How to Bid, Charge, Estimate and Install Mulch
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- How to Bid, Charge, Estimate and Install Mulch using the time and material method.
In our previous video on bidding mulch we used a formula based on square footage.
Today we show you another way to bid and install a mulch project.
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I will never lay landscape fabric except under stone. Over the years weeds end up growing overtop leaving an even bigger mess. We apply a preemergent then lay the mulch.
Good to know! Thanks!
What type of preemergent you use?
same same. I see fabric i rip it out. I put the right amount of mulch ....thick
@@brentkelly5445 Yup and spot treat with glyphosate a couple time a year for an extra tip :)
@@jorgeuchiha634 PREEN
Do you know what's inefficient? Filming while working lol. I thank you for your time in making all these videos. I really enjoy them.
+jaybrown29 Yeah but its fun haha
Thank you
Asv mop
Yes thanks for doing this for us
Yes thank you
I just found an old video of yours Stan. Just like all of your videos. It is filled with sound common sense approaches to a lot of things landscapers run into daily. You're a good role model and teacher for enterprising individuals. Thank you sir.
My wife and I worked the Mulch business to the max, for 25 yrs. here in Ft. Myers, Florida. His truck holds 2 yards, cost 25 per yard bulk, not bags. We charged $45 per yd. installed. 20 yrd. truck and 6 worker mulching 100 houses, dumping 10 yard in the street to do 4 houses front and back. We worked it to the max.doing an 80 to a 100 yards per day. Just mulch and décor. rocks only. We loved the business and have been retired for about 4 yards now. The secret to profit is to find houses together and/or whole neighborhoods, hiring just enough men to install the load the distance from where ever you are pulling from. So your help aren't setting around waiting for material. We miss this business for we only had to work 4 months out of the year and vacation the 8 months left until Mulch season the following year. Good luck and remember if you want to make more money, get a bigger truck. we started out in a pickup and ended in a 20 dump.
This is why I subscribed. Stan says numbers and let’s us use our mind to take a decision. And he always tells us everything on point!
He is definitely charging the right amount. If you own your business you need to pay yourself plus workman’s comp, and insurances. That’s around $ 70 hour cost. Next you need to pay for materials. You should mark your materials up 50% for small jobs such as this one. You need to pay for your truck too plus profit and replacement cost ( this should be spread out of 5 years and you can come up with a hourly charge based on five years of use) . You have overhead to consider. This includes office, professional services, utility’s, property taxes, insurance, licenses and warranty work. These are your cost. Then you should put a put a profit on all the money you laid out so that you can make a profit to expand your business. $375 dollars is a fair price if you want to stay in business.
tom22366 at least someone knows how to run a sustainable business. All these guys with pickup trucks and no overhead no insurance commenting here are getting me fired up.
Trying to Charge enough to make your Goal in 6 mos vs 12 mos is wrong..Its youkr faut yu didn't get a Better job Skill-Not the customer, isn;t it? Most Lawns don't need cutting every week, but you want a 30 wk contract and yuo come out and cut when its all dry and in hibernation during drought? I've fired outfits that try to do that ...Install a Free Watering system to insure you will have Green growing lawns during drought times..Do it Early spring or Late Fall when your reg. Work hasn't started or needed yet..Its insurance for your future business. Geech, How Dumb- but then again? Understandable comming from UnEducated people..who didn't put in their Apprenticship for at leat 3-4 yrs with a Good Service 1st- .find a different line of labor to do.or get back to School for learning a Real Profession.
i like the idea of putting it is piles around the garden then spreading it, thanks for the tips!
Gibson's Mowing Your welcome and thanks for watching and commenting!
Stanley's A good guy , taking his time to show others. Fabric under stone or gravel is a soil separator keeping the gravel from mixing with soil during wet conditions.Personally I agree with not using fabric in the beds, weed seeds get into the mulch and grow but does stop the weed growth that's starts under the weed barrier. by the way under stone and gravel it's Geo Textile Fabric use which generally different than the weed barrier use under mulch. 375.oo for this small job is normal for urban areas. In Urban areas people pay more due to there busy schedules and keeping up the Jnes as well:) OOPS, STARTED OUT ONLY TO SAY WAS I LOVE THE IDEA ABOUT USING THE back SIDE OF THE RAKE. ALSO TRY USING RAKE IN A SIDE TO SIDE MOTION WHEN LEVELING MULCH OR SOILS. God speed to ya Stanley, keep em comin! Another thing I live in Houston and Security would have stopped me from driving that hauler around the Expo as well. Ok Ill go away now. Bye.
Thanks so much Rob! Thanks for watching.
I love the leaf rake trick, I prefer to not use fabric under mulch. It creates a layer between native soil and organic matter, in fact, the landscape plants get crappy soil, and the weeds grow in rich compost! Thanks for the videos, I’d like to have my own company some day. The green industry is awesome. Fresh air and no need for a gym membership (except maybe during winter)
So much good info in this video! If I can add my pennies, If you're new, do 2-3 piles and then spread them. Don't make my mistake, lay down 10 piles and realize after the second that they all need to be moved because you misjudged where to place them
Local Yard Works That happens-but with practice you can lay them out better without re-moving them.
Well I know Stanley got a lot of heat about this video but I thank you because it helped me! Now I definitely know not to use fabric under mulch. Come to think of it I cleaned a bed once that had liner under it and it was a pain in the ass
Best point was at the very end of the video. More important than being competitive on the bid make sure its profitable great point sir
Put your tarp under the area where you are unloading. That way any extra falls on the tarp and then at the end drag the tarp to the job site and dump it. Saves sweeping up.
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
Do you really pay $25 cy for mulch? I pay around $14 here in Virginia (excluding freight).
@@bcharles1972 I only put down cedar and it costs me like $55 or $60
soil and mulch I scoop it out off the tailgate till I have a foot clear. then I drop the tailgate. clean as a whistle. I can't believe how many guys drop the gate first thing then everything falls all over the place.
If I knew it was going to take half a day, and $24 materials, $375 is spot on. I would be 3.5x100+(23.75x1.5)= $385.
For those using a formula of 33 minutes actual time and $24, or even a flat rate of $100 per yard, you just made $50 for half a day once you factor in your overhead cost of fuel/equipment/insurance etc. Working 7 days a week, you have a 200 day season. More realistic is 150 work days, at $100/day.... so $15,000 for the season.... let that sink in.....
You would make more as an employee.
I would have to say tho, that if i was bidding a job for 5 yards of mulch, i could have that delivered for $200 and 8hrs shop to shop, so I'd be at $1000. 5x the job for 2.6x the price.
Small jobs cost more to do. No way around it.
Please don't give your work away for free.
Started an owner operator licensed and insured lawn care/light landscape business this year. Started in July so i'm learning for next year. Didn't realize how competitive this industry is. Now all i see on the road are trucks with trailers full of gear. Sent letters with all my services and info to all the apartment complexes in my city. All they want is bids for landscaping. Any monkey can push a mower i guess. I have 2 bids to give tomorrow , clean up planting and mulch. The 2 videos iv'e seen of yours are nice appreciate it. need to spend the winter educating myself about landscaping, seems to be where the money is.
YES_+ there is a lot of money to be made in landscaping. and most places have contracts in line for lawn care so after you get your foot in the door with landscaping and they love you- then your a shoe in for lawn care.
Watching you unload the truck reminds me why I bought a cargo unloader from harbor freight. You just showed the perfect application for that tool.
Thanks Brett!
Agree. I love mine. I use it for mulch and manure. The other thing I'd suggest is putting your tarp under your tailgate. Saves cleanup time when the job is done.
yeah we only use fabric underneath rock or stone here in wny for the most part.we use a triple ground black most if the time always makes a house stand out
Go Bills!
Awesome to see the boss man getting down with the small stuff that got him going in the first place
Thank you for the video , I'm starting a landscaping company, this was the most helpful video I've seen thus far...
Scoop shovels saved my life when installing bark.
Try a tarp in the truck bed before you get the mulch dumped in, makes clean-up and moving the last bit mulch easier. Also a tarp on the ground under the tailgate of your truck makes it easier to clean-up the loading zone, and you can afford to move faster and be a bit more messy. 4-tine pichforks are for hay, not mulch.
I like using a old metal leaf rake to spread out my mulch. It's cool to see a successful guy get out there and do the work. Good job!
Leaf Rake is a good tip David- Thank you!
Good video.. good points- I’ve been a custom to improving my time management to make job easier for me and Co workers, I would use the tarp, lay it on the ground off the tail gate and use it to move the mulch to the area.. carefully not to tear or over fill it to lose the excess. I’d get the bulk into the flower beds and level off with a rake. I do this every year with my leaves.. gather them into a pile and vacuum mulch it. Easier to stand in one area and shred. Back and forth back and forth.. especially when working alone.. this idea would work for me.
I am a landscape designer in Florida and I strongly advise to NOT use landscape fabric under mulch. It needs to be freshened up every year or so and will not all decompose. Therefore you will need remove old mulch at some point. We use it only under stone and rubber mulch to prevent settling into the sand.
theres actually no need for a fabric. no matter what the mulch decomposes and makes a nice.topsoil over.time then weeds grow in the mulch and it doesnt matter.if theres fabric down. the only rime it helps is on a total new bed and that only slows it down.. only a matter of time before the mulch breaks down and lets weeds grow. the $375 for 1 yard is a little excessive we only get around $85 per yard installed here in nc but everyone should have a minimum price they need to make on each job just to do the job. my minimum is $200 profit or i wont do the job even if it only takes 1 hour.
I was always under the same thought process. only use fabric under stone mulch for seperation of stone and soil. decomposed hardwood mulch over time makes a great weed germination bed no matter what fabric is under it.
brodey holliday 375 is cheap that's why this guy is making big money and you don't gtfoh
I see this is in July and I think you said you're in Minnesota. Here in South Carolina, in July, the humidity is 150% and the temps are above 95. We need to add an hour to water down and change underwear.
Good channel but I didn't even know You Tube existed in 2015.
Keep up the good work!
Indiana for black /drk.brown / red / gold mulch I pay $27.50 a yard. We charge $80 a yard installed. Edging/ bed prep extra.
The way I charge customers is if they want dark brown hemlock mulch it will cost them between 80 to 85 dollars per yard with installation if they want black mulch that's 95 dollars per yard with installation and it only cost me from my supplier 30 dollars per yard
Depends on the bed if I put piles down. Depends if I have new people working. If enough room I'll take hand spread but I do like to use mulch rake sprinkle it on tight cluttered places. Goes on thin even and u take a step out by not placing it
you're really enthusiastic about your work it's nice to see :)
Thanks 😀
Love your videos man. You have the ability you articulate yourself very well and give sound advice.
Going into my second year of landscaping on top of my job as a full time Corrections Officer.
I love the freedom of working for myself.
Keep the videos coming!
I'm glad to hear this helps- Thank you!
we use for tight places, hill sides and in between plants a 40 gal. bucket they work great! we carrie on shoulder sometimes its a little easier than others
Nice- Neve thought of that
I never buy bags, always bulk... a suggestion I have is get an oversized tarp in the bed of the truck firs and after they load wrap it like a burrito. This way it's easier to slide over the tailgate and there is no cleanup of the ground or truck bed after.
So it might be a stupid question but I want to ask, what type of license/licenses do you have to do all the projects that you do? (retaining walls, pavers, landscaping etc)
I really appreciate your videos they help alot BUT I'm looking for the video on how to weed the flowerbeds you mentioned at the beginning of this video please put link
Good videos Stanley. Found your vids looking for DIY lawn installation. Straight to the point and good editing to just relay useful information and tips in a condensed format. Sub'd and thumbs up to spread the good work you're doing.
Awesome! Thanks for watching Greg 😀👍
Good looking out for all your videos Mr. Stanley!
Honest and Profesionnal... My respects...
Thank you Renato !
you can also spray round up on the before mulching or pre-emergent afterwards.
3 things. 1st, I like your videos because they are educational. 2nd, that was way too little mulch for that area and would never leave it that thin. 3rd, if you have been in business for this long then why have you not gotten a 2 wheeled wheelbarrow? Saves your back and saves time moving product.
Judging by the way he handled it I don't think he uses a wheel barrow very much anyway. At least he loaded it correctly though, most people load too far back and work hard than they have to.
My son works for me and likes to load them wrong. He finally gets it right after struggling several times to move and dump it.
Stock pile works well for us as well.
Nice job
Thanks !
Very good video..thank you my friend for taking the time to do this for us. God bless you and your business in Jesus Christ name
I never put down fabric under mulch. Stone, yes. But mulch will decompose and grow weeds on top of the fabric. Preen is a wonderful thing.
Good to know.
this helps so much for a first timmers
😄👍
😄👍
Never use fabric under mulch...mulch breaks down...after two years you have nice compost under the top layer and the weed roots then grow into the fabric. Fabric is only used under stone....sorry, and with rubber mulch.
I ( Against my better judgement ) put fabric down under much @ my house because that was what my Mother and my sister wanted and guess what........A Year later it looks like crap.....
Correct, the seeds come from the top, not underneath.
randy t exactly if he wants to help protect against weeds he can spread Preen weed killer and plant feed down before mulching. Thats better than preventing a great deal of moisture from entering the ground.
I usually mulch and then sprinkle preen over the top of the fresh mulch. Leave it up to the customer if they want the weed barrier or not. I always tell them I only put it down below gravel to keep the gravel from sinking into the dirt over time, and usually don't put it down below mulch because it won't stop weeds since the weed seed will blow in from the top anyway.
Never put mulch too close to a plants root collar. Can cause fungal infection.
Dude this channel is so helpful
Glad to hear it, thanks Jon !
Great video, thanks for the tips. I have a question. If you had about 8-10 shrubs from small (3 ft ) medium 6 ft tall to large 8-10 tall maybe 2-6 ft in diameter. How would you charge if you had to do that job in the same area you put down the mulch. One more question for the same size area would you charge more or the same for commercial? Thanks
If you put down mulch nice every year or two you dont need fabric,just spot treat with glyphosate few times during the year.
Like your videos man. I have been doing independent gardening and landscaping in NC for the past 6 months and it is awesome. I love not having a boss and I'm making more money than ever. Your tips have helped me along the way! Can I share one with you? To save your back and make it much easier...get a long pitchfork and stand on the ground next to your wheelbarrow. toss the pitchfork into the mulch and pull big scoops into the barrow. Ever since I started doing that I can't go back. =]
Nice. Thank you!
Got to love ground up pallets,with paint,or stain(so called mulch),,lol!!
dame I've been getting under payed big time!!! just been charging by the hour!! i want to thank you for the videos i've learned alot and going to try to bid jobs and see how it works out for me!!!
How much would you charge after the first Yard Stanley? 375 for the first but lets say you had a trailer too full with another yard
Thx
I think everyone is underbidding compared to Stanley. I charge the customer for the mulch without a markup but I charge a truck charge for hauling it.. Then I charge how long I think it will take me or per hr charge. I see many are charging 100 pr yrd total cost which would seen pretty normal but Stanley 375.00 wow. Nice job.
Dandy Lawn Thats my area though- prices are high in this market. Be careful and apply the right prices for your area.
shaymoose17 I've done multch and I be damn if I am going to do multch for 85 a yard I won't even get out my bed for 85 a yard
Bruce Strobel im at 110 per yard now :)
I like using the hard rake. I flick the mulch off the small mounds of mulch that I lay out in the garden beds then flip the rake to smooth it out. If I have to spread in larger area I use Kalfas method and lunch and throw out the wheel barrow
Sunset Services Sound like a good way of doing it.
lunch??? lol you know what I mean . " that is why I mow lawns and not write books"
Another issue to consider. With bags you can swing by a supplier and toss them in. With bulk you have to dump your trailer so you can get the stuff out easily. If you have other jobs scheduled, especially mowing, this could be an issue.
+Bruno TaTa Very true- but I calc my stuff very closely . If I wasn't experienced doing that then bags would have a slight advantage for getting close on materials. I like bulk though.
For my vegetable farm i use tons of mulch so it was more economical to buy a 12” log chipper that breaks logs and slash piles down to med mulch in minutes. 6 cyl diesel shreds enough mulch for one acre per hour...
Its important to consider economies of scale. Deadfall logs are free on federal land
weld small steel balls on the tips of the forks on your Pitchfork and you won't dig into your bed or hit those stupid little bolts that hold your truck bed down
good idea...or hit them with an angle grinder.
Love your channel! Thanks for sharing your years of advice and experience!
Thanks Joe!
So by decades you mean months, correct?
That is only 1 1/2 to 2 yards of much. How did you get the price 375?? Maybe 150 to 250 square feet total?? Any info on those specifics. How much was it a yard
Hey Stan, what commercial grade weed barrier do you recommend? After seeing the weeds come up a couple months after leaving a job I feel it is necessary to maintain customer satisfaction. I don't want the thin home depot junk but the good heavy stuff that will last multiple years.. I've seen it in your other videos.
Thanks!
You arent doing it right if you need weed barrier.
I usually charge $65/yard to spread mulch and pay in the neighborhood of $30/yard for it and charge the customer around $45/yard for it.
Hi Stan. I love your videos, thank you for sharing.
I will have to try out the leaf rake, thanks for the tip.
A coal shovel works really good for shoveling mulch by the way!
Plesons Landscaping LLC I will have to check out a coal shovel. Never heard of it.
Something like this one. www.jacksonprofessional.com/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=1517&SubFamilyId=253&FamilyId=252&LineId=75
Good job! Especially the price an the timing
Thank you!
do you cut your edges with a hand sodd cutter or with a combi tool with edging attachment. it don't look finished with out it. I can't see edging if three is any ?
poor look good mulch, going to look old in 30 days if wet and dried often, sprinklers
hey whats the difference between mulch and wood chips? Landscaper I was talking to didn't know. Maybe its the same thing but he didn't know so I didn't hire him. I am sure its the same thing give or take
There are different types of mulch, and wood chips are just a certain type.
I dont know why i hadnt subscribed to your channel before. great videos
Thank you!
you did that job with 1 yard of mulch and got $375. good for you i do my bids by footage or and how many yards of mulch. $100 for a yard if its ez. if its hard $150 if the beds are hard to get to
Brandon Sparks Every job and every market is different. This is what I can charge in this area.
What is the best way to put mulch on very steep garden? Is that a good idea ornot?
This video really helped. Do you have a video on how to get or create the forms for services and charging?
arborist wood chips as mulch around trees and shrubs and some perennials?
Hey thanks for the video, I'm wondering if it was rock or if you did lay down fabric, how would we bid that if it was flat bare terrain vs. a busy plantscaped bed like we see there? In my experience it takes some major tailoring skills and time to handle that.
Where are you going to get a yard of mulch for 23 dollars?! My dealer is 40 to 50 a yard
That's a pretty good price for that shred down here in Florida that would have been about $72 worth of mulch whether it was died or natural profit margin is a little less here about 325 is like on the high side of that job thanks for sharing if you don't mind I'll share back
It’s crazy how expensive mulch is in Minnesota. I grew up in Southern California and you can bring a dump truck to the dump and they will load it up with any kind of mulch you want for free! As much as you can take or they will deliver it in a full semi truck with in an hours drive for $80
Nice!
Gotta try throwing mulch right from the wheel barrow, thats just the most efficent way ive found to spread mulch. then you only touch it once when you get the hang of it
CJ Storms Sounds like a good way of doing it.
U know a silage fork works well for sniveling mulch much better tha a potato fork. Good video.
Your right.
I need a rubber fitting...not a tarp on the bottom of the bed.....to stop the mulch from filling in the gap between the tailgate and the bed
How much labor cost would you charge for 10 yards of gravel I'm thinking it will take 8hours for 2 people
Great job Stan thanks for posting the video. I'm a bag guy myself for all the reasons you listed. I may look into bulk one day
Mow's Lawncare Bulk is just so much cheaper! Messier but less expensive.
Out of curiosity do you include a price for equipment in the estimate? Or do you just keep the receipts and write off the expenses for fuel and mileage on your taxes? I know gas prices fluctuate quite a bit where I am.
Stanley,
915 length, 12 wide pathway @ 2.00 per here in south Florida sound about right?
Stan actually working lol
Pre emergents work better than fabric. Always pull the weeds before mulch makes the difference. Maintain
If you got $375 for 1 yard of mulch...You did great lol. I get $100 installed. Includes drive time & $20 for a yard my contract price. Takes me 3/4 hour per yard.
☼Tropical Detailing☼ I base my pricing off from shop to shop time. When I put my Boots on to do that job and when I finally have all the equipment put back in place when I am done.
The advantage of spreading as you go is that you don't run short or have to double back to get the depth you need. To each his own.
+Bruno TaTa True- but I have done it long enough to know how to calculate materials pretty accurately.
375 ! . wow ! .
I think I need to move out of Michigan !!!
Going rate for a bed that size up here in northern Michigan is only about 80 bucks out the door.
last year I run a bid to lay down twice as much mulch at a condo on the lake and I was outbid by another company that came in under $70.00 Material and labor .
just in the last few years I personally know of at least a dozen Lawn and landscape companies that have went out of business .
I myself would not still be in business if it wasn't for a handful of good clients and the fact that I own a custom woodworking shop that pays my bills.
your right ! same here
How much mulch did you use an what was the square footage of the area of mulch you put down?
What is your method of bidding out mutch, I have wanted to take on and try this but am not sure of how to bid it out.
have you tried the push broom upside down ,works great
Rookie move jumping into a pile of mulch with shorts on. First step your boot fills right up with mulch
Wow $375 for half yard of mulch? I wish. I was just denied a $1400 bid to spread 45 yards across a large landscape on the basis it was ‘a lot of money’. At Stanley’s rate I’d have to quote over $15,000!! I know, volume right?....geeeez
You guys have some messed up looking "mulch" out there, its just wood fiber.
I've always heard not to put fabric under mulch because mulch rots and goes back into the ground which is good so you do not have to remove mulch after a few re mulches because the fabric will not let it go back into the ground. I've only put fabric under rock.
I agree 100% about putting it under rock... trying to weed eat a rock bed or a rock drain is a pain in the ass!!
Michigan Mowing I like fabric whenever possible. But you make a good point about it decaying back into the ground.
Travis C Always under rock. Weeding rock is definately a pain :)
+Michigan Mowing Nothing worse than having to haul OFF mulch debris.
@Travis C..More like pain in the shins lmao
Very good video
Thank you Mrs. Mendiola !
in my hometown I get that tipe of mulch wich is called Echo mulch At $16 yard
Hey Stanley, I'm wondering if you have any videos on how to charge for fertilizer/weed n feed/ grass seeding,? I searched for "fertilize" in your vid list but nothing came up.
Cheers!
Local Yard Works I need to make a video on that. I don't have one completed yet.
Love the videos Thanks for all the info !!!
Thanks Terry, appreciate it !
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing..
You're welcome Melvin, thanks for watching!
Can we please see a video of your shop and full equipment lineup?
Good suggestion , I will keep that in mind. Thanks Blake!
I appreciate this video your always dropping good priceless knowledge
Thanks!