Pricing

[minuteman tree]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to come up with rates for tree removals. Should I charge by the foot or by the hour? Also, should I charge people a deposit when they accept my bid?

 

[husabud]

Spend some time with a reputable company before you either screw yourself or all your competition, which will somehow screw you. Pricing is not a by the inch or by the foot game, at least in my experience, you need to consider all variables involved. Over house, over secondaries,over primaries, decay, obstacles,targets........ I have not been able to or have I met anyone that can accurately price the way you are thinking. Good Luck, be safe, and remember competition keeps the market honest. Just do not cut throats.

 

[no tree to big]

and absolutly no you dont charge a deposit for tree work, that might actually cause you to loose some biz I know if I was accepting bids for a tree on my property and a guy asked for a deposit i'd kick his arse off my property its not like there is any upfront costs you have for the job except for a few bucks in pre mix unless you are bringing in a crane and even if you do, you should have enough overhead to bring in the crane with out asking for money if for whatever reason you cant run a co. to have a few G's in the bank and cant cover the cost of a crane have the HO right the check to the crane co so he knows your not going to rip him off.

for private work there is no way you can charge by the foot... lets say you have the same exact tree in two different spots one could take you 6 hours and the other could take you 2 days so you do the math. for our municipal contracts we price by the inch, we have to, and its dirt cheap prices too but one thing you know about those trees they are right next to the road and not in a backyard in some old lady's prized flower garden.

 

[troythetreeman]

i only charge deposits on jobs involving landscaping where i need to buy and arrive with materials to do the job
im not aware of any tree company in my area charging deposits nor do any charge for estimates
tho i understand the estimate thing isnt the norm nation wide
many city contracts bid boulevard trees by the inch
but tree jobs are generally bid by the time involved, remember you need to make money yourself, pay your help, insurances and maintain your equipment
you have any experience? if not youre not going to be able to look at a job and know what you got into it

 

[CNBTreeTrimming]

You can get a base price x per inch of diameter and tack on charges for over house, power, etc. That's the way I operate. Seems to work well and helps me to be consistent so I don't screw myself most of the time. There's always things you can run into unforeseen that will cost you extra time.

 

[Jeffsaw]

I've had my best luck pricing removals by the hour. In that hourly rate though, you have to think expenses, profit, insurance, advertising, bank loans, etc. Adding a percentage onto the total (for unforseen costs) is an idea I heard about on this site as well.
I have not estimated enough time for clean up on a few jobs. That sure is a learning experience!
Taking down a tree over a house or having a very small drop zone or a tree with multiple leaders should all be considerations when you give an estimate. I try not to give the HO a price when I first have a look at the tree as I'll usually estimate low. Calling later that day or emailing is okay with most folks.
Best of luck!

 

[treeclimber101]

I charge by the leaf roughly about a penny or so , dead trees are priced by the termite count again not an exact science , I like to charge a deposit and still try to charge them the full price when I am done , older people usually forget they gave it to me , so we keep it as a tip ...

 

[squad143]

I charge by the leaf roughly about a penny or so , dead trees are priced by the termite count again not an exact science , I like to charge a deposit and still try to charge them the full price when I am done , older people usually forget they gave it to me , so we keep it as a tip ...

:hmm3grin2orange: Now that's funny.

 

[minuteman tree]

Thanks for the help. I'm glad there's guys out there willing to help out a newbie!