How do I price a landscaping job?

Work out your true cost per hour (labor, burden, equipment, overhead), estimate the real hours including travel and cleanup, add for risk, then apply your target margin.

Why shouldn't I just be the cheapest?

Low prices attract price-shoppers who resist every increase and lock you into a route that doesn't pay. Compete on service and reliability, not on being the lowest number.

What profit margin should a lawn care business aim for?

Many operators start around 10-20% and adjust, but the figure only means something once you actually know your cost per hour.

Pricing guide · 6 min read

How to Price Landscaping and Lawn Care Jobs for Profit

You quote a yard by eye, win it on price, and only later add up the drive time, the trimming, the cleanup and the dump run that ate the afternoon. Most landscapers have no real idea what a job costs them — which is exactly why so many are busy and barely profitable.

Know your cost per hour before you quote anything

You can't price a job until you know what an hour of your crew and equipment costs to put on site: wage plus burden, plus fuel and maintenance, plus the share of overhead every working hour has to carry. Guess this one number and every quote you write is a guess.

Count the hours you don't think about

The mowing is the obvious part. The hidden hours are what sink the price: drive time between properties, trimming and edging, cleanup and blow-down, loading and unloading, and equipment prep. Leave them out and you undercharge across the whole route, not just on one yard.

Low-balling wins the customers you don't want

Cutting your price to undercut the competition attracts people who only care about price — and who balk the moment you try to raise rates. You end up locked into a route that doesn't pay, competing on the one thing you can't afford to win.

Price the risk, then set the margin

Weather days, breakdowns, a yard you measured wrong — any of them can turn a fine job into a money pit if the price has no room in it. Build in a buffer, decide the margin you want up front (many start around 10-20% and adjust), and price back from your real cost per hour.

The cheapest operator on the street is usually the one who doesn't know his numbers. Knowing yours is how you charge more and still sleep fine.

Skip the maths on the next one

Quote landscaping and grounds work from real crew hours, materials and equipment rental, with the price solved from the margin you want to keep.

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Common questions

How do I price a landscaping job?: Work out your true cost per hour (labor, burden, equipment, overhead), estimate the real hours including travel and cleanup, add for risk, then apply your target margin.
Why shouldn't I just be the cheapest?: Low prices attract price-shoppers who resist every increase and lock you into a route that doesn't pay. Compete on service and reliability, not on being the lowest number.
What profit margin should a lawn care business aim for?: Many operators start around 10-20% and adjust, but the figure only means something once you actually know your cost per hour.

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