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Lot of variables here Matt - maybe best to catch us on 'chat' to discuss these first.
Hope to be of help.
Matt, I think there are too many variables here for someone to give any sort of useful estimate of time or price - what sort of hedge it is, what equipment you are using etc. Added to which your business costs will be different. (Although a 5ft reduction of a 75m hedge in a 6x4 trailer might take a few trips to the tip! Unless you've missed off a decimal point??)
If you are just starting out then don't worry too much about getting prices spot on. You will massively over and under quote some jobs but whenever you do you will learn lessons about how long it takes to do certain things, how you can improve efficiency etc. which will in time improve your ability to estimate and quote. Use this work as a learning experience and take your pricing from there. Just make sure the work is of a high standard and don't bite off more than you can chew early on. Best of luck.
What species of hedge? As a big over grown laurel will take a different time to a huge conifer hedge
Take a breath and a step back.
Break the job down into it's smallest parts and list them in a spreadsheet (you'll almost be writing a work method statement).
Think about each 'piece' - how you will do it, what you'll need, estimate how long it will, what waste you'll generate, how'll you clear it up & load it, how far/long/much will it take to dispose off, is access easy/ok/hard.
Have you got the right tools up to the job, good Silky saw, good pruners/loppers? Is some 'chainsaw' terrority (and are you licensed)? Unlikely to be a hedgetrimmer job if that much is comming off (dependant on species). How will you 'string a line' to ensure it's horizontal
And so on...
Trying to price a large job in its entirerity will send you mad initially.
By breaking it down, it forces you to think... then put another column in and try to price the bits you know - like waste, machinery, fuel...then you might be able to calculate your price using your internal charge rate.
Sorry that's a bit of a ramble...:)
It might be a slight ramble but its exactly how I do it! Even after 3 years I haven't changed the way once. I always keep the spreadsheet to refer back to during quoting and the job.
You might know that you can cut back one piece which is 10m in 25 mins and now roughly the waste it will produce. you could then go from there.
also to be server cutting a hedge at this time of year is a no no as for nesting birds. I think it comes under the wild life and countryside act 85, off the top of my head I think the cut off point is March 15th you risk big finds and/or prison
Also trying to get a hedge level on a reduction is next to impossible on your own as as soon as you get up the ladder you lose perspective and if your not careful it could end up looking like a rough sea!
Good luck with your business though just try and enjoy and learn from your mistakes:)
I will bet that there will be at least one nest in the hedge. I would have to turn this job down personally but i see you are in the position of just starting up in your business. There are too many people who ignore the 1985 wildlife legislation. Can you get them to wait until the tweeters have stopped nesting ?
Thanks for all the responses, and thanks to Adam and Nick for taking time to speak to me via the chat feature last night. Very much appreciated.
Just to answer some of the questions...The kit i use includes, stihl hl100, stihl hs81, silky saw, chainsaw (i have CS30 and 31) and some decent wolf loppers. I have told the home owner about the bird nesting issue and that any nests would need to be worked around and then those sections completed once the nests are empty. They had no problem with this.
The hedge, (or hedges, as they totally surround the property) is indeed 75m approx but only about 30% of it needs a 4 or 5 foot reduction. The rest is a mix of a hard cut back and a run of about 20m needs growth removing plus a 1 foot reduction. Only one side needs to be cut but this very over grown. Not been touched for a couple of seasons at least. The hedge is a mixture of holly, hawthorn and conifer.
I think my main issue is the shear amount of waste, my 6x4 cage trailer pulled by my car is going to need a lot of trips to the tip as James says! Plus with the tip being a 30 mile round trip there is going to be a LOT of mileage, 150 plus. Very expensive. I find it difficult to guess the volume of waste to come off as ive not done anything this big before, so im unsure whether one 10 yard skip might take it all. Nick suggested a grabloader which ill look into.
Thanks Gary for your tips on estimating. I will try and follow that advice. However I think i get overwhelmed by the fact so much is total guess work when you are new to things!
Cheers all,
Matt.
If you could get photo's of the job I'd be more than happy to tell you what I'd have priced it at. I've been off the tools for a few years now but it would give you a ball park figure to work from.
One thing I would say is with only very basic chainsaw qualifications don't be tempted to climb with a saw, or take one up a ladder.
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