When you ask this question, you may well get a single-word response. “How much does lawn mowing service cost?”
“Depends.”
The person answering your question isn’t trying to be a smart aleck. What they’re saying is, there are a few details to be sorted out before you can determine how much someone will pay you, or how much you should pay someone. If you’re in the lawn-care business, you may find a person who is really motivated to have someone else mow their lawn. In these situations, you may be able to get a bit more than the average amount for your area.
If you’re a homeowner, and don’t want to mow the lawn, you may be willing to pay someone a bit more than the average. If the service is limited to mowing the lawn, with no extra clean up or trimming required, the number will be different. There are some property owners who want their lawn to look like the lawn on the cover of a magazine, while others just want to keep the grass from growing too high. So, it depends.
Consider This
No matter which side of the lawn-mowing question you’re on, you will need to know what’s included in the service. If you’re in the business, in most locations today, you will have to charge $30 to $40 for an average size yard. This figure will usually include the mowing, trimming and sidewalk edging.
In addition, this price could include blowing grass off the sidewalks and driveway, as well as removal of small limbs and other debris in the yard area and on concrete.
In a few specific areas, such as the “nicer” suburbs and residential developments, it isn’t unusual for a homeowner to pay $50 for this same service.
Any extra tasks can be charged separately, but be sure to both parties to the agreement understand what is included, before work begins. For example, if a property owner wants weed-prevention chemicals to be used, or if a flower garden is to weeded by hand, this should be listed separately and charged separately.
It is essential for both the property owner and the service provider to understand what is not included in the contract or agreement. For example, some professional lawn-care companies will not manually remove poison ivy or other plants. In fact, if there is doubt as to what the vegetation is, it will probably remain, unless a separate agreement is reached.
Schedule
When a lawn-mowing company quotes or bids, the number will probably include the basics mentioned earlier, and no more. For example, leaf removal may be a separate task, though some companies include it in a set price and charge more to cover their time. But in general terms, it is important for both parties to understand when the lawn will be mowed.
A service provider must take into account weekly cutting, regardless of length, as opposed to mowing when needed. In this last situation it’s important to know who makes the “as needed” determination.
This brings in the subject of how to charge – per hour, per square foot – another detail that must be clearly understood before work begins. For some larger properties, a lawn-care business might have two individuals working at the same time. The question then becomes: How much per person? Or, is the job billed on a per-square-foot basis, with time not being the real issue?
It’s not uncommon for some companies to arrange a monthly fee for service or a seasonal fee that covers five months or six months, for example. If you’re considering this with a new customer, you may want to quote the total fee, then break it down by an estimated number of mowing visits. This will show you and your customer that the numbers are quite reasonable.
Business or Summer Job
One last item to be considered, whether you’re offering to do the work or hiring someone to provide lawn-mowing and trimming for you. Operating a lawn-care business is not the same as having a summer job cutting grass. If you’re providing the service as part of your business, you should be compensated accordingly.
When you’re the property owner, you should be willing to pay for professional service, as opposed to having a young person come around occasionally to keep the grass cut. If you hire a professional, you should get professional results.
