How much do landscapers charge per hour?

**hippytreehugger4ever** · 06-04-2008, 04:01 PM

I'm doing the landscaping at 2 group homes and a business for the mentally handicapped. I'm charging $12 an hour, but read of some places charging up to $50? At the business I cleared out 2 flower beds that had to be completly redone, weeded, mulched, planted flowers and shrubs, weedeated, and trimmed 14 hedges. At the group homes the beds are HUGE and wrap all the way around. I also am replacing the mulch, planting shrubs, everything. The flowerbeds all have so much grass that it literally has to be pulled off the plastic liner like sod. So far I've also gone through over 300 bags of mulch between the 3 places, picked up 60 more today, and might still need at least another 60. Am I charging way to low or does it sound about right for what I'm doing?

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 06-04-2008, 04:55 PM

Yes, your charging too little. Usually jobs like that are done on a bid basis. A landscaper would figure the wage of the employee aka your $12.00 plus the cost of govenement taxes, unemployement costs, health insurances, fuel costs to and from job, general libility insurance, etc.. Unless you own a business you never know all the hidden costs of running a business. Not to mention costs of equipment. Is the hedge trimmer yours or theirs? Fuel and mix to run trimmer. Cost of bags, gloves and other hand tools.
But then are you doing this to make alot of money or because it needs done? There are jobs that we take on in our business and do because it makes the world a better place. Some little old widow lady needs to have her gutter cleaned out and a fresh coat of paint on her home. We do it for the cost of the paint. And if she'll use some of the paint we've got leftover from another job her cost is even less. Depends on your motive.

Laurie in Bradenton

**hippytreehugger4ever** · 06-04-2008, 05:10 PM

The lady actually called because of my husbands ad in the paper for rototilling to see if he would do that stuff, but I heard the voicemail message first and called her back. She hired me through that company for tax purposes. Yes, the weedeater is mine as are most of the tools I use. The only things they had to pay for are a weed digger and the long hedge clippers. I don't mind the work, it's just that it's starting to cost up the hiney every time I have to drive across town to the different buildings, and then drive back across town to go to the hardware store to pick up mulch in my husbands pickup.

**PennyWise** · 06-04-2008, 05:28 PM

You're cheating yourself.
Figure up your expenses in doing the job...include gas, then add labor...they'd still be getting a deal at $30 an hour.

**Momto2Boyz** · 06-04-2008, 09:23 PM

Yep, I agree!

In high school, (and let me tell ya, that was looooong ago) I worked for a landscape nursery, and at that point they charged about $30/hour per person. But, they estimated out the hours, added the materials, and gave one bid for the job, so no one ever saw how much they were actually paying for labor (which was the bulk of the bill).

I think your charging too low, landscaping is hard work and is usually viewed as such and payed well!

**LuvMyHubby** · 06-04-2008, 11:21 PM

It does sound like you are undercharging but on the flip side unless a group home is running a profit organization it is most likely just making ends meet and your doing them a great favor (hopefully appreciated) as some of these agencies are running on government subsidies.

**stevie** · 06-05-2008, 08:44 AM

Some of those places may be charging that per hour might be for several men at a time. Also DH charges a bunch per hour for what he does but he is really quick at what he does so he will get a job done in a few hours that someone else might take all day at. I don't mean to say you aren't fast either, just something else to think about.

Also remember that a landscaping business has overhead, insurance and workman's comp and whatnot to pay.