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Commercial grass cutting.

Again i need to quote for 1336 meters total areas around the new units to mow the same place as turfing quote.

Any guides appreciated - spons etc.

I guess ill need to remove waste and will need my big viking or etesia.

and inc strimming? / vacuuming tidy.

many thanks - robin
gardens4u.co.uk

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  • no help with this then anyone?- any advice will help me ...

    i know you cant say exactly but some pointers would be nice please.

    rob

    - i have to reply to him today as he has the turf quote to ponder and asked for the above now.

  • PRO
    Hi, to be honest I would quote a fixed price on a monthly contract based on your hourly rate. Off the top of my head I can't visualise 1336 metres of grass but that's about a third of an acre so say 1.5 hours using a walk behind mower inc blow and strim? Commercial? So twice a month? 18 cuts a year based on a 9 month growing cycle? Hourly rate? £25? So fixed rate = (1.5 x 25)x18 = £675.00 per year /12 = £56.25 per month. These are figures completely off the top of my head and have no factual evidence to back them up! Don't forget a profit margin, fuel costs, travel time, and other costs. Maybe round the figure up to £65 per month. Bear in mind some months may require three or even four cuts and others none! Look at your costs carefully then give a price.
  • PRO
    Oh forgot the waste removal so don't forget to add that!
  • Robin,hard one to call without photos,but if your viking/etesia are pedestrian then I would allow for 3/4 hours initially (half a day).If the viking is a 755 then a mulching kit is a must as will save huge amount of time emptying bag and removing.
    Sorry if stating the obvious but hope it helps anyway

  • PRO
    Use Paul's hourly figures initially!
  • I would go for half a day (4 hours) to start with plus related travel, waste and fuel costs, its pointless underquoting yourself as you will be expected to do it for that rate for at least a year! If after a couple of visits you've got the measure of the site and feel the need to reduce the cost of the monthly contract, the customer will be very pleased with your honesty! Cant go wrong!

  • PRO

    You just need to eye-ball it Robin. Wander round, have a look, split it down into smaller parts, estimate times for each part then add the whole lot together. Price it sustainably on a 20 visit basis and give a price per visit and for the year. Without knowing the site it is virtually impossible to give accurate ball-park figures. As long as you know your own costs and your time estimations are not too far off then you should be there or there abouts.

    Spons lists 'cutting grass to specified height with petrol powered mower' - 100m2 - £2.76. So 27p per m2 which would give your 1336m2 a cost of £36, which is way off if you are talking about housing units. (But the book is published in 2008 and works on labour rate of £15 per hour so can adjust accordingley)

  • The trouble with attempting to give you an idea of how much to charge is we dont know how many areas the grass is divided into. it could be a couple of massive lawns or dozens of bits. the strimming and blowing alone could take an hour and half if you need to go behind cars, up narrow snickets and the like, so i would go round the site with a pad and pen and imagine each portion done individually as James recommends. let us all know if you get the contract!

  • If any of the figures quoted above are anywhere near right I honestly can't see how it's a job worth having. Blimey, I wouldn't commit myself to turning up somewhere 18 times in a year just for a cup of tea, let alone having to do any work as well. It seems like a ridiculously small amount of money for a contract job, regardless of how small the patch of grass.

  • Agree with you Stuart, if the client wants the job done for next to nothing, dont bother, but they havent given him a price they want it done for, just asked him for a quote once he's laid the turf, so its all up in the air until they get back to him.
    I recently lost quite a good contract with a company local to me who are turning over millions of pounds. 6 months later and no other contractor has been hired and it is a complete mess, so sometimes in business you just dont know what they're thinking!

    Stuart said:

    If any of the figures quoted above are anywhere near right I honestly can't see how it's a job worth having. Blimey, I wouldn't commit myself to turning up somewhere 18 times in a year just for a cup of tea, let alone having to do any work as well. It seems like a ridiculously small amount of money for a contract job, regardless of how small the patch of grass.

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