pick up/finish with mower ) But I only do my regular customers not one offs, so the lawns are in pretty good shape anyway. New customers only get scarifying as an option in their second season so I've had the chance to treat and feed the lawns and get the grass to be able to take the scarifier or lawn rake. I've had to have an honest discussion with a few one off clients when they ask about scarifying as they have some moss in their lawn .... No says I, you have some grass in your moss, your going to have to reseed. Lol
A lot of interesting points on this video Rob. The longer you are in this game the more I believe you realise it is about a minimum charge for a job rather than how long it takes. If you have a thousand pound scarifier, it takes a lot of five pound profits to pay for that machine, and they only get a few tens of hours use each year. Machinery can help to keep you busy but takes a hell of a paying for - it can be many years. I suggest your thinking about the charge rate is absolutely bang on but I personally think you were very slightly on the cheap side - even for the tiny little lawn. Think of the kit you are turning up with, its not a few thousand its many tens of thousand - van, mowers, strimmer, scarifier sprayer, fertiliser spreader etc etc. I have had such a kicking from mossy lawns this year that I have been telling customers that I will only be offering lawn mowing with scarification, aeration and fertilisation next year. I am sick of ploughing my way through horrible ugly lawns. Lets be honest, the ugly ones start growing later in the year, are most affected by drought, take the longest to dry after rain, and I suspect generate the most waste. A customers lack of interest in a nice lawn actually makes it harder for you to cut, not less demanding. Keep grinding.
Nice one Rob. I'm probably too cheap. I made more 20 years ago doing priced commercial maintenance. Nearly all domestic now, which I prefer but less ££. My cheapest lawn is £13 but small and just up road. Hedge cutting £25/hr. £20 is a good minimum, just I wouldn't like to charge the diddly ones that. £18 I charge for average 40 min lawn. Got a bit of a round which helps. But you've got a good business model.
Hi I see you just got a shout out from extensive gardens on one of his lives Thought id take a look and its a brilliant channel you have Have watched extensive for a few years. Only for the comedy factor really 😂😂😂
I think these types of jobs can be priced fairly accurately once you've done a few and get the time and materials right per m. It's the clearing jobs im still under or over on price. Cheers 👍
Hi Rob, I think £60 minimum charge for scarification is very reasonable. What we charge as service providers is based on the value for money exchange of goods and services based on supply and demand. The problem some people have, is that they feel aggrieved to pay for something they can do themselves, and don't understand that service providers have overheads, but bring along experience, high quality professional equipment, have insurance and are reliable. Wealthy people understand the value of their time, and thats why they pay people good money to service providers to do their windows, gardens, and look after their cars. Sorry for the long comment. Peace and love brother
Nice one mate, hard to price them sometimes depending on how thatchy they are and how many passes it needs. My regulars get it a bit cheaper than the 1 off jobs. Absolutely no lower than £50 though. You're pricing fairly, just dont go too cheap on the bigger lawns. 👍
Rob. You forgot to mention regional differences. Some areas there is more holding the foldin £💵💸£ than others. But on average, and it is only average. I charge 3 x what I'd charge to mow for scaryfying. If its waste away it's nearer 4 x. I've never really thought of it like this. But I guess you'd say I work part time. Usually starting around 9.30am and finishing around 1.30pm ish. But when you get home the work doesn't stop. Booking the next days customers in. Checking what I earned today. Checking who's paid, and a bit of book work. Wouldn't change it for the world tho. I love being self employed.
Hi Rob, I really appreciate your effort to helping us who are just starting up the business. I was thinking to do scarifing too as my customers are keep asking for this. What scarifier have you got and what can you recommend for me.
I have sorry , don’t know what I was thinking. The Weibang I have is a little too big. On reflection I should have bought the smaller version. All the best.
Sounds really expensive till you , have to buy the equipment, service the machinery, get there, get back, your labour, take the waste away, and the other 1 million things that you have to do and buy. I always say if you want to go elsewhere, go elsewhere. I never bargain with my pricing. And everyone's different with their overheads. If you are happy with £150 a day fine if you can get £500 a day fine. Personally I'm on £150 a day give or take.
sounds about what i charge for scarifiying also if it one off mayby bit more than if they are a regular customer. people are demanding hourly rates i try avoid it unless its a weekly and theres winter work. Have agreed to a 40 min fortnightly talked the customer down from the hour as its just a small garden customer is clock watcher lol took a load of waste one week for free then she complained the next time as i left 5mins early.
i dont think there is a right or wrong price rob it the right or wrong customer you can have the £35 lawn two plot one will say thats a bit steep the other thats great thanks. same with the hedges its more for that work i have put some cheeky prices in at times price it as a job not the hourly as we have said in the past the hourly you cant do really. i have had people to ask me how i come to price A B or C on job i say the cost to hire my kit, van me removal of waste etc very costly they would need to hire all the kit and van and their weekend then we are a bargain for them all the best mate Shane
Rob why charge the same as the hire company? If i hired the machine, put the petrol in, payed for delivery or pick up in the van this would come close to £80 Then my time to do the job on top of that. I would charge dependent on how much thatch and moss was in as well. So probably £115 I would also charge for compost and seed as well its not cheap now. I suppose if i hired it for the day i could do both my front and back lawns but this would take 6 hours I would be happy for you to do mine for £210 well cheap. I would certainly say your under charging for your professional service. Just tread water at first and when people start noticing your work they will call you, then up your pricing. Great vid by the way.
It’s still cheap I have half acre of lawn I scarifier and have my own aerator It’s bloody hard work I over seed and compost as well It’s bloody hard work So basically just pay a man like him to do it It’s v cheap
From my own business perspective and I say this very respectfully-you are quoting too cheap and could certainly be getting a lot more but as long as you are happy with what you are getting that’s fine .
A professional job needs a professional price. Pricing to cheap just makes you look not confident in doing the work and quality of the work being poor. Sound like you’ve priced it right and fairly given the costs involved in running a business.
I am NOT in the trade and a keen DIYer and do most things myself (I am only 73! ) but love your videos and honesty. I am a retired accountant and can see the sense you talk. Keep up your good work.
Thank you Robert, pleased to hear that your enjoying the videos. Take care.👍🏻
Clients do not realise the amount of time effort and waste that goes into scarifying a garden. Great video Rob.
Damien from Ireland
I agree with you Damien. All the best.
Professional grounds maintenance operatives that are qualified & insured with all the necessary equipment such as yourself should be charging the same as the other trade's such as plumbers/joiners etc
for turning up on jobs.
Great content chap.
Thank you . Some people don’t see it that way. In my humble opinion they are wrong. All the best.
Great vide mate and the hourly rate is spot on , im round about that price aswell unless its a litle futher out. Local is fine.
Thanks David.
Top man ya a credit to the trade.
Thank you Peter.
Rob thank you! thank you so much, this needs to be spoken more about in my opinion. I started out properly around a year back and I've been burnt on jobs no end of times just swinging in the dark when quoting. After a year im starting to get the feel for the jobs and what kind of price i should be charging but a video like this two years back would have just given me that platform i needed and i have no doubt you will have helped many people who are starting out with just this short 10 min vid. Obviously its not set in stone, obviously everyone has got their own overheads and everything else you hear other youtubers say, but just as a baseline as a guide, from a successful mentor as someone i look up to its nice to have that assurance.
hope I make sense there. All the best mate,
Cameron,
Ledward's Garden Services in Chesterfield!
Great comment.
Totally agree...great comment. I just started a few weeks ago, and I look to this man and a few others who don't mind talking and giving advice on pricing...as I said to Rob a few weeks back - his experiences and mistakes have been our learning curve...
All the best from. Hunter's Garden Maintenance in Fife. 😊👍
Thank you Cameron.
What you have said makes perfect sense. I used to under price jobs massively.
In my opinion money should be talked about more than it is.
Watch this space other you tubers might catch on. 👍🏻
Thank you .
Can you please forward this video to all of my clients!
Thank you for talking about money, great video as always.
Thanks 🙏
Rob, what you charge is up to you, if you get what you are asking for then everyone is happy, a fair’s day’s work deserves a fair’s day pay, the before and after pictures of the lawn you scarified is great, I look after a bowling green, and I was taught the worst it looks after it is done , the better job you have done, nice one man.
Thank for that. All the best.
I’m thinking of starting my own grass cutting business at the age of 19 just hoping everything goes well, love your videos so helpful and a joy to watch 😊
Thank you . Good luck with your business.
Thanks for the honesty think I'm to cheep 😀
Cheers Gaz. Charge your worth.👍🏻
average cost a of a gardener in uk is now between 28 pound to 35 pound an hour. if we can all start say and charging that. i did a job today 50 mins it taken. got 40 pound. im starting to charge new customers 40 pound if im there an hour and 30 pound local for the hour. good video rob.
Spot on. Good advice on charging. PGG quotes £25 to £36.50 for self employed gardener. But theres a big dofference from tunring up woth a pair of felcos for the day in one garden versus smashing out 10 gardens with £5k of kit in the van.
Thank you Andrew, I agree with you we all need to charge our worth. 👍🏻
Thanks for watching and your comment.
Thanks for your honesty Rob
All the best , thank you .
Thank you for your honesty Rob have a good rest of your week and enjoy the weekend
Thank you Wayne. You too.👍🏻
Absolutely no problem whatsoever Rob
Thanks for sharing Rob. Very interesting.
Thank you Adam. I hope you enjoyed it.
You’ve helped me as I’m now in my second season Rob ty so much, it’s hard work scarify and your prices are spot on and you explain it so well too. Keep up the great work and ty for being honest, we need more ppl like you mate.
Keith.
Smiley Gardens in Hertfordshire
Thank you Keith. Appreciate your comment. Good luck with your business.
Love this Rob
Thank you Phillip. Appreciated.
Magic this. Thanks Rob....you're a good man👍🏼
Thanks Mickey. All the best.
Great video Rob. I think at the beginning I was too cheap. People would say that to me, but like you mentioned about machinery plus more importantly experience. I’ve more or less doubled my prices now, I’ve probably kept 90% of my regulars. Winning probably 80% of my quotes and potential clients are happy to wait a couple of weeks for me to quote new work. I think when we love what we do, we put more effort into our work and naturally attract the right clients that don’t try to knock you down.
I with you on that. All the best.
Great video Rob. It does help guy's starting out.
Thanks for that. We are all in it together. 👍🏻
spot on. pretty much my way of doing it down to a tee. I'm happy with what I take home and plan on expanding widely as I have ties in many places. You never know, could make myself a millionaire from it one day ;) never say never but if you're happy, that's all that matters.
Thank you .👍🏻
Rob, thanks for putting this video out been following for a while considering becoming self employed and this has really helped canny lad
Good luck 🤞
My wife keeps telling me that I don't charge enough. Now she's heard your wise words. I will have to up my rates! Great adivse, Rob. Keep it up, which I'm sure you will!
Thank you, good luck with your new pricing.
Thanks for being honest Rob - sounds about right. There are so many costs that have to be covered before you even turn up to do a garden and they need to be covered.
Your right James, people don’t understand the overwhelming costs of running a business. All the best.👍🏻
I think you did a valuable service to the gardening community. Any discussion of money is always awkward, but it is necessary. We have to pull one another up. Knowing how much it would cost to rent, is a valuable tool. Hopefully some will realize that they need to price more realistically. There will be people who cannot afford higher rates, and that is sad. But you as an individual cannot be the charity. All tradesmen must earn a living wage. As always Good Luck and enjoy the summer.
A great comment. Thank you. All the best.👍🏻
As always thanks a lot Rob, myself and others I’m sure appreciate your honestly and the general info you give out. Great stuff!
Thank you Lewis , all the best.
I’ve been going for a couple of months now Rob and I’ve been very lucky as work is coming in thick and fast. Your videos are always very good. Just wanted to say thank you for your honesty 👍
Your welcome. Good luck.
Cheers for being honest Rob. Good to be reminded of our worth as professionals with years of knowledge and thosands of pounds of kit. Hard to know your worth sometimes when your out there on your own. All the best. Andy
Thanks Andy. Appreciate your comment.👍🏻
Great video Rob. I'm on my 2nd year business is good and I want to thank you. You helped and inspired me to start my own business at 19. leaving the comfort of my previous job driving digger that i had since leaving school in search of being my own boss.
Your the first gardening youtuber I come across when I first had the thought of creating a gardening business. You helped me tenfold, so thank you. Keep up the great work and keep mowing 🍀
Thank you very much for that. It’s comments like yours that allow me to make videos. All the best and good luck with your business.
Thanks for making this video. Like you, I bought the Weibang Intrepid 46 at the beginning of the year, and I've been struggling to market Scarifying. I'm in my first year and successful in other areas, so it's no biggy. Don't have finished some brilliant Scarifying jobs with it, and I agree it's a bit big and far too powerful, but at least it shows your clients you mean business 😉 thanks for the help on the pricing.
Your so right in that it shows the customer your serious and professional. All the best.
Great honest video Rob regarding pricing and clients. Always nice to read through other subscribers comments🙂
Keep up the good work & 👍 the green gold is definatly growing, too fast at the minute moment.
All the best to you for the weeks ahead. I look forward to the next one😎
Thanks Nicky, all the best.
Honestly great way of thinking with costing. It’s a hobby for me and I get people asking me to scarifier lawn as I own a good machine to do it.
Charge what you feel you are worth. It’s a skill to scarify a lawn . Thanks for watching and your comment.
Great video Rob, thanks a lot. I think your prices are about right for north east. I did a scarifying job this week for a regular client and she was really surprised I charged £60, similar size to your video. It was hard work and and took 1 hour 20. Grass sure is growing!! Cheers
Thanks Diana 👍🏻
Such crucial information for those of us who’re in the business planning stage, thank you so much!
Thank you . Good luck with your business.👍🏻
Hi Rob,
Good video im north of Manchester and for me those are my prices i do charge,
New customers always ask how much do i charge a hour i dont anymore..
I just take a look and charge according without ripping them off..
Thats a cracking Weibang i have the lawnmower weibang i love it...Take care...Lee😊
Thanks Lee, all the best and have a great season.
I appreciate this mate,
I'm just in the process of increasing my rates to £30 an hour, awaiting replies at the same time as I have sent out my monthly invoices. I truly feel that its the correct amount to be charging, for all that you have spoken about.
Regarding scarifying, I think were on the same mark but go about it a different way. From my increase it may add up different, but I'll continue the same model this september and next year too unless it doesn't reflect the value properly. But last year, as an example, I would do scarifying on my hourly rate at £22 and charge the scarifier that I own out at about 80% the local rate for hire, plus waste, seed and compost that I make a markup on, albeit small, just to account for the time spent sourcing the materials or taking the waste away.
You're doing a grand job it seems. Only recently come across your videos, hence the comment on one from a few months back! But they're great just to see what people are charging
The downside to gardening is there are a lot of people who do it for pocket money/beer money or to get out of the house now that they've retired. They're charging about £15 an hour and some customers don't see the difference between gardeners when hiring. It's only after they see the end results, that they understand what thousands of pounds of equipment achieve, when used by people who have the knowledge and muscle to do this job professionally.
Thank you for a great comment, enjoyed reading it. All the best.
Along the same lines as what you discussed. A shop suggested to me that if I suggest to the customer the scarifier is hired at £60 the customer is more likely to accept the cost/higher charge
Thank you .👍🏻
Great video Rob!! Dont worry what other people think is too cheap or expensive- people live in different areas where prices differ, everyone has varying reasons for charging what they do- as long as youre happy with your price that's all that matters! One thing i would say- is try pricing off m2. That way you'll be able to work out a price that works for you for any sized lawn, rather than guestimating! Knowing the m2 you'll also be able to calculate volumes of seed and compost etc with ease. Best of luck 👍
Thank you, great advice.👍🏻
Like your style. Money is an issue. I think you are about on the tape with your prices.
Thank you Neil. Appreciate your comment.👍🏻
Hi Rob, would you consider doing a live Q&A, im thinking about starting a lawn care service and i got a few question, your videos have been gold, thanks very much!
It’s not something that I have thought about. Leave it with me. All the best.
Hi Rob, hope you are well. Which one of the Clover Professional Compost range would you recommend. I see a lot use the Field Compost No4, but it is crazy money.
I use the professional potting compost. It’s beautiful.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices Hey Rob, thanks for replying! I really appreciated the info, from your experience! Hope the weather is good up in Low Fell. 👌
Sounds about right to me Rob, not too high not too low….the other day I had a quote of a bit of fencing and they quoted me their labour at £57 plus VAT per hour 😮….so I done it myself
£65 per hour is high, especially if there is two people. All the best.
Hi Rob, I think your pricing is right and for a minimum charge per hr. I advertise on a local neighbour app and the subject of hedge cutting came up at 4hrs work for £120. No mention of type of hedge or how high however quite a few responded saying how dear that was with one person claiming that they only pay £15 per hr and thats high!. These type of customers don't understand the cost of buying and maintaining equipment is expensive plus travel time to a job and back is still working and so unless your charging a decent amount, you're working for nothing.
Picking the right customers can be tricky. All the best.
Great video again man. Its so tricky to know if your charging right. Better to charge more than less. I think you could afford to charge a little more sounds like your top class. 👍
Thank you .
A well known lawn company with a colourful thumb has their charges available online on an area basis. I found just undercutting them is a good starting point. I've just had a happy client have front and back lawns heavily scarified and reseeded. They were happy with £275, took me about 4 hours plus some loading, unloading etc. Taking cost of seed, compost and equipment it was about right. Particularly as I did the neighbour's straight afterwards too.
Pleased for you . All the best.
If youre honest about your pricing your customers always have a choice to engage you or not. You can look yourself in the eye and be happy that its a two way win win until things change. Unremarkably, change is to be welcomed. . . . ..
Thank you 👍🏻
Do you prefer Roller mowers or non rowlers or do customers ask for stripes ? I need a new mower and not sure if to get a roller mower?
Roller mowers have their place. I prefer a four wheel rotary mower.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices Me to. Thinking of getting one with 18 - 19" cut.
As a rule of thumb, I charge 3.5x mowing charge for scarifying/lawn raking ( 2 passes with scarifier/lawn rake , 1 pick up/finish with mower ) But I only do my regular customers not one offs, so the lawns are in pretty good shape anyway. New customers only get scarifying as an option in their second season so I've had the chance to treat and feed the lawns and get the grass to be able to take the scarifier or lawn rake.
I've had to have an honest discussion with a few one off clients when they ask about scarifying as they have some moss in their lawn .... No says I, you have some grass in your moss, your going to have to reseed. Lol
Wise words. Thank you for sharing your experience.👍🏻
A lot of interesting points on this video Rob. The longer you are in this game the more I believe you realise it is about a minimum charge for a job rather than how long it takes. If you have a thousand pound scarifier, it takes a lot of five pound profits to pay for that machine, and they only get a few tens of hours use each year. Machinery can help to keep you busy but takes a hell of a paying for - it can be many years. I suggest your thinking about the charge rate is absolutely bang on but I personally think you were very slightly on the cheap side - even for the tiny little lawn. Think of the kit you are turning up with, its not a few thousand its many tens of thousand - van, mowers, strimmer, scarifier sprayer, fertiliser spreader etc etc.
I have had such a kicking from mossy lawns this year that I have been telling customers that I will only be offering lawn mowing with scarification, aeration and fertilisation next year. I am sick of ploughing my way through horrible ugly lawns. Lets be honest, the ugly ones start growing later in the year, are most affected by drought, take the longest to dry after rain, and I suspect generate the most waste. A customers lack of interest in a nice lawn actually makes it harder for you to cut, not less demanding. Keep grinding.
Thank you for a great comment. Your experience and professionalism is clear. All the best.
Hi rob, Can you do a video review on you scarifier, i'm thinking if getting one but there doesn't seem to be much info about them.
I will. Being honest mine is too big. Buy the smaller version. All the best.
Nice one Rob. I'm probably too cheap. I made more 20 years ago doing priced commercial maintenance. Nearly all domestic now, which I prefer but less ££. My cheapest lawn is £13 but small and just up road. Hedge cutting £25/hr. £20 is a good minimum, just I wouldn't like to charge the diddly ones that. £18 I charge for average 40 min lawn. Got a bit of a round which helps. But you've got a good business model.
Thank you. We all try and move forward.
Slightly too cheap. But.... that's just my opinion. I'm in the east Midlands. My minimum is £40.
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Joe. All the best.
Hi I see you just got a shout out from extensive gardens on one of his lives
Thought id take a look and its a brilliant channel you have
Have watched extensive for a few years. Only for the comedy factor really 😂😂😂
Welcome. What did he say?
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservicesjust said you gave good advice
Thank you .
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingserviceshe was only telling the truth Phil 😉
Absolutely true + vat👍👍👍 0:04
Thank you Stevie. 👍🏻
I think these types of jobs can be priced fairly accurately once you've done a few and get the time and materials right per m. It's the clearing jobs im still under or over on price. Cheers 👍
Thanks Nathan, appreciate your comment. All the best.
Good video Rob. You` re pricing is there or thereabout. Honest pricing is always the key ...
Thank you Toby. I always try and be fair. All the best.
Hi Rob, I think £60 minimum charge for scarification is very reasonable.
What we charge as service providers is based on the value for money exchange of goods and services based on supply and demand. The problem some people have, is that they feel aggrieved to pay for something they can do themselves, and don't understand that service providers have overheads, but bring along experience, high quality professional equipment, have insurance and are reliable.
Wealthy people understand the value of their time, and thats why they pay people good money to service providers to do their windows, gardens, and look after their cars.
Sorry for the long comment.
Peace and love brother
A great comment. Thank you.
Nice one mate, hard to price them sometimes depending on how thatchy they are and how many passes it needs. My regulars get it a bit cheaper than the 1 off jobs. Absolutely no lower than £50 though. You're pricing fairly, just dont go too cheap on the bigger lawns. 👍
Your right I have under priced a couple of big lawns. I was sick half way through. Never again.
All the best.👍🏻
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices 🤣The large ones are so time consuming plus knackering.
I agree. 👍🏻
Rob. You forgot to mention regional differences. Some areas there is more holding the foldin £💵💸£ than others.
But on average, and it is only average. I charge 3 x what I'd charge to mow for scaryfying. If its waste away it's nearer 4 x.
I've never really thought of it like this. But I guess you'd say I work part time. Usually starting around 9.30am and finishing around 1.30pm ish. But when you get home the work doesn't stop. Booking the next days customers in. Checking what I earned today. Checking who's paid, and a bit of book work.
Wouldn't change it for the world tho. I love being self employed.
As always Gary, wise words. Strangely, I do enjoy scarifying, it’s one of my favourite tasks to complete. All the best. 👍🏻
Hi Rob,
I really appreciate your effort to helping us who are just starting up the business. I was thinking to do scarifing too as my customers are keep asking for this. What scarifier have you got and what can you recommend for me.
I have the big Husqvarna, it’s a bit over the top. Stihl do a nice one for about £600.
Good luck.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices I thought you've got the weibang one.
I have sorry , don’t know what I was thinking.
The Weibang I have is a little too big.
On reflection I should have bought the smaller version.
All the best.
Sounds really expensive till you , have to buy the equipment, service the machinery, get there, get back, your labour, take the waste away, and the other 1 million things that you have to do and buy. I always say if you want to go elsewhere, go elsewhere. I never bargain with my pricing. And everyone's different with their overheads. If you are happy with £150 a day fine if you can get £500 a day fine. Personally I'm on £150 a day give or take.
The ones who make 500 a day never last. Standards slip and us who make 150 a day end up taking over.
Thanks for that, all the best.
sometimes wish there were set prices across the board rob 🤔it would save a lot of frustration & head scratching 🥴
It certainly would. It would also stop me underestimating and getting things wrong. All the best.
sounds about what i charge for scarifiying also if it one off mayby bit more than if they are a regular customer. people are demanding hourly rates i try avoid it unless its a weekly and theres winter work. Have agreed to a 40 min fortnightly talked the customer down from the hour as its just a small garden customer is clock watcher lol took a load of waste one week for free then she complained the next time as i left 5mins early.
She would be gone in a heart beat.
check a trade is where I go
i will have a look.
i dont think there is a right or wrong price rob it the right or wrong customer you can have the £35 lawn two plot one will say thats a bit steep the other thats great thanks. same with the hedges its more for that work i have put some cheeky prices in at times price it as a job not the hourly as we have said in the past the hourly you cant do really. i have had people to ask me how i come to price A B or C on job i say the cost to hire my kit, van me removal of waste etc very costly they would need to hire all the kit and van and their weekend then we are a bargain for them all the best mate Shane
Thanks Shane . All the best.
What do you look to average per day
Between £175 and £200. That’s what I aim for. Doesn’t always work.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices love your all your videos and cheers for your honest answers
Rob why charge the same as the hire company? If i hired the machine, put the petrol in, payed for delivery or pick up in the van this would come close to £80 Then my time to do the job on top of that. I would charge dependent on how much thatch and moss was in as well. So probably £115 I would also charge for compost and seed as well its not cheap now. I suppose if i hired it for the day i could do both my front and back lawns but this would take 6 hours I would be happy for you to do mine for £210 well cheap. I would certainly say your under charging for your professional service. Just tread water at first and when people start noticing your work they will call you, then up your pricing. Great vid by the way.
Thank you Chris , you make a very valid point. All the best.
It’s still cheap
I have half acre of lawn
I scarifier and have my own aerator
It’s bloody hard work
I over seed and compost as well
It’s bloody hard work
So basically just pay a man like him to do it
It’s v cheap
Thanks for that.👍🏻
From my own business perspective and I say this very respectfully-you are quoting too cheap and could certainly be getting a lot more but as long as you are happy with what you are getting that’s fine .
Thank you for your comment. How much more would you charge . Look forward to your reply.
Many thanks.
Pricing is all about being competative in your area an makin a few quid to survive isnt it...
Exactly.👍🏻
A professional job needs a professional price. Pricing to cheap just makes you look not confident in doing the work and quality of the work being poor.
Sound like you’ve priced it right and fairly given the costs involved in running a business.
Thank you. All the best.
I’d say too cheap, charge more next year
Thanks for the advice.👍🏻
Great video Rob, very interesting. Keep up the good work
Thank you Mark. All the best, good luck with your business.