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£35/hour for hedge trimming?

I've been reading Paul Power's excellent book on starting a gardening business. In it, there's a section on providing estimates in which he gives an example stating his hourly rate for hedge trimming is £35. Furthermore, other tasks involving more back-breaking effort and the rate rises to £50-£66.

Are these realistic rates?

Can you tell I'm fairly new to this game and still finding my way.

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  • Furthermore again, he suggests NOT breaking down the estimated cost.

    If I were asking a trades-person for an estimate, I would prefer to see some detail rather than one figure.

    I don't give details of hourly rates to customers, only a fixed price, but I base my fixed price on an hourly rate. I do provide a labour cost and a materials cost and sometimes break these down further if a job can be broken into several tasks.

    I would be very interested to hear how others work.

  • I don't think this is something anyone would want to openly discuss unless it's on the member's forum. Anybody, including your clients, can read it here.

  • Apologies, I didn't think. I shall make amends.

  • Not realistic in my opinion.

  • I like to think we're all honest/fair people so cannot see the need to hide pricing discussions on a "closed" forum unless we're trying to conceal something lol!! I always try and be transparent with charges, explaining to customers the cost of equipment/tipping fees/fuel etc etc and they understand and happy to pay a fair price. £35 for a hedge may well be a fair price but you obviously need think about the time it will take etc. Backbreaking work at £55-£66/hour..... personally, I'd feel very guilty about charging that much as I couldn't justify it and I don't think many customers would either.
    Paul McNulty said:

    I don't think this is something anyone would want to openly discuss unless it's on the member's forum. Anybody, including your clients, can read it here.

  • I see no problem with basing hedge cutting at £35 per hour. I am very good at hedge cutting and go to great lengths to ensure we leave the best cut hedge in the street where possible. This involves expensive machinery, standard and long reach, ensuring these are well maintained and always sharp, often specialist extending height platforms(that are very expensive), and often very physically hard work. Then by the time you pay waste charges for the cuttings that had been removed, the initial outlay and then the cost in fuel pulling the invaluable caged twin axle trailer.
  • Well there's contrast for you.

    Neil - approximately what proportion of your time do you spend trimming hedges?

  • by the time you consider the 3-5k of kit needed to do hedge cutting properly and remove / handle the waste, 35ph is quite cheap imo.
    By the time you factor in depreciation, running costs and the fact the tools are used for maybe 10 hours a week average through the year (more at peak hedge time), that does not leave an awful lot left to pay a wage.

    Daft thing being, at 35ph, you will get more done in one hour that the have-a-go brigade at £15-£20ph could in 3 hours, Everyone's a winner.

  • Agree that with the proper gear, you can get a lot more done than the "have a go" brigade however I'm not so sure about needing 3-5k worth of equipment for your average, regularly maintained hedge. The main essential being a good quality Stihl cutter which will set you back £500 max and should last years if looked after.... I find the majority of cuttings can be disposed of in the clients wheelie bin. A strimmer for the hedge base and a blower are also very handy but these get minimal use in the operation. Maybe I'm a have-a-go brigade as I have sometimes charged £20 myself in the past for a short/low hedge.... I like to think I do a really good job however I'd reckon to do 2 of these in about an hour if they're near each other so £40/hour isn't bad I reckon.

  • Tony what kit do you use ie hs 86 r ? Lengths etc very I retesting I've been looking at sthil and echo can't decide also what length to go for 30 Inch or longer ?
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