Contract Climbing

[KentuckySawyer]

Tree Machine,
It you don't mind me asking, how do you get paid? By that I mean, hourly rate, daily rate, or do you bid jobs? Obviously on the beech and maple that you mentioned earlier you were called that day to come and work.
Here is the heart of my question:
The normal hourly rate in my area is $55/mnhr and this is what I shoot for in my own jobs. Is it fair to charge somebody I'm contracting for that rate when I show up, climb, and then leave? The climber's skill level (i.e. my skills) are understandably a huge factor, but lets assume that I've got skills. Should I lower the hourly rate to say $45/mnhr when sub-contracting? Also assume I'm bringing my own gear to the job.

It obviously has to be a money making venture for the company I'm working for and I will bust a$$ to make sure they're happy. Like Wednesday I did five removals in a back yard for another company. I was getting ready to head up the last tree when the boss stopped me. He didn't want to get done too fast. The customer might wonder.

 

[Tree Machine]

Always more fun to work ahead of schedule than behind schedule.


I'm not certain on guidelines and etiquette on people's personal incomes. $60 to $90 an hour, depending on technicality and everything. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I bid the job off of 'what's it worth for me?' andI rough guesstimate the amount of time it will take to do the job (being usually wrong anyway).

So much of that fee gets eaten up by 'the cost of doing business'. I made, after all was said and done last year, about $16.50 an hour.