Pricing Your Propertys Commercial Landscaping Service (Part 1)

$48,468.00.

That’s the annual amount that one of our newest clients will spend on their property’s landscape maintenance over the next twelve months.

Seems like an oddly specific number doesn't it?

How in the world do commercial landscaping companies determine the prices that we charge for landscape maintenance services?

Let me assure you – we’re not guessing.

Accurately pricing a commercial landscape maintenance job requires us to consider of a number of variables. Every single property is different, which is why it’s impossible to estimate any commercial landscape maintenance project without visiting the property - spending some time walking and measuring every square foot.

Yes, there is a lot we can do with Google Earth, but it’s still no substitute for a comfortable pair of boots and a measuring wheel. (In fact, there are a few Street View locations on Google Earth where you can actually see some of our staff out pushing their measuring wheels.)

When we visit a property to put together an estimate, here are some of the things we’re looking at:

• Total Square Feet of Turf
• Types of Turf 
• Amount of Turf Accessible to 72” Mower
• Amount of Turf Accessible to 60” Mower
• Amount of Turf Accessible to 52” Mower
• Amount of Turf Accessible to 48” Mower
• Amount of Turf Accessible to 36” Mower
• Amount of Turf Accessible to 21” Mower
• Linear Feet of Hard Edging
• Linear Feet of Soft Edging
• Linear Feet of String Trimming
• Square Feet of Ornamental Beds
• Square Feet of Area to Blow Clear of Debris
• Type and Color of Mulch/Pinebark/Pinestraw
• Number, Species, and Size of Flowering Trees
• Number, Species, and Size of Hardwood Trees
• Number, Species, and Size of Palm Trees
• Total Square Feet of Shrubs
• Total Square Feet of Ground Cover
• Age and Type of Irrigation System
• Number of Zones in the Irrigation System
• Total Square Feet of Annual Flowers
• Spacing Between Annual Flowers

YES, it does take a while to collect all that information and, YES, it is absolutely necessary. Depending on the size of the property, an accurate estimate can take days just to measure and inventory.

Aside from all those numbers, we’re also looking at the overall condition of the property:

• Is the existing turf in good shape, or is it going to need some extra TLC right away to get back in shape?
• Are there hills and sloped areas, or is the terrain mostly flat?
• Are there roadways that run through the property that will present safety concerns?
• Are there certain times or days of the week that we won’t be able to access the property for service?

Once we’ve got all the data collected, the real fun begins. Most commercial landscaping companies have some sort of software that helps crunch the numbers for them. After all, the point of collecting all the numbers in the first place is to turn them into the numbers that really matter – hours.

In Part 2 of this post we’ll dive into some of the ways that hours are what really drive the price of your property’s commercial landscape maintenance. We’ll also give you some questions you can ask to make sure that your landscape contractor has done their homework before giving you a price on your property’s commercial landscape maintenance.