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Today I met with a client and surveyed the property. In a word, it was a real mess. They had not addressed the removal of the fall leaves, nor did they clean up the gardens or prune any of the dead branches from the trees. The lawn was all weeds except for an assortment of naturalized spring bulbs.
To say the least I was rather overwhelmed looking at the property of 72 x 167, a large yard that needed to be cleaned up and then manicured.
I needed the work, but this contract would require me to hire a lawn service and gardener. So I quoted a high estimate and the client wanted to negotiate at 50% less than my asking estimate. I was their 15Th gardener that had submitted a bid for the job. I gave the client my business card and told him if he changed his mind or if he had any questions to call me. I declined the job.
Had I been hired I would have manicured the gardens as shown in the images below. I always have photographs of my work in my portfolio. Many times the before and after images will get me hired for the garden job
The only reason the job was available was that the property was overgrown and every inch of it needed to be addressed and the client wanted cheap help. I figured it would take 40 hours to get it manicured before I could concentrate on early spring containers and feature gardens and felt my estimate was fair.
This evening at 7:00 I got a callback and we agreed upon 15% less than my original estimate.
When it comes to an entire yard clean-up a gardener must look at the entire property and determine if it can be completed by one person or if it is better to hire workers. For this property and the time frame that the client wants all work completed, I hired a college student that does lawn service and a gardener to help with weeding. By hiring students I will save on labor costs, however, I will need to oversee the work on a daily basis.
Even though I accepted the job for less than my asking estimate I am glad that I was able to negotiate a fair gardening contract as it is better to have jobs lined up rather than having nothing on the books.
The only reason the job was available was that the property was overgrown and every inch of it needed to be addressed and the client wanted cheap help. I figured it would take 40 hours to get it manicured before I could concentrate on early spring containers and feature gardens and felt my estimate was fair.
This evening at 7:00 I got a callback and we agreed upon 15% less than my original estimate.
When it comes to an entire yard clean-up a gardener must look at the entire property and determine if it can be completed by one person or if it is better to hire workers. For this property and the time frame that the client wants all work completed, I hired a college student that does lawn service and a gardener to help with weeding. By hiring students I will save on labor costs, however, I will need to oversee the work on a daily basis.
Even though I accepted the job for less than my asking estimate I am glad that I was able to negotiate a fair gardening contract as it is better to have jobs lined up rather than having nothing on the books.
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