Lawn and landscaping services can help you maintain your property, from trimming trees to mowing the grass. If you’re thinking about hiring lawn and landscaping service companies to keep your property tidy, you might be wondering how much these services cost. Searching online for lawn and landscaping services in your area is always a great place to start.
Though your total cost can fluctuate depending on exactly what you want done, some lawn care providers are now providing full mowing services for as little as $19.99. An online search for experienced landscape companies (and their services) will give you more information.
Assess Your Property
Whether you’re landscaping a large yard or simply creating a small space to relax, it’s important to know what you need before contacting an expert. To begin, try to identify your property’s features and decide whether they require special care. An empty space, for example, might be perfect for building an in-ground pool, garden, or rock wall.
Once you know what your property needs, it’s easier to get a better idea of how much landscaping will cost. A good place to start is by identifying any major issues with your property. For instance, if your lawn is bare or rocky, you may want to consider adding topsoil and new grass seed first.
Know Which Company Best Suits Your Needs
When it comes to choosing a lawn and landscaping company, your options are almost endless. So before you start calling around, narrow down which type of company best suits your needs. For example, if you want a full-service experience — where someone does everything from mowing to pruning — you might want to hire an expert.
On the other hand, if you’re just looking for someone who can handle smaller jobs like mowing or weeding on occasion, try hiring a local teen or college student through sites like TaskRabbit or Thumbtack. Or go DIY by buying some new tools and learning how to do it yourself!
Average Lawncare Service Costs
The average cost of lawn care service in your area can vary widely. It’s affected by a number of factors, such as square footage, desired maintenance (for example, weekly versus bi-weekly mowing), and job complexity. Because of these variables, it’s difficult to give you an exact cost estimate. The best way to know how much you should expect to pay is if you ask around and get quotes from several services and then compare them.
However, here are some of the most common lawncare and landscaping jobs, along with their estimated costs:
General Labor (mowing or watering) – $25 to $60 an hour
- Aeration – $80 to $200
- Dethatching – $100 to $700
- Fertilization – $80 to $400
- Lawn Pest Control – $200 to $300
- Weed Control Treatment – $40 to $120
- Spring or Fall Cleanup – $100 to $250
- Lawn Winterization – $100 to $400
If these costs seem steep, make sure to look for companies who offer landscaping service for $20, or 50% off landscaping services.
Get Multiple Quotes
Landscapers are notorious for providing wildly divergent estimates for seemingly identical projects. That’s because there are many factors that affect landscaping costs, such as time of year, labor rates, equipment cost, and even weather. To keep your costs down, be sure to ask your potential landscaper for a detailed estimate. Then compare their bid with other companies before you make a decision.
Remember that some services will vary by region; don’t assume prices in one part of the country will be comparable to those in another. You can usually score a discount if you bundle multiple lawncare services together into a single package.
Check References
Before you hire someone for any kind of service, including landscaping, make sure you check their references. This will help ensure that they are reputable, reliable people who are good at what they do. If your landscaper has poor references, he or she may not be a good fit for your needs.
Check with previous clients if possible. Or ask friends and family members if they have any recommendations. If they’re happy with their work, it’s likely you will be too. See if you can find out how long they’ve been in business. Shady or inept landscapers generally don’t survive very long, so if they’ve been operating for more than five years, you can be confident they know what they’re doing.
Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate!
Before you hire a landscaping company, don’t be afraid to negotiate! Don’t fall for pricing right off their website. They’re just looking to get that first job under their belt. If they quote you a price, immediately ask them if they can do it for cheaper. If they can’t, walk away.
Ask them what they consider cheaper and tell them you would pay that (because you will). Keep negotiating until there are no more dollars left on your end of things. Sometimes offering to pay cash can score you a discount too.
The Bottom Line
Even if you already have a lawn and landscaping service, it’s good to be knowledgeable about the average costs of certain services. These costs can vary based on location, the time of year, or your specific needs. It may also depend on whether you’re using a full-service or a do-it-yourself company for your landscaping service. If you need more information about lawn maintenance costs or other related expenses, ask your local professionals for help.
Shutterstock
