2010 Landscaping Policies & Deals

Dear Valued Customers (and potential new ones),

I’d like to share the basic policies of my business so that you can get a sense of what it would cost to hire Saving Some Green LLC for your landscaping needs.  Below are outlines for costs, and some deals that I would like to offer.  I’m not big into building up prices only to offer them at a discount.  Any discount I offer will be off a direct invoice price that I write up.

MY LANDSCAPING POLICIES

• All services (other than lawn mowing) will be billed at $30 – $40 / hr based on difficulty of task and need for machine time.  I’m going to charge you more to shovel stone than bark mulch.  It hurts more.
• All mowing will start at $30 / lawn / mowing.  This includes cutting the grass, trimming, and blowing off of all walkways, decks, and driveways regardless of if I created a mess on them.  Prices will go up based on additional time needed for the job.  This is the base cost.
• You pay what I pay. All materials for the job that are consumed on the job will be purchased and billed directly to you. If it cost me $30 to get some bed fabric, then you pay just that.  It makes everything easier for all of us.  The same goes for any plants that I purchase for a job.  You’re paying for my labor.  Granted, if it takes me two hours to pick up all you plants because you order 70 shrubs, then you get to pay for my time there, but if you want me to put in a tree, I’m not going to charge you $400 for a $200 tree.
• My estimate is always the max I will charge you.  I put in contingencies for what I think will be my max time.  If it takes me three more hours than my estimate, then you only pay for what I estimated.  If I go over the estimate, it’s my fault, not yours.  If I do it in less time (and yes, I try to) then I will charge you for only the time I work.  The goal is to beat the estimate.
• Estimates are free. There is no “It’s a $40 estimate, but it’s free if you hire me.”  That’s not ok in my book.  Please let me know if you’re not interested.  I’ll let you know if I’m not as well.
• I itemize everything. I don’t like the “I can do it for $1000″ type deals.  You will see my costs and charges on a line item basis.  This way, you can modify the job to fit your budget.
• Spring mowings may need to be on weekends. I’m a teacher by day, so it’s a bit tricky to get to your house on a Wednesday at 10 in the morning in the middle of April.

2010 LANDSCAPING DEALS

• If you hire SSG for a seasonal mowing contract, I will take 10% off what I would charge you for a per call basis.  It makes my life happier to have a schedule set.  I can mow weekly, or bi-weekly.  Once monthly mowing contracts are not available due to the wear and tear on my machines (and me).
• If you hire SSG for a seasonal mowing contract, you will get 10% any other job you want done at your house.  This means I write up your invoice and then cut off 10%.  You see the exact numbers and the exact discount.
• For every neighbor you can get to sign up for a seasonal contract, you get 25% off.  Yes, shoot for 4 neighbors and I mow your lawn for free this summer.   But what constitutes a neighbor?  I need to reasonably be able to unload and mow their lawn and your lawn without having to move the truck.  I’ll give you 4-5 houses in either direction depending on the lot size.  After that it gets messy.
• Refer a friend and you get 10% of my profit for the job you refer.  You refer a $1000 job where I make $400, and you get $40.  Just make sure they tell me who referred them.  I count mowing as pure profit as I have all my equipment so let’s say you refer a client for 15 mowings this summer at $30 a mowing, you just made yourself $45.