# Low prices for tree service?



## CT arborist (Mar 17, 2019)

Hey everyone,
Just wondering if you guys go trough the same situation as we do. It's frustrating when a customer tells me that someone else gave them an even lower price for such tree, where I made my math to give my lowest price in order to get some profit. I mean, how is it even possible for someone to give an even lower price and even make a profit? For some jobs when the customer tells me the price to match, (if they are not lying) if I make my math for that price I would end up losing money not making a profit. Lol. I know that when there are many crews out for a big company makes more sense or obviously a non insured nor licensed person who pays their employees very low. But it's crazy when you make the math for that price and end up at zero or loosing. 

Locally for my 4 person crew I try to at the very least have a $2,000 day with the bucket truck. A $1,600 climbed day. I wish climbed was worth more. If I go higher there is no way to get jobs here. Except when I am the only one bidding. Anyone know of a way to fix this or to warn the customers about those who price too low?


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## bck (Mar 17, 2019)

Where in CT are you? I’m in Fairfield county, just curious as for pricing


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## ATH (Mar 17, 2019)

1) Not everybody understand what it takes to make a profit. A few hundred dollars a day may seem like a lot of money, but when it comes time to replace equipment or make some repairs, the cookie jar is empty.
2) Perhaps they pay their labor less?
3) They may be more efficient than you - maybe they can do with 3 crew members what you do with 4?
4) Maybe you do much better work than the competition (which takes more time), but the clients aren't understanding that?

Are you busy? If so, who cares? If not, than either your price is too high or your quality (or the perception of your quality) is not high enough. That is to say, if people are going to pay a premium, they want to know what they are getting for it. Give them more and let them know what you are offering. Or find a way lower your prices... I advise upping the quality though!


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## AGoodSteward (Mar 17, 2019)

Dave says: "Set your prices so that at least %10 of your bids get refused".
You don't want to work for the skinflints anyway. You'll never be low enough, even if you're giving them money.
Just do a great job, and your service will put the lowballin yahoos out of business. Unfortunately another will spring up in their place, so you'll never have the privilege of working for the customers who don't value their trees the way we know they should.


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## tree MDS (Mar 17, 2019)

They’re probably more efficient. I’m sure you know this, but tree work is a very highly competitive business. So many variables involved in these prices too. All of these companies have different equipment, crews, levels of experience, etc. It’s no wonder the prices are all over the board when you stop and think about it. 

I don’t even know what a days tree work is anymore. A days tree work with what? Most everyone has a bucket up here, so I’m not sure charging more for bucket jobs would work out so well for me. Lol. Just some thoughts.


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## tree MDS (Mar 17, 2019)

AGoodSteward said:


> Just do a great job, and your service will put the lowballin yahoos out of business.


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## benjo75 (Mar 18, 2019)

There will always be the "will beat anyones price" crew around town. They won't be there long though then another will take their place. They will wear o5ht their bodies and equipment and work for nearly free for a couple years then move on. I've watched them for over 25 years come and go around here. Some of my customers remain loyal and some go the cheap way then come crawling back when they're gone. About half the time when the " fly by night" crew gets the job they call me to help them with the big tree or reach the tall ones. I used to do that but I had to quit it. I tell the homeowner if they want a reputable company they're free to call one. I also get calls to cleanup what they left or finish the tree that they couldn't finish. Had to quit that too. Don't want my equipment seen at a job where a tree has been cut and laying across a house. Everyone will drive by and think I did it. I feel sorry for the homeowners but they got what they paid for. I tell them that and drive away.


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## Oldmaple (Mar 18, 2019)

I know my costs and set my prices accordingly. Some jobs I'm low bid, get the job, sometimes not the low bid, get the job, sometimes don't get the job. I have a friend who keeps telling me to raise my prices to equal his. He has a half a million dollars worth of equipment and $200,000 worth of debt, runs one crew. I run one crew with less than $75,000 worth of equipment, all paid for. Everyone's expenses are different and must price accordingly. I'm not going to get rich doing tree work but I do make a living. Also customers lie (as you know) to get you to lower your price. I do very few jobs worth running a 4 man crew and this might be a difference between your company and others as far as efficiency goes.


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## mckeetree (Mar 19, 2019)

All of the guys around here that were involved in the "race to the bottom" are either street people or working on becoming street people.


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## Robertnz (Mar 20, 2019)

one mention you have commercial liability insurance and emphasis that point. minimum 200 bucks an hour gross and i dont like that. if you hit 300 happy days. you price at 150 or lower you wont make equipment repairs, new chains advertising, good whiskey etc...


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## mckeetree (Mar 23, 2019)

Robertnz said:


> one mention you have commercial liability insurance and emphasis that point. minimum 200 bucks an hour gross and i dont like that. if you hit 300 happy days. you price at 150 or lower you wont make equipment repairs, new chains advertising, good whiskey etc...



Well, different locations different situations but around here, if you are sending out a four man tree crew for less than $250 an hour you are classified as being in the elite "race to the bottom" club. With a bucket truck, chipper, one climber, one ground man, two laborers we average around $350 hour.


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## Jed1124 (Mar 25, 2019)

Your numbers sound about right for ct. some guys are higher, some are lower.
Sell service, not the lowest price. Get back to people fast, get them their proposals in a timely manner if not on site, be there when you say your going to, leave the place looking better than when you got there.

Let the other guys fight over who is the lowest....


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## Marshy (Mar 25, 2019)

This is an interesting conversation. Timely too because I'm beginning to look at commercial liability insurance. If plans go right this will be a part time thing for me and I will be a one man crew. Fortunately I have the luxury of picking and choosing the work I want to take. As long as I can pay my overhead and put a little cash aside then I will be happy. That being said, $250-350/hr seems crazy to me but like someone already said, everyone has a different operating expense and part of being a large scale operation is higher overhead.


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## ATH (Mar 25, 2019)

$250-300 for a one man crew and minimal equipment is crazy. One man with a grapple crane...that is probably about right if not too low. But then that one operator can get more done in an hour than a crew.

I avoid talking per hour rates with clients and bid the job thinking about the per hour rates in my mind as I do.


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## tree MDS (Mar 25, 2019)

ATH said:


> I avoid talking per hour rates with clients and bid the job thinking about the per hour rates in my mind as I do.



Yep. I’ve learned a long time ago to avoid subjects like that when talking to customers. I learned to avoid directly answering the “about how long do you think it will take you” one too.


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## Phillipe Couzal (Apr 1, 2019)

Hello,

Thank you for sharing this post! I think all of us have experienced this and there's nothing wrong in explaining to a customer the range of price for a tree work. We offered the best and even the patience to fit everything. Business have ups and downs just stay positive. Anyways, happy to share to your our happy company.


*Affordable Tree Services for All Kind of Tree Work*


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## moondoggie (Apr 3, 2019)

I've never bid by the hour. I bid by the hazards and price accordingly.


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## lone wolf (Apr 3, 2019)

Marshy said:


> This is an interesting conversation. Timely too because I'm beginning to look at commercial liability insurance. If plans go right this will be a part time thing for me and I will be a one man crew. Fortunately I have the luxury of picking and choosing the work I want to take. As long as I can pay my overhead and put a little cash aside then I will be happy. That being said, $250-350/hr seems crazy to me but like someone already said, everyone has a different operating expense and part of being a large scale operation is higher overhead.


Aint the wrong price per hour if its all the equipment mentioned and 3-4 men that are working fast.


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## Marshy (Apr 3, 2019)

lone wolf said:


> Aint the wrong price per hour if its all the equipment mentioned and 3-4 men that are working fast.


I realize that.


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## lone wolf (Apr 3, 2019)

Marshy said:


> I realize that.


I guessed but wanted to confirm from my area also.


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## Joe Masters (May 19, 2019)

You have too much overhead. I'm in the Poconos and I've made a living underbidding to the big guys. 
I don't need a bucket truck when I know how to climb. I don't need a loader when I can roll rounds right into a trailer. I use mechanical advantage instead of bigger machines. I don't even need a chipper most of the time because half of my customers will do the cleanup themselves to save money. All of these things contribute enormously to the bottom line. 
Also, don't forget the value of hard work. A lot of times muscle power will do the job just as well as any machine and your crew will see that you are not afraid to sweat.


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## Groundman One (May 21, 2019)

moondoggie said:


> I've never bid by the hour. I bid by the hazards and price accordingly.



And the pain.

Pain costs extra.

Irritation too.


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## Marshy (May 21, 2019)

Joe Masters said:


> You have too much overhead. I'm in the Poconos and I've made a living underbidding to the big guys.
> I don't need a bucket truck when I know how to climb. I don't need a loader when I can roll rounds right into a trailer. I use mechanical advantage instead of bigger machines. I don't even need a chipper most of the time because half of my customers will do the cleanup themselves to save money. All of these things contribute enormously to the bottom line.
> Also, don't forget the value of hard work. A lot of times muscle power will do the job just as well as any machine and your crew will see that you are not afraid to sweat.


That's basically where I'm at also. There will always be a market for guys with your business model. Plain and simple, the average person cant afford $1200 or $1700 to have a couple of trees removed. Lower overhead guys will get those jobs.


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## knockbill (May 21, 2019)

Very interesting thread,,, altho I'm a retired self employed electrician, not a tree expert... Here's from a customers view,,, I had a huge Pin Oak removed a while ago... Tree was in the front yard, easy street access... I got estimates from a bunch of guys, starting with two I had used over the years to trim/clean it out occasionally... They wanted way more for removing it than seemed fair(m I figured they needed to rent equipment), so I called a couple others... The one I hired was in business locally for a long time,, owned his bucket truck,,, crane,,, stump chipper,,, branch chipper, and other gear... His price turned out to be the lowest I got, in fact was exactly half the highest,, which came from a newer company, with tons of advertising... These guys(yep two) came to estimate in a new Yukon, with a computer in back, so they could print out the ridiculous estimate!!! They weren't willing to leave the wood,,, which the guy I hired not only did, but blocked it and helped me barrow it to the back... They took the trunk in 3 long logs...
I guess the moral of this rant is,,, you gotta listen to your prospective customer (or contractor, in my case),,, and learn(quickly!!) to size them up... Sometimes walking away from a job is the best choice you can make, as I did with the high priced, hard sell clowns... However the cheapest isn't always the worst you can get...
Best of luck to you new guys trying to make a living on your own,,, Clean, hard work, polite conversation with customers will work wonders....


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## bck (May 21, 2019)

knockbill said:


> Very interesting thread,,, altho I'm a retired self employed electrician, not a tree expert... Here's from a customers view,,, I had a huge Pin Oak removed a while ago... Tree was in the front yard, easy street access... I got estimates from a bunch of guys, starting with two I had used over the years to trim/clean it out occasionally... They wanted way more for removing it than seemed fair(m I figured they needed to rent equipment), so I called a couple others... The one I hired was in business locally for a long time,, owned his bucket truck,,, crane,,, stump chipper,,, branch chipper, and other gear... His price turned out to be the lowest I got, in fact was exactly half the highest,, which came from a newer company, with tons of advertising... These guys(yep two) came to estimate in a new Yukon, with a computer in back, so they could print out the ridiculous estimate!!! They weren't willing to leave the wood,,, which the guy I hired not only did, but blocked it and helped me barrow it to the back... They took the trunk in 3 long logs...
> I guess the moral of this rant is,,, you gotta listen to your prospective customer (or contractor, in my case),,, and learn(quickly!!) to size them up... Sometimes walking away from a job is the best choice you can make, as I did with the high priced, hard sell clowns... However the cheapest isn't always the worst you can get...
> Best of luck to you new guys trying to make a living on your own,,, Clean, hard work, polite conversation with customers will work wonders....



That’s part of the tree business. Unless it’s an emergency, people tend to shop around until they find a price they like. The tree isn’t going any where so they have time to get many many multiple bids. There is always someone that will do it cheaper.


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## ATH (May 21, 2019)

There is also always someone who will do it for more 

If you have the equipment working, having expensive stuff doesn't have to be bad. If it makes you more efficient than what it costs and is used in the right circumstances, it makes sense. For example, if you want low overhead, go chip out a stone ax head and get chopping. A chainsaw is a lot more expensive, but it saves a lot of time. A crane is really expensive, but it saves a really big lot of time - in the right setting! A heavy lift helicopter can get trees out that a crane cannot...but there are far and few circumstances where that cost is justified. The key is finding that balance and working within the balance.

@knockbill highlighted the fact that the expensive guys rolled up in a $60K (?-guessing, I don't shop new pickups!) pickup truck. Does that make their estimates more efficient? The computer in the back improves efficiency...but it would do the same in a much less costly truck.

Just my $0.02


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## Paolastreeservice (May 21, 2019)

I’m also from Fairfield County in CT and for one of the richest counties in the country the prices I get hit back with during quotes are absolutely sickening. Some of the companies that low ball quotes just to get the job are not only hurting other companies but themselves. I am the main climber for my company and and a friends and we both would rather let the other company grab the job then climb and risk my life or companies for nothing because I feel rushed it’s a tough situation but at the end of the day we are a different breed and do a job most can’t handle. If only the companies that don’t realize they’re hurting the industry and giving communities false expectations of pricing.


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## Paolastreeservice (May 21, 2019)

knockbill said:


> Very interesting thread,,, altho I'm a retired self employed electrician, not a tree expert... Here's from a customers view,,, I had a huge Pin Oak removed a while ago... Tree was in the front yard, easy street access... I got estimates from a bunch of guys, starting with two I had used over the years to trim/clean it out occasionally... They wanted way more for removing it than seemed fair(m I figured they needed to rent equipment), so I called a couple others... The one I hired was in business locally for a long time,, owned his bucket truck,,, crane,,, stump chipper,,, branch chipper, and other gear... His price turned out to be the lowest I got, in fact was exactly half the highest,, which came from a newer company, with tons of advertising... These guys(yep two) came to estimate in a new Yukon, with a computer in back, so they could print out the ridiculous estimate!!! They weren't willing to leave the wood,,, which the guy I hired not only did, but blocked it and helped me barrow it to the back... They took the trunk in 3 long logs...
> I guess the moral of this rant is,,, you gotta listen to your prospective customer (or contractor, in my case),,, and learn(quickly!!) to size them up... Sometimes walking away from a job is the best choice you can make, as I did with the high priced, hard sell clowns... However the cheapest isn't always the worst you can get...
> Best of luck to you new guys trying to make a living on your own,,, Clean, hard work, polite conversation with customers will work wonders....



Although in my other reply I ranted about being low balled I do also believe some companies don’t give fair pricing and also don’t know how to accommodate the customer. If I ever come in higher then other fair offers I will work with them and also explain reasons why I believe my price is worth a little extra.


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## Groundman One (May 23, 2019)

knockbill said:


> Clean, hard work, polite conversation with customers will work wonders....



Reminds me, yet again, of what a local guy used to tell people about me and my climber:

_"Those two idiots? They are impossible to reach, always show up late, and they're expensive. On the other hand they do a great job and they're really nice guys."_

That's going on my tombstone.


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## knockbill (May 24, 2019)

Morning all,,, holiday weekend... hope everyone has a good one...


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## chipper1 (May 24, 2019)

Groundman One said:


> Reminds me, yet again, of what a local guy used to tell people about me and my climber:
> 
> _"Those two idiots? They are impossible to reach, always show up late, and they're expensive. On the other hand they do a great job and they're really nice guys."_
> 
> That's going on my tombstone.


The first part or the latter.

I walk away from more work than I take, I take work that I can do by myself. Rarely is the case where I undercut others prices, and I let my customers know that they can get the work done cheaper, they usually say "okay, when can you start", sometimes they ask if I can do a little extra and sometimes I do. As @knockbill said you have to listen to the customer, I'm not the most qualified to do the work and I can't compete with the speed of the companies, but theres a reason I'm at the clients home and someone else isn't. I find that word of mouth clients are the best, they are typically much like the previous customer to work with/for and are the type of people I enjoy working for, some of the jobs I don't take are purely because I don't want to work for the individual/company. If I don't feel good about the people I'm working for or the risk I'm out.


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## Groundman One (May 24, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> The first part or the latter.



Both.


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## DSW (May 25, 2019)

Marshy said:


> That's basically where I'm at also. There will always be a market for guys with your business model. Plain and simple, the average person cant afford $1200 or $1700 to have a couple of trees removed. Lower overhead guys will get those jobs.



Don't forget just because someone can't afford something doesn't mean it ain't worth that.

Ferrari ain't gonna sell you a car just because 10k is all you have saved up.


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## Joe Masters (May 26, 2019)

Def interesting thread...

My conclusion; have a baseline # in your head based on hours, risk, pain, etc. while keeping your overhead as low as possible. Then raise the price from there based on the value the work represents and your relationship with the customer.


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## mikewhite85 (May 28, 2019)

Good thread.


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## kctree (May 30, 2019)

What iv found keeps me honest when i go look at a job and i feel helps with reputation which is huge when working in a small community like we work in, is to go in looking at the job with the mindset of: how cheap can i get this done and still make a good amount of profit. Instead of the mindset of: how bad can i rape these people and still get them to hire me? And we all know its not hard to fall into the second of those. We are a small outfit of myself and my brother, bucket, chipper, chip truck, skid/grapple, dump trailer, big pull type stump grinder. We can work pretty cheap as everything is paid for and no crew to pay. But we try to give fair estimates, we dont want the reputation of low balling everyone else.


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## chipper1 (May 30, 2019)

kctree said:


> What iv found keeps me honest when i go look at a job and i feel helps with reputation which is huge when working in a small community like we work in, is to go in looking at the job with the mindset of: how cheap can i get this done and still make a good amount of profit. Instead of the mindset of: how bad can i rape these people and still get them to hire me? And we all know its not hard to fall into the second of those. We are a small outfit of myself and my brother, bucket, chipper, chip truck, skid/grapple, dump trailer, big pull type stump grinder. We can work pretty cheap as everything is paid for and no crew to pay. But we try to give fair estimates, we dont want the reputation of low balling everyone else.


Welcome to posting KC .
Good stuff.


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## Oldmaple (May 31, 2019)

kctree said:


> What iv found keeps me honest when i go look at a job and i feel helps with reputation which is huge when working in a small community like we work in, is to go in looking at the job with the mindset of: how cheap can i get this done and still make a good amount of profit. Instead of the mindset of: how bad can i rape these people and still get them to hire me? And we all know its not hard to fall into the second of those. We are a small outfit of myself and my brother, bucket, chipper, chip truck, skid/grapple, dump trailer, big pull type stump grinder. We can work pretty cheap as everything is paid for and no crew to pay. But we try to give fair estimates, we dont want the reputation of low balling everyone else.


I agree. I've always quoted based on what I can do it for. Know your own costs, have to build in replacement costs of equipment even though you don't owe anything on your equipment. My experience on replacing equipment has been more related to down time, not actual cost to repair. Down time on an essential piece of equipment just sucks.


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## kctree (May 31, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> Welcome to posting KC .
> Good stuff.



Thanks chipper1, been reading on here for several years. Bought a few saws from different ppl on here but never posted anything before. This site is full of good info and good people too it seems.


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## Jed1124 (May 31, 2019)

I’ve said this a number of times before but I’ll say one more time.
The price you put on a job is based on what your crew and equipment needs to make per hour times the number hours you will be on site. Regardless of the property you are working on. Whether they are wealthy or poor, they all get the same price, because your price is based on your cost of running your business.
That’s called integrity....


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## Paolastreeservice (Jun 2, 2019)

Jed1124 said:


> I’ve said this a number of times before but I’ll say one more time.
> The price you put on a job is based on what your crew and equipment needs to make per hour times the number hours you will be on site. Regardless of the property you are working on. Whether they are wealthy or poor, they all get the same price, because your price is based on your cost of running your business.
> That’s called integrity....



I agree and disagree with what you’re saying for a couple of reasons. Although prices should never vary to a certain measure I also think that in certain areas where property or landscape repairs would be higher due to house size/value (if something went wrong) then you should keep it in mind and add a little to your estimate. Now mind you before i did tree work and had my own company I was in charge of a white glove furniture delivery crew in the richest part of Fairfield county, CT, westchester county, NY, and Manhattan. And what I learned during those years was that people who could barely get by were the most generous when it came down to giving me a tip for my work. And the people who lived in multi million dollar homes/condos/apartments were the rudest and cheapest ones. Now that being said it isn’t the reason I believe they should be raped in price although old me might think so lmao. The more logical reason you can be bias on pricing is actually as I said before based on property values. Think about it. If something went wrong and you damage something at a million dollar home repairs are significantly higher then at a 200,000 or 400,000 dollar property. Now if you disagree I won’t be upset everyone has different experiences and beliefs I do believe everyone should be treated the same but after everything I’ve witnessed and dealt with in rich neighborhoods the slightly higher fee is definitely justified.

Would love to hear other opinions and hope I don’t sound greedy but it’s just how I feel from experiences.


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## ATH (Jun 2, 2019)

I see where you are coming from...but aren't you insured? Isn't deductible the same whether you cause $20K in damage or $40K in damage? But yeah...$200 per landscape light vs. $12 per landscape light (below insurance claim levels) makes a big difference!

But along the same line of though, there are higher expectations on some properties than others...clean up may take more time. More obstacles to work around or move out of the way, mulch bed under the tree has to be manicured the way it was before. But all that has to do with what the tree looked like than the income of the owner...it happens that higher income-owned homes tend to be higher maintenance than others, but not always.

I do agree 100% that price should reflect what it takes to get the job done including a factor for risks associated with the job. Rather than tailoring the price to the client, I think of it as tailoring the level of service. If somebody expresses that they are on a very tight budget, we talk about the most "necessary" work. If somebody wants to invest more in purely aesthetic work, I let them know we are happy to do that and offer a bid to get it done and usually discuss alternatives if they want a lower price.


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## Groundman One (Jun 5, 2019)

Jed1124 said:


> I’ve said this a number of times before but I’ll say one more time.
> The price you put on a job is based on what your crew and equipment needs to make per hour times the number hours you will be on site. Regardless of the property you are working on. Whether they are wealthy or poor, they all get the same price, because your price is based on your cost of running your business.
> That’s called integrity....



I hear ya, but it's not always the case.

If there is a nasty tree over the house and it has to go and in one case it's a woman living alone and she's obviously on a limited income, and in the other case it's a guy with a pool and a hot tub and two Mercedes in the driveway, they are not going to pay the same price. The difference won't be dramatic perhaps, but it's gonna happen and has happened. If the rich dude doesn't want to pay my price, he can call someone else. He's not my prisoner, nor am I his. I can charge him $1 million dollars and he can refuse. It's a free market.

We also give family rates for friends and do jobs for free when it's the right thing to do.


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## Jed1124 (Jun 5, 2019)

Groundman One said:


> I hear ya, but it's not always the case.
> 
> If there is a nasty tree over the house and it has to go and in one case it's a woman living alone and she's obviously on a limited income, and in the other case it's a guy with a pool and a hot tub and two Mercedes in the driveway, they are not going to pay the same price. The difference won't be dramatic perhaps, but it's gonna happen and has happened. If the rich dude doesn't want to pay my price, he can call someone else. He's not my prisoner, nor am I his. I can charge him $1 million dollars and he can refuse. It's a free market.
> 
> We also give family rates for friends and do jobs for free when it's the right thing to do.



I hear ya and agree to a certain extent. Job difficulty will always increase time on site, which will lead to a higher price whereas smash and crash will get people a lower price. The more wealthy generally means the more manicured, which will lead to more clean up time. Then there’s the fee if someone is a pain in the arse.
We had a tornado in my work area last May 15th of 2018. There was some serious gauging, and there was some serious low balling. I priced everything for a 3 man crew $2400 day and could not keep up with the work.


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## Groundman One (Jun 5, 2019)

Jed1124 said:


> I hear ya and agree to a certain extent. Job difficulty will always increase time on site, which will lead to a higher price whereas smash and crash will get people a lower price. The more wealthy generally means the more manicured, which will lead to more clean up time. Then there’s the fee if someone is a pain in the arse.
> We had a tornado in my work area last May 15th of 2018. There was some serious gauging, and there was some serious low balling. I priced everything for a 3 man crew $2400 day and could not keep up with the work.



$2400 a day for 3 guys? Nice! 

_"Then there’s the fee if someone is a pain in the arse."_

F****** A, Bubba!


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## Jed1124 (Jun 6, 2019)

Groundman One said:


> $2400 a day for 3 guys? Nice!
> 
> _"Then there’s the fee if someone is a pain in the arse."_
> 
> F****** A, Bubba!



I should clarify,
3 guys, truck and chipper, lift, and mini skid


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## Groundman One (Jun 6, 2019)

Jed1124 said:


> I should clarify,
> 3 guys, truck and chipper, lift, and mini skid



Still, not bad I think. More power to ya.


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## chipper1 (Jun 6, 2019)

Jed1124 said:


> I should clarify,
> 3 guys, truck and chipper, lift, and mini skid


Gouger . 2400 seems reasonable to me with that equipment and manpower, but our area seems to pay well.
Storm damage is some of the worse to work with .
The insurance companies hardly care what they have to pay to get it off the house/garage, they just want it off and to settle the claim on the h/g so they can be done, ain't nothing happening until the trees gone.


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## 5155 (Jun 6, 2019)

I took one quote from a pro and about choked. 3 White Firs 20" and a Eastern Hemlock that is 30". All will need minimal climbing and have the space to lay them down.
They chip brush and dump here. Leave all wood. No raking and minimal clean up.
I understand costs, and have been around contracting all my life.
Thought about bringing it up on here, but also understand bidding over the phone or internet is imposable to do proper. I'll be the guy waiting for the right contractor.
Be safe guys, and keep that darn insurance paid haha.
Workers comp is highway robbery in my mind.


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## chipper1 (Jun 6, 2019)

5155 said:


> I took one quote from a pro and about choked. 3 White Firs 20" and a Eastern Hemlock that is 30". All will need minimal climbing and have the space to lay them down.
> They chip brush and dump here. Leave all wood. No raking and minimal clean up.
> I understand costs, and have been around contracting all my life.
> Thought about bringing it up on here, but also understand bidding over the phone or internet is imposable to do proper. I'll be the guy waiting for the right contractor.
> ...


Pro or rather professional, someone who gets paid to do a job; expert, someone who is above average at their job. As I was saying above I am a pro, since I'm getting paid to do the job, but many pros such as myself are not as skilled as others who have been in this line of work for a long time(experienced or even experts)or may not be set up to do the work you need done. I would contact others as your job may be more suited to another crew.
Having been around contracting all your life you know bids can be all over the map.
We still want pictures .


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## DSW (Jun 6, 2019)

5155 said:


> I took one quote from a pro and about choked. 3 White Firs 20" and a Eastern Hemlock that is 30". All will need minimal climbing and have the space to lay them down.
> They chip brush and dump here. Leave all wood. No raking and minimal clean up.
> I understand costs, and have been around contracting all my life.
> Thought about bringing it up on here, but also understand bidding over the phone or internet is imposable to do proper. I'll be the guy waiting for the right contractor.
> ...



How tall are they? 20 inch at the stump could be fifty feet or it could be hundred. What is minimal climbing? They have to be climbed or not?

So chipper, but no haul. No raking, minimal clean up. What is minimal clean up? Leave wood, that cuts a bit of cost.

You may have gotten an out of line price but take no offense to this, you also may have gotten a really accurate price and you don't understand the scope of the job and the costs involved.


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## rarefish383 (Jun 13, 2019)

I retired several years ago and don't come over here much, usually just to see how many of the old guys are still here. I was lucky that I grew up working in the high end of town, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac in the DC area. People do stuff today that we wouldn't dream of doing 40 years ago. We virtually never threw a log down in those areas. Every thing was chunked down, dropped in the same spot, for minimal lawn damage. I told the story of a customer that didn't want any saw dust in the yard, so Dad drove up to Baltimore and bought a couple bales of burlap sheets to cover the whole yard. People now say he was crazy for doing that, but we made more money in the 70's than a lot of guys do now. It was also before the southern border invasion. Guys now will drive a bucket truck across the manicured lawns in Potomac, then bring a knuckle boom in or a skid steer. They just fill the ruts up with topsoil and seed. Tell the customer there is no other way. Since most guys do that now, the customers believe it. There are always other ways, they just might be cost prohibitive now. The fly by night guys used to drive Dad nuts, but, you will always have them. There used to be a company in Culpepper VA that came over our way, no license or insurance. They would go door to door and tell folks they would undercut any written estimate by 10%. They couldn't even work up an estimate. My neighbor had a big Black Locust taken down in his front yard, 3 man crew showed up. The trunk was about 10' high and branched out in three leads about 12". The climber and rope man rigged the lead over the house down in 3 pieces, the other guy started the chipper and jumped on a dingo with tongs. By the time he had the 3 pieces in the chipper the other two leads were down. he grabbed them whole and ran them threw the chipper. The dingo did minimal damage to the lawn, and they did a good job, I was impressed. Modern equipment saves a lot of time, but, I think we did better work back then. Our customer base are all dead and gone now, the new wealth that has moved in could care less about the lawns. We worked for a lot of old wealth back then, and they wanted stuff done perfect, and they paid to have it their way.


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## chipper1 (Jun 13, 2019)

rarefish383 said:


> I retired several years ago and don't come over here much, usually just to see how many of the old guys are still here. I was lucky that I grew up working in the high end of town, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac in the DC area. People do stuff today that we wouldn't dream of doing 40 years ago. We virtually never threw a log down in those areas. Every thing was chunked down, dropped in the same spot, for minimal lawn damage. I told the story of a customer that didn't want any saw dust in the yard, so Dad drove up to Baltimore and bought a couple bales of burlap sheets to cover the whole yard. People now say he was crazy for doing that, but we made more money in the 70's than a lot of guys do now. It was also before the southern border invasion. Guys now will drive a bucket truck across the manicured lawns in Potomac, then bring a knuckle boom in or a skid steer. They just fill the ruts up with topsoil and seed. Tell the customer there is no other way. Since most guys do that now, the customers believe it. There are always other ways, they just might be cost prohibitive now. The fly by night guys used to drive Dad nuts, but, you will always have them. There used to be a company in Culpepper VA that came over our way, no license or insurance. They would go door to door and tell folks they would undercut any written estimate by 10%. They couldn't even work up an estimate. My neighbor had a big Black Locust taken down in his front yard, 3 man crew showed up. The trunk was about 10' high and branched out in three leads about 12". The climber and rope man rigged the lead over the house down in 3 pieces, the other guy started the chipper and jumped on a dingo with tongs. By the time he had the 3 pieces in the chipper the other two leads were down. he grabbed them whole and ran them threw the chipper. The dingo did minimal damage to the lawn, and they did a good job, I was impressed. Modern equipment saves a lot of time, but, I think we did better work back then. Our customer base are all dead and gone now, the new wealth that has moved in could care less about the lawns. We worked for a lot of old wealth back then, and they wanted stuff done perfect, and they paid to have it their way.


My question is did they leave any saw dust in the yard .
Some crews can knock a job out in record time, but hows the safety record?


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