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Morning Ian
Pricing a large hedgecutting job is a bit of an art form, I regularly underestimated how long it would take when I first started out. Personally I have never bothered with square metreage to price a job as I find factors such as access to both sides to do the top, ability to get a ladder stable on soft or sloping ground etc have a bigger influence on how long the job takes. If your customer is someone you already work for and get on with be open with them. Tell them it's a bigger job than your used to quoting for and you'll do it for X amount this time but if it turns out to take a lot longer than you thought you will have reflect that in the price next time they want it done.
In my area of West Yorkshire I generally work out a price based on £30 an hour plus rubbish. This gives me £150-£200 a day and gets me a good amount of repeat work and recommendations.
A lot of hedge cutting jobs I look at is 1 hour / half day / full day
I charge £40-60 per hour, people are happy to pay this. trail and error on the costings though, different hedges take different amount of time. Do you need to use a ladder ect, waste fees.
My last one was maybe 10m long, either side cut like butter so only took an hour including tidy up, charged £60.
That's a sensible approach for a sustainable business
I should add I don't charge the customer an hourly rate, I estimate it in my head and work it out as a fixed price. It's give me wriggle room incase ive underestimated the job.
Good luck, a long reach hedge trimmer will save you time and increase your productivity as well https://www.forestandarb.com/Echo-HCAS-236ESLW.html?gclid=EAIaIQobC... echos are nice and light, less strain on you.
Colin is spot on in his reply. So many variables. Trimming isnt normally the problem, it is reduction that can be tricky to estimate. Normally, the cutting is straightforward, it is the amount of waste and time clearing up which can throw you. I tend to estimate a price I know I'll be happy with then if I've underestimated it, at least it's finally worthwhile. You certainly get more accurate with experience!
In most cases i allow as long for the clear up as for the cutting.
Agreed, the tidy up is always the longest part, and getting that right is key to a high quaility finish
I price in ‘risk,’ e.g. if it’s a tall conifer job involving a lot of work at the limits of a long reach hedge cutter at the top of a ladder, i’ll charge a premium. I’ve previously underestimated as haven’t considered the width of a hedge; particularly tricky with laurel cutting as hedge cutters aren’t always strong enough to cut through thicker branches at full stretch. I’d rather a tree surgeon pick up the work than take the risk of injury.
I base my prices on day or half day. Hedges are very easy to under estimate and 1 hour cutting can make 2 hours clear up. What i've found is that if a professional has cut the hedge in the past years its easier to cut than if the house holder has done it. Long reach hedge cutters make life easier but you still need to factor in ladders in some cases. Tops take much longer than sides and of course hedge species all differ.