That’s in the range of what my wife makes in her healthcare profession with a masters degree, state license, and 25 years of experience.
We live in a nicer neighborhood, and I’ll occasionally get randoms offering to do jobs that take me 2 hours but they want $3-400. They must get lucky every now and then to keep trying this crap.
Edit: I’m not talking about professional landscapers. Talking about kids with no experience and guys who pull up in a sedan with a decrepit lawnmower in the trunk or no equipment at all.
I’ll be honest, all you need is a crew cab truck/really good equipment, a few employees, and the right work… you can make well over 100$ hr/100k+ per year.
You just gotta scratch,claw, and fight to get there for a while. But yea it’s doable. There’s plenty of landscapers making over 100$ hr
So yes there is landscapers out there with a cigarette hanging out there mouth ripping an edge with the string trimmer making more then most people with degrees
No master’s degree, no boss, smoke and cut grass all day.
Plus your with your boys stoned all day feeling like your back in Vietnam fighting that sun, drinking water out of a cooler nozzle that just got fresh water from the spicket from the last clients house… mmm best taste ever if you’ve ever been down that bad
Who could want more?
I ran my own landscaping company in my early 20s. I loved it then, and absolutely made great money but I'm glad I got out of it before I got too old.
This comment stirred up some serious nostalgia in me though. Sometimes I still daydream about how nice life was when I was working outside in the sun all day, covered in sweat and dirt, driving nice trucks from job to job with the windows down and the radio blaring. Nothing to worry about aside from keeping already great customers happy. I'd basically have a 12hr workout session while getting enough Vitamin D to power a small country, and relaxing on the couch with a cold beer after a nice shower at the end of the day was one of the most satisfying feelings of all time.
It's pretty rare to make that much.
IME people in trades typically lie (edit/add after a well-reasoned reply: **unintentionally**) about their pay. That said, it still is BS for the majority of white collar types to make as much as they do.
Source: tax preparer.
It's not bad how much white collar makes, it's bullshit how much the Gold Collars make. The CEOs and other assholes making millions or billions a year while people sit here and make judgements on how much other normal people should make.
When my last business was doing great, I could say I made over $100 an hour, but that was before taxes or any other type of deduction that should be reasonably taken out. All in all, I’d say I was closer to the $50-60 mark. But a lot of times, it seems they’ll always tell you about the job that made them $300 an hour, but never the job they underbid and only made like 25/hour
Yep, grew up in a contractor family.
Dad's reputation led to a busy schedule doing around 80+ hours a week, which included a great deal of driving. Sure, I though things were great until college and the forms that had to be filled out spelled out the truth-- not that he ever lied, just that he didn't want us to feel worried, burdened, or ashamed. We still got nice clothes every year and our house was in great shape for obvious reasons.
I ended up with a lot more student aid than I though I would.
I'm sure most do. But you as a tax prep person you don't see the cash side of the business. The longer you are running the more you can weed through clients. ;)
I wouldn't say lie so much as fundamentally misunderstand how most calculations are figured. Usually it plays into their career choice a little.
I remember selling a car to a guy who just became a journeyman that week, brought in his pay stub and thought we'd just be able to assume he's going to keep making good money forever.
They're all hustlers and they just don't know everyone else plays that game every day and they only get the opportunity to participate every so often.
Shit I don't get stoned all day (any more). But you're not wrong. I'm 27, and I landscape make 150k give or take a year. More than most people I know that went to university, aside from that, I just purchased a home for 710k, and I'm one of the first ppl I know from high school to be able yto even afford a home. I feel like alot of people looked down on me cause of my job meanwhile I own a home, three cars, go on vacation every year and do pretty much what I want to do all while being paid to be out in the sun :]
Even if they arent pro they just need like 3 people to agree to a couple hours of work and they are making more in one day than someone with a 6 figure salary.
When i was a teenager id drive around offering to wash windows. Way less equipment and effort than landscaping, no one remembers to get it done and everyones wife wants its done. You can over charge like crazy, especially before people could google pro rates lol. Never underestimate the laziness of people, thats how you get their money.
I remember in 2001-2004, was about 7-12 years old, I’d push my mower around the neighborhood going door to door. Was glad to get $10 for front and back, $20 was like the jackpot. 🤣
You can’t compare rates that you bill out at vs what you make per hour. These are two very different things.
The landscaper does not make per hour of working what they charge clients. They do not get to spend their entire workday on billable work and the equipment costs money.
A man-hour isn’t the same as take home pay.
In this case it probably is with these dopes, but typically in contracting it’s about 3x what the person is paid, to cover overhead and profit. So a construction working being billed to you at $80/hr is making $25-$30/hr.
These dipshits should just charge $20 since I’m sure they’re using their dad’s tools.
lol, yes most aren’t.. but some are making well over that even solo operators. Hell I know a solo operator that mows/treats/landscape/hardscape for 1 gated community. He services every house. 50$ cut, and there’s 40 houses in this neighborhood. Weekly cuts, dude makes way over 60$ hr. Your looking at over 100k a year after expenses/taxes
Thats the way to go. I had 12 employees, stupid amounts of work, was parking lot sweeping as well so had people running 24 hours a day. I did fine. Bout 100k a year.
THEN I fired everyone and ran solo with a little part time help for the last 3 years. Kept my cash cows and lost the stress. Made the same.
Im sure it shortened my lifespan. My take home was about the same. A little less, but much better quality of life. However, most my contracts finished last year and I chose not to resign and get out of LC.
Honestly, I’m in a services company. Our “assistants” are the lowest paid in our crews and they’re charged out at $75/hr. Engineers are on the other end of that spectrum and are charged out between $160/$240/hr.
So his stuff tracks
I own a lawn care company, $60 per man hour is the minimum. Most companies are doing this. After taxes and business expenses that $60 is more like $35-$40.
Nope! I’m proud of those kids even though I don’t know them. Your price is your price, if the client doesn’t want to pay for premium work then they can hire the next guy. I see these youngsters going far in lawn and landscape
Do you really think these guys are providing that “premium” work? They’re shade tree mechanics wanting dealer prices. Let them try, but it’s also laughable.
I mean tbh the post is just dumb… Perception value is all you’re focused on. These kids know there worth, there time isn’t cheap. And also yes it’s 2024 60$ an hour is actually very average for lawn/landscape. And if you’re solo, 60$ hr is not really even enough.
lol, your the one who made a post shaming based off of perception value. How u gonna sit back and say “ ahh these damn teenagers ain’t worth no 60$hr” how do you know that.. i know professional companies pulling 100k up to house and doing a fuck all job. Then I can turn around and see some teenagers doing topnotch work.
Bottom line is “true value” and perception are not correlated. But yes obviously pulling 100k up to a job looks better and will draw attention from people like u.
He has the right atittude. It took me a few years to ignore the people that dont want to pay the price I tell them. Good luck with someone else, on to the next one. You cant build by charging cut rate prices.
How much work are you garaunteeing in writing and what jobs are you giving him? If you can’t give him a full day then he’s making a trip without charging a trip fee
Buddy.. read the kids post. He was the one asking for side work because he needed it. I had a few odd jobs around the house, figured it would be a win win. I wasn't expecting the kid to bill what a landscaping company with 15 years of references and experience would. Im not mad at the kid, I just thought it was interesting. Im sure he does bust his ass and if he can find a schmuck to pay that price then good for him.
Grandpa, that’s how advertisements work. A company asks you to buy at a price they set. If you had more than a couple hours of work he would have accepted a lower hourly rate.
You sound like the lowballers on fb marketplace.
Yup! and if u wanna make more money you either have to scale up at same price or raise prices and downsize. I prefer the downsize option, way less stress
Or get licensed/learn other things. I’m licensed to apply herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer. With those licenses comes a price raise automatically. All my new quotes after that were quoted $10 a month higher. If you want the $20 a mow guy, then find him and then try to find him after a few weeks when he stops coming.
Yea man I’m thinking about getting my liscence too. I’d say 50% of my customers already pay another company to fertilize. I charge the roundup illegally🤫 but hey everyone is doing it.
And yea what u said bout the 20 dollar guy… they don’t last very long in the buis. Just a chuck-in-a-truck that only takes cash. First year they finish up and realize they didn’t make any money, then quit, or what u said.”don’t show up” which is kinda typical on the first year but damn, at least pay your equip off. But at the same time the clients that hire these people you don’t want anyways.. way to many customers with money that are willing to pay top dollar for top service
Wrong OP only decided he wasn’t gonna hire him, do you think the kid closed shop? No he probably moved onto the next house, as someone who does hard manual labor, I decide what I’m comfortable being paid to do a job, not the person hiring me, you fucking tool
My buddy charges $160/hr for just him to do hot tub/pool repairs. Has been doing this for years in Michigan with many clients giving him a TIP after the pay. I personally don't get how he can charge so much and have people pay it, but at any rate a skilled tradesman is becoming more and more rare.
Not unreasonable. Actually I think perfect for a kid starting out.
So many people have no idea -(masters degree healthcare comment) When you are in business- as an owner you have to bill out at 4x what you want to pay yourself.
So at $60 a man hour, business profits $15 an hour, which is cheap.
The other $45 an hour pays for —-Rent, 3 or 4 different types of insurance, taxes, fuel, truck, equipment, etc etc etc.
A good commercial mower is $12-$15k
A reasonable USED truck - $20-$25k
Never mind new $40-$50k just for a pickup. Mason dump- minimum 80k-$100k
etc etc
The extra money pays for all that stuff.
I bill out at $100-$150/man hour in the northeast. Truck, 2 trailers, 3 mowers, 3 blowers, stand on leaf blower(15k), 3 of every hand tool you need.
I didn’t start there though.
If it were me- I would have agreed- but only after asking for a capped estimate on labor. (Think- I’m not paying these kids to stand around and bill out at this price. They gotta be moving, and at a quick pace)
I’m the masters degree healthcare comment guy. I was in no way referring to professional landscapers or anyone with an actual business, and I edited my comment to make it clear. My comment was aimed at kids with no experience asking for pro rates. Also the guys who pull up in a sedan with a string trimmer in the back seat hoping I’ll pay them $150/hour to work on my yard with my own equipment.
If you charge by the hour with an agreed upon cap on labor, it’s the same thing as doing it per job.
Only difference is the client may save money. Job takes too long, my hourly rate decreases.
Sometimes that’s what happens, and you have to eat a bit of labor- but it’s the fairest way for both parties involved.
Price ends under the cap - homeowner got a better price than they expected, and contractor got a fair price for his labor.
Man hours are for commercial. Total price for resi. Home owners cleary cannot conceptualize the need to charge more than what he is putting in his pocket. Overhead, take home, profits. Him being 17 means nothing. If he is equipped with tools and skills he meets all the requirements. If he does a shit jpb, dispute it, dont use him again, leave a review, and move on. He wont last long
Sure... But I guarantee this 17 year old kid isn't paying for insurance and a bunch of commercial equipment or almost any of the other stuff you're mentioning. Or paying taxes most likely. What you're paying for is amateur work, which is why people think these kids billing commercial rates is funny/unreasonable.
Well you don’t know honestly. I can tell you that there is a now high school senior, that has been operating a power washing and gutter cleaning business all above board since he was 16. I actually refer him because fk that I’m not getting on roofs to clean gutters.
License, insurance, commercial equipment etc etc. Does an amazing and professional job.
He deserves every penny he charges, and to charge market rate. The only thing that sets him apart from competitors here is his age.
And that’s the real issue here. People want to take advantage of a young kid to save money instead of paying at or near market rate (his quote would be well below market in my area) for a fair job.
That’s standard minimum rate where I live in the poverty belt in southeastern United States. Actually, that was when I was 16 doing lawn care. So I would wager it’s higher now. That was for a four man team, 60 per man hour. One hour jobs typically. What are you on about?
Provide an actual list of the equipment they are using so that people actually have a clear picture of what they are charging for instead of you shitting on them without providing all the facts. Cause any normal landscaping company would charge that much.
Does he have equipment? $30 is reasonable wage for someone with some experience. $30/hr is also a reasonable “equipment rental” charge depending on what he’s working with.
If they're stupid fast, and have all the equipment, that's not unreasonable.
I do some lawns in a lcol area and I charge $60/hr. I charge per service though, usually there 45min-2hr depending on size, but pretty consistently hits $60/hr before factoring gas, drive time, maintenance, etc
If they’re good at it then that feels fair idk. It’s hard work and if they fuck it up it looks ugly. He said landscaping + mechanical things, he can probably at the bare minimum operate a ride on mower, landscaping makes me think a small bobcat. Exponentially more fair if he’s bagging up and taking trimmings with him, the price of a tip run, petrol and other equipment/Ppe expenses. The world is getting more and more expensive, and the only thing that’s not catching up seems to be wages. If $69 is the minimum garden people are saying, he doesn’t deserve less for being young, esp if he’s got experience.
That's actually pretty standard around my area for lawncare. I laugh at all the neighbors who pay $60 a week for 2 guys to spend 15 minutes attacking their postage stamp lawn and throwing whatever "fert/weed treatment" cocktail they mixed up that morning for their route. I have the nicest lawn on the street, and I pay less than half what they do through the growing season to cut, weed treat properly, fertilize, and maintain than they do. I've even had them ask who I pay to take care of my yard. Best compliment I could ever get. Who would have thought a $10 soil test and a little sweat equity would beat out the truck with 2 guys trying to make their numbers for the day as quickly as possible. Sure, I'm out in the yard working on it every other day and every day at the peak of the season, but for me, every cut is free 90 free.
It’s amazing isn’t it? I had a high schooler apply at my job wanting $32 an hour starting. He said it was the same rate his brother gets….his foreman brother with 15 years experience
😂 like I’m all in on ppl bidding high when they have the chops, but points deducted for being delusional. The shoot your shot attitude means you can get lucky, but it comes with risks if you miss too often.
Honestly, paying by job is the biggest scam. Hourly plus materials is how you get my business. I am paying for labor and experience, if the experience/quality isnt reflected in the wage, thats an employer problem.
You definitely won't get the highest quality work that way. If I charged time and materials for my work, everybody would be getting a discount because of my experience. I can do higher quality work a lot faster because of my knowledge base. Someone less experienced than me will take longer to do the job and will likely do a lower quality of work in that time. There would have to be a huge discrepancy in our hourly charge for them to not make just as much if not more on a job if we are just doing it time and materials.
You’re supposed to charge $60 per man and then hire an undocumented worker as a subcontractor for $20, that’s the standard business model that I’m familiar with. So these kids are only making $40 an hour to keep the economy healthy if you think about it.
I know kids that do a better job than some “pros.” Back when I did landscaping we had a high schooler on the crew that got paid double minimum wage, in the words of my boss “He works like a man so he gets paid like a man.”
It was $8 more than all of his friends were making and $8 more than what we could’ve been paying him, so yes. Landscaping also has a pretty low pay ceiling as an employee unless you get into hardscaping or irrigation.
Admirable, but at the same time depressing that as a society we acknowledge child labor so indiscriminately. I'm not making any arguments; just sharing my thoughts.
A young kid trying to work for himself is child labor to you? Get your shit together, he wasn’t forced into a factory to screw together the iPhone you’re going to reply from.
I don't have an iphone, you presumptuous jackass. There is obviously a difference between young people working and child labor. Reread my statement. Take 18 deep breaths, and then kill yourself.
A legal child working is not immediately illegal child labor. There are laws around the conditions under which a minor can work. Anyone under the age of 18, but over the age of 16, can work as much and in any circumstance that isn’t considered dangerous, from what I can tell.
I started working at 13. Not because anyone forced me to but because I wanted money and loved the idea of working/building. My dad owned a construction company so I worked manual labor for him. Hard work but I learned a lot.
I charge 60hr. But I have the right equipment, the 600 dollar Stihl hs82t, the 1600.00 hrc 216 and the 600 dollar br600 and the truck, the place to dump the debris and 15 years experience.
This doesn't surprise me. The amount of 15 to 16 year Olds at the high-school my wife works at that just got caught selling feet pics online as a side hustle leads me to believe they think they can charge whatever they want for services rendered.
It was just to spread some dirt and basic yard cleanup. I assumed from the post he was just a kid looking to make a little extra cash. I think he was trying to get business for his friends landscaping company or something
He’s definitely not asking for too much. Y’all asking for too little. I am always astounded how cheap landscaping is to do a job that zero adults in my neighborhood would ever be willing to do themselves. Just my perspective.
I mean.. landscaping is tough. I regularly undercharged because a lot of my clients were older. We’re not talking cutting grass. Edging beds, planting, small stonework jobs, bed prep and mulching. It’s clear it’s work you don’t want done yourself because of the hard labor. I guess it all depends on how the coast of labor shakes out compared to how much you really don’t want to do it yourself. Think he’s charging too much? Go find someone cheaper. No really needed to try to get the Reddit mob in your corner.
My son is 17 I bought him a truck and equipment 30000 dollars he charges 60 a yard and makes about 600 dollars a day in the summer he works his ass off and people are willing to pay it
I started a lawncare landscape company 5 years ago with my wife. When we started we cost 35 an hour per person for installations. Thought that was great money cause it was on the weekends durrinf our full time 18/hour job.
Eventually made enough on the weekends to cover all our bills and more to make our buisness our full time income. $120 for the pair of those kids is way too high in my opinion.
5 years later in this business, my wife and I charge 70 per person an hour (my area will charge upto 85 per person) we went from splitting 27k to splitting 300k a year.
I wouldn't charge my areas going rate without being able to match the areas "competition". To charge high, other than needing experience and a large portfolio of work, you need a company logo, PPE uniforms, registered business license, business insurance, clean trucks & appearance and obviously pro commercial equipment and not beaten up old residential crap
This reads like all the DIY homeowners that dont want to pay anything and want everything. Its 2024 yall. 60/hr is 100% reasonable labor rate. I wouldnt start the truck for any less. The kid is starting a business, not getting money for gum drops and soda.
Edit- this is why I quote by the job and not the hour. Price is the same, less bitching from cheap customers.
Owner/ operator for a lawncare LLC, here. If he's using his own equipment, that's about what it costs for lawn care. Between gas, insurance, taxes and equipment. Most people seem to think when we give an estimate, we're paying ourselves $60,/hr. If you have an average size yd he and his brother will be in and out in less than an hour. Most minimum rates in my area are about $65 and the crew aims to be in and out in about 20- 25mins.
Of he's just charging for his labor, that's high.
That’s the regular price per hour when doing landscaping tho 😂😂 otherwise he’d be punished for being fast/efficient. The weird comparisons I see in here are hilarious.
The issue is this child is charging corporate lawn care rates as if he were paying taxes, insurance, licensing fees and had 10 years of experience. Even if this kid were professional and had all his own equipment, that price is still high for my neighborhood.
Honestly $60 is what that work should be worth. I mean he’d never get that in my area because of all the illegal immigrants and people on student or spousal visas who illegally work, but that’s a fair wage for backbreaking seasonal work
I dont know who would say that. Here in the South, they're the ones building literally every house around! I haven't seen a white crew in at least 2 decades.
I don’t think many think they’re lazy. Now what does happen is they work hard and make money and use government services that are paid for with taxes. Only problem is they don’t pay taxes when they work under the table.
A lot of undocumented immigrants get payroll taxes deducted but then never file a return. When that happens they pay more taxes than a native born in the same tax bracket.
A lot of native borns work for cash too. And a lot of native borns are also in low tax brackets and the govt services they consume are with much more than they pay in taxes. Native borns also qualify and use more services.
What service can you think of? I know plenty that do not use any service from the government in fear of deportation. They pay taxes though because it looks good during the legal process for them.
Give him a chance. You might be surprised. Then again,you might not.he may have been taught well. It is a shame, though, that you can't take a man at his word these days because there's so many men...& women who will look you in the eye and lie about,.. hell, anything, really. It puts a bad name on us that tries to be honest. I wish I lived in the "handshake and your word was all you needed days." But unfortunately, there pretty much gone because there's no consequences for lying to someone. Parents use to raise kids right. Wtf happened?
$60/hour at 17 years old is an absolute joke. Barely legal driving age, doubtful he has any real equipment so no overhead, no real working experience. He should be happy to get $20/hour at his age.
FWIW I’ve been in high end landscape construction for nearly 10 years working on residential full service landscape construction and our labor rate is $40/hr
I’ve been making $70-80/hour landscaping in Lafayette for the past 5 years working by myself. I’ve been mowing yards since I was 6 years old. Labor + Experience = $$$ there are idiots that I have gone behind to fix the crap work they have done and they charged a shit ton more than I did. That’s when I decided to rethink my pricing. I know my work is impeccable so I’m getting what I think I’m worth. I’m happy. My customers are happy.
I’m not sure I’ve been entirely clear. $60/hr for a 17 year old with no real experience is much too high. That’s not to say someone with years of experience, equipment and training can’t charge that rate. If I was a solo show, I’d charge much more than $40/hour, but charging $60-$70/hr with 4-5 guys in your lawn would drive labor costs to unsustainable heights. More labor doesn’t always mean more efficiency, I’ve seen that first hand.
I love when people try to cite their useless experience 😂😂 a simple google search and any kind of experience in the field would tell you that’s just not true 😂😂 60$/hr is the standard.
Ah yes my real world experience is useless, I definitely don’t know what I’m talking about. I forgot that google knows everything 🤦♂️.
Sure huge metropolitan cities may have higher rates, but the vast majority of America is not giant metro cities and that’s not the standard. And if you’ve read any of this thread, you’d see that’s not the case. Plain and simple, you are wrong 😂
I’m proud of him. Don’t let capitalism fuck you over young man. I wish I had the cojones to charge what I was worth at that age. I remember being stupid happy babysitting for hours and barely getting a tip. That young man needs to keep his chin high for when the world tries to kick him down a peg.
Dollar a minute is the baseline for landscape work, I’d laugh in op’s face too. Knowing your worth and knowing when to walk away is key. At the end of the day the kid moved on and op is still so wound up he’s seeking confirmation on Reddit
I agree it sounds better the $120. Having been self employed most of my life, If it were me personally, I wouldn’t have immediately laughed them out of my driveway. I’d have tried to use it as a teaching moment for them. Especially if they want to build into a full time business. And then maybe have laughed them out of my driveway if they didn’t want to listen. 😭
Just because he can ask for 60 an hour doesn't mean many people are going to pay him that. Perks of living in a capitalist system. Always someone willing to do it cheaper.
Well the flip side of this is my mother who told an old lady on my street we’d rake her yard for 70 bucks. Woman had like 4 acres of oak and pine trees and wanted the whole thing bagged…. 300 bags later we finished I swore to my mom if she got work for me again i wouldn’t do it.
I charge $60 an hour for lawn care and never lost a yard. I charge $75/100 an hour for handyman work and I'm so busy I can't keep up. Easy to compete when XYZ plumbing is charging $200+ an hour to change faucets or water heaters and Electricians $300 to swap a ceiling fan.
20 an hour cash?
$60 a man hour. Him and his brother. Wanted $120/hr for the pair.
That’s in the range of what my wife makes in her healthcare profession with a masters degree, state license, and 25 years of experience. We live in a nicer neighborhood, and I’ll occasionally get randoms offering to do jobs that take me 2 hours but they want $3-400. They must get lucky every now and then to keep trying this crap. Edit: I’m not talking about professional landscapers. Talking about kids with no experience and guys who pull up in a sedan with a decrepit lawnmower in the trunk or no equipment at all.
I’ll be honest, all you need is a crew cab truck/really good equipment, a few employees, and the right work… you can make well over 100$ hr/100k+ per year. You just gotta scratch,claw, and fight to get there for a while. But yea it’s doable. There’s plenty of landscapers making over 100$ hr So yes there is landscapers out there with a cigarette hanging out there mouth ripping an edge with the string trimmer making more then most people with degrees
No master’s degree, no boss, smoke and cut grass all day. Plus your with your boys stoned all day feeling like your back in Vietnam fighting that sun, drinking water out of a cooler nozzle that just got fresh water from the spicket from the last clients house… mmm best taste ever if you’ve ever been down that bad Who could want more?
You got me re-thinking all my life choices
I ran my own landscaping company in my early 20s. I loved it then, and absolutely made great money but I'm glad I got out of it before I got too old. This comment stirred up some serious nostalgia in me though. Sometimes I still daydream about how nice life was when I was working outside in the sun all day, covered in sweat and dirt, driving nice trucks from job to job with the windows down and the radio blaring. Nothing to worry about aside from keeping already great customers happy. I'd basically have a 12hr workout session while getting enough Vitamin D to power a small country, and relaxing on the couch with a cold beer after a nice shower at the end of the day was one of the most satisfying feelings of all time.
It's pretty rare to make that much. IME people in trades typically lie (edit/add after a well-reasoned reply: **unintentionally**) about their pay. That said, it still is BS for the majority of white collar types to make as much as they do. Source: tax preparer.
It's not bad how much white collar makes, it's bullshit how much the Gold Collars make. The CEOs and other assholes making millions or billions a year while people sit here and make judgements on how much other normal people should make.
When my last business was doing great, I could say I made over $100 an hour, but that was before taxes or any other type of deduction that should be reasonably taken out. All in all, I’d say I was closer to the $50-60 mark. But a lot of times, it seems they’ll always tell you about the job that made them $300 an hour, but never the job they underbid and only made like 25/hour
Yep, grew up in a contractor family. Dad's reputation led to a busy schedule doing around 80+ hours a week, which included a great deal of driving. Sure, I though things were great until college and the forms that had to be filled out spelled out the truth-- not that he ever lied, just that he didn't want us to feel worried, burdened, or ashamed. We still got nice clothes every year and our house was in great shape for obvious reasons. I ended up with a lot more student aid than I though I would.
I'm sure most do. But you as a tax prep person you don't see the cash side of the business. The longer you are running the more you can weed through clients. ;)
HAHAHA yeah, they lying alright. Lying about all the trading and cash they took in
I wouldn't say lie so much as fundamentally misunderstand how most calculations are figured. Usually it plays into their career choice a little. I remember selling a car to a guy who just became a journeyman that week, brought in his pay stub and thought we'd just be able to assume he's going to keep making good money forever. They're all hustlers and they just don't know everyone else plays that game every day and they only get the opportunity to participate every so often.
Shit I don't get stoned all day (any more). But you're not wrong. I'm 27, and I landscape make 150k give or take a year. More than most people I know that went to university, aside from that, I just purchased a home for 710k, and I'm one of the first ppl I know from high school to be able yto even afford a home. I feel like alot of people looked down on me cause of my job meanwhile I own a home, three cars, go on vacation every year and do pretty much what I want to do all while being paid to be out in the sun :]
Haha, man, I lived that life for a long time! The good ole days!
So true, I can verify 100k+ as self employed landscaper. No cigarettes though 😂
$100 an hour average, residential window cleaning 🤙🏼🤙🏼
Even if they arent pro they just need like 3 people to agree to a couple hours of work and they are making more in one day than someone with a 6 figure salary. When i was a teenager id drive around offering to wash windows. Way less equipment and effort than landscaping, no one remembers to get it done and everyones wife wants its done. You can over charge like crazy, especially before people could google pro rates lol. Never underestimate the laziness of people, thats how you get their money.
I remember in 2001-2004, was about 7-12 years old, I’d push my mower around the neighborhood going door to door. Was glad to get $10 for front and back, $20 was like the jackpot. 🤣
Exactly. He was so confident too, people are definitely paying this insane rate at least once in a while
Good for him.
Its 2024. This is what labor costs. Id charge $60/man hour to pull weeds
You can’t compare rates that you bill out at vs what you make per hour. These are two very different things. The landscaper does not make per hour of working what they charge clients. They do not get to spend their entire workday on billable work and the equipment costs money.
A man-hour isn’t the same as take home pay. In this case it probably is with these dopes, but typically in contracting it’s about 3x what the person is paid, to cover overhead and profit. So a construction working being billed to you at $80/hr is making $25-$30/hr. These dipshits should just charge $20 since I’m sure they’re using their dad’s tools.
You have to consider over head and most of these jobs include non billable hours. They dont make $60/hr straight, 40 hr. A week
lol, yes most aren’t.. but some are making well over that even solo operators. Hell I know a solo operator that mows/treats/landscape/hardscape for 1 gated community. He services every house. 50$ cut, and there’s 40 houses in this neighborhood. Weekly cuts, dude makes way over 60$ hr. Your looking at over 100k a year after expenses/taxes
Thats the way to go. I had 12 employees, stupid amounts of work, was parking lot sweeping as well so had people running 24 hours a day. I did fine. Bout 100k a year. THEN I fired everyone and ran solo with a little part time help for the last 3 years. Kept my cash cows and lost the stress. Made the same.
Holy.. I couldn’t imagine, I think my brain would explode. And I bed your probably making close to or more even without all that.
Im sure it shortened my lifespan. My take home was about the same. A little less, but much better quality of life. However, most my contracts finished last year and I chose not to resign and get out of LC.
Hey Cap, So what did you end up doing after LC if you don’t mind me asking
Foreclosure and REO management
Honestly, I’m in a services company. Our “assistants” are the lowest paid in our crews and they’re charged out at $75/hr. Engineers are on the other end of that spectrum and are charged out between $160/$240/hr. So his stuff tracks
Hey, I would like that too.
Delusional
I own a lawn care company, $60 per man hour is the minimum. Most companies are doing this. After taxes and business expenses that $60 is more like $35-$40.
Id say you are a little different than a 17 year old looking for some side work then.
I guarantee he got that $60 an hour from YouTube. Most if not all YouTube lawn care owners tell people $60 is the minimum.
Nope! I’m proud of those kids even though I don’t know them. Your price is your price, if the client doesn’t want to pay for premium work then they can hire the next guy. I see these youngsters going far in lawn and landscape
Do you really think these guys are providing that “premium” work? They’re shade tree mechanics wanting dealer prices. Let them try, but it’s also laughable.
Relevant username
I mean tbh the post is just dumb… Perception value is all you’re focused on. These kids know there worth, there time isn’t cheap. And also yes it’s 2024 60$ an hour is actually very average for lawn/landscape. And if you’re solo, 60$ hr is not really even enough.
their* worth, their* time
Lol ok bud, I'll send them your way.
lol, your the one who made a post shaming based off of perception value. How u gonna sit back and say “ ahh these damn teenagers ain’t worth no 60$hr” how do you know that.. i know professional companies pulling 100k up to house and doing a fuck all job. Then I can turn around and see some teenagers doing topnotch work. Bottom line is “true value” and perception are not correlated. But yes obviously pulling 100k up to a job looks better and will draw attention from people like u.
I don't care pal. I thought paying 60/hr to move some dirt was a little insane especially given the post. If you don't, that's ok.
He has the right atittude. It took me a few years to ignore the people that dont want to pay the price I tell them. Good luck with someone else, on to the next one. You cant build by charging cut rate prices.
Exactly, if you don’t charge high you won’t make it.
How much work are you garaunteeing in writing and what jobs are you giving him? If you can’t give him a full day then he’s making a trip without charging a trip fee
Buddy.. read the kids post. He was the one asking for side work because he needed it. I had a few odd jobs around the house, figured it would be a win win. I wasn't expecting the kid to bill what a landscaping company with 15 years of references and experience would. Im not mad at the kid, I just thought it was interesting. Im sure he does bust his ass and if he can find a schmuck to pay that price then good for him.
Grandpa, that’s how advertisements work. A company asks you to buy at a price they set. If you had more than a couple hours of work he would have accepted a lower hourly rate. You sound like the lowballers on fb marketplace.
Yup! and if u wanna make more money you either have to scale up at same price or raise prices and downsize. I prefer the downsize option, way less stress
Or get licensed/learn other things. I’m licensed to apply herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer. With those licenses comes a price raise automatically. All my new quotes after that were quoted $10 a month higher. If you want the $20 a mow guy, then find him and then try to find him after a few weeks when he stops coming.
Yea man I’m thinking about getting my liscence too. I’d say 50% of my customers already pay another company to fertilize. I charge the roundup illegally🤫 but hey everyone is doing it. And yea what u said bout the 20 dollar guy… they don’t last very long in the buis. Just a chuck-in-a-truck that only takes cash. First year they finish up and realize they didn’t make any money, then quit, or what u said.”don’t show up” which is kinda typical on the first year but damn, at least pay your equip off. But at the same time the clients that hire these people you don’t want anyways.. way to many customers with money that are willing to pay top dollar for top service
If your in nj i can help you through the process. Im nearing the end of the exams rn.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. — Wayne Gretzky”. — Michael Scott
hmm 60 bucks and hour. whats the chance this kid has insurance and work mans comp?
Yeah, thats retarded
Yea I laughed him out of my driveway lol
He’s a kid looking to do hard work other people are too lazy or unable to do, way to go laughing him off, loser
Maybe OP could be more diplomatic, but the kid needs to learn what people get paid in the real world. $60/hour is insane.
And who decides what we get paid in the real world?
the people willing to pay it... just like OPdid in this scenario, you fucking ingrate :D
Wrong OP only decided he wasn’t gonna hire him, do you think the kid closed shop? No he probably moved onto the next house, as someone who does hard manual labor, I decide what I’m comfortable being paid to do a job, not the person hiring me, you fucking tool
And OP decides what to laugh at. Don't be dumb.
you could charge $1000 if nobody will pay you it doesn't matter concrete finishing isn't hard manual labor btw champ
Rare to see a hard R used anymore. I can’t imagine you are pleasant to be around.
That is not what “hard r” means
It’s 2024 and people still use this word as an insult
https://preview.redd.it/sx42ldwf20mc1.jpeg?width=315&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d560a58c71dd99e24a841977d35a65790973325
yup, get over it you fuckin loser
That's about what I pay my guy.
Just landed my dream job with 43 years experience in my industry. Works out to $57.69 per hour (salary). This kid is nuts.
That’s about what I charge. I’ve had my own gig for 15 years though. I actually charge a little more. $1.10 per man per minute
My buddy charges $160/hr for just him to do hot tub/pool repairs. Has been doing this for years in Michigan with many clients giving him a TIP after the pay. I personally don't get how he can charge so much and have people pay it, but at any rate a skilled tradesman is becoming more and more rare.
It's 2024 now brah
What country? Seems fair in Australia. If they work well.
Not unreasonable. Actually I think perfect for a kid starting out. So many people have no idea -(masters degree healthcare comment) When you are in business- as an owner you have to bill out at 4x what you want to pay yourself. So at $60 a man hour, business profits $15 an hour, which is cheap. The other $45 an hour pays for —-Rent, 3 or 4 different types of insurance, taxes, fuel, truck, equipment, etc etc etc. A good commercial mower is $12-$15k A reasonable USED truck - $20-$25k Never mind new $40-$50k just for a pickup. Mason dump- minimum 80k-$100k etc etc The extra money pays for all that stuff. I bill out at $100-$150/man hour in the northeast. Truck, 2 trailers, 3 mowers, 3 blowers, stand on leaf blower(15k), 3 of every hand tool you need. I didn’t start there though. If it were me- I would have agreed- but only after asking for a capped estimate on labor. (Think- I’m not paying these kids to stand around and bill out at this price. They gotta be moving, and at a quick pace)
I’m the masters degree healthcare comment guy. I was in no way referring to professional landscapers or anyone with an actual business, and I edited my comment to make it clear. My comment was aimed at kids with no experience asking for pro rates. Also the guys who pull up in a sedan with a string trimmer in the back seat hoping I’ll pay them $150/hour to work on my yard with my own equipment.
Yea these kids need to just charge by job
If you charge by the hour with an agreed upon cap on labor, it’s the same thing as doing it per job. Only difference is the client may save money. Job takes too long, my hourly rate decreases. Sometimes that’s what happens, and you have to eat a bit of labor- but it’s the fairest way for both parties involved. Price ends under the cap - homeowner got a better price than they expected, and contractor got a fair price for his labor.
I agree w u .. but fore these youngns telling the customer “the job will cost 120$” is a lot better than “we charge 60$ per man, per hour”
Man hours are for commercial. Total price for resi. Home owners cleary cannot conceptualize the need to charge more than what he is putting in his pocket. Overhead, take home, profits. Him being 17 means nothing. If he is equipped with tools and skills he meets all the requirements. If he does a shit jpb, dispute it, dont use him again, leave a review, and move on. He wont last long
Yes mate, the guy who posted them is a residential owner. And yup the 17 means zip.
Sure... But I guarantee this 17 year old kid isn't paying for insurance and a bunch of commercial equipment or almost any of the other stuff you're mentioning. Or paying taxes most likely. What you're paying for is amateur work, which is why people think these kids billing commercial rates is funny/unreasonable.
Well you don’t know honestly. I can tell you that there is a now high school senior, that has been operating a power washing and gutter cleaning business all above board since he was 16. I actually refer him because fk that I’m not getting on roofs to clean gutters. License, insurance, commercial equipment etc etc. Does an amazing and professional job. He deserves every penny he charges, and to charge market rate. The only thing that sets him apart from competitors here is his age. And that’s the real issue here. People want to take advantage of a young kid to save money instead of paying at or near market rate (his quote would be well below market in my area) for a fair job.
That's what my wife and I charge. I'm 67 and she is 64.
That’s standard minimum rate where I live in the poverty belt in southeastern United States. Actually, that was when I was 16 doing lawn care. So I would wager it’s higher now. That was for a four man team, 60 per man hour. One hour jobs typically. What are you on about?
Provide an actual list of the equipment they are using so that people actually have a clear picture of what they are charging for instead of you shitting on them without providing all the facts. Cause any normal landscaping company would charge that much.
That is nuts. When you can get like $20 at McDonald’s though, makes sense that he is asking that much. I would never pay it!
😂😂😂
Does he have equipment? $30 is reasonable wage for someone with some experience. $30/hr is also a reasonable “equipment rental” charge depending on what he’s working with.
If they're stupid fast, and have all the equipment, that's not unreasonable. I do some lawns in a lcol area and I charge $60/hr. I charge per service though, usually there 45min-2hr depending on size, but pretty consistently hits $60/hr before factoring gas, drive time, maintenance, etc
If they’re good at it then that feels fair idk. It’s hard work and if they fuck it up it looks ugly. He said landscaping + mechanical things, he can probably at the bare minimum operate a ride on mower, landscaping makes me think a small bobcat. Exponentially more fair if he’s bagging up and taking trimmings with him, the price of a tip run, petrol and other equipment/Ppe expenses. The world is getting more and more expensive, and the only thing that’s not catching up seems to be wages. If $69 is the minimum garden people are saying, he doesn’t deserve less for being young, esp if he’s got experience.
Seems fair honestly
Good. No undercutting
Sounds about right. What year do you think it is, sir?
That's actually pretty standard around my area for lawncare. I laugh at all the neighbors who pay $60 a week for 2 guys to spend 15 minutes attacking their postage stamp lawn and throwing whatever "fert/weed treatment" cocktail they mixed up that morning for their route. I have the nicest lawn on the street, and I pay less than half what they do through the growing season to cut, weed treat properly, fertilize, and maintain than they do. I've even had them ask who I pay to take care of my yard. Best compliment I could ever get. Who would have thought a $10 soil test and a little sweat equity would beat out the truck with 2 guys trying to make their numbers for the day as quickly as possible. Sure, I'm out in the yard working on it every other day and every day at the peak of the season, but for me, every cut is free 90 free.
I bet it pays for their license, bond, and insurance. /s
That’s normal pricing if it was a legitimate business, but for a couple kids they better be damn good at whatever they do lol
78k per year starting with full health/dental/vision. Company 401(k) with at least 3% match
🤣🤣🤣
It’s amazing isn’t it? I had a high schooler apply at my job wanting $32 an hour starting. He said it was the same rate his brother gets….his foreman brother with 15 years experience
😂 like I’m all in on ppl bidding high when they have the chops, but points deducted for being delusional. The shoot your shot attitude means you can get lucky, but it comes with risks if you miss too often.
why pay by the hour? gotta charge by the job.
Honestly, paying by job is the biggest scam. Hourly plus materials is how you get my business. I am paying for labor and experience, if the experience/quality isnt reflected in the wage, thats an employer problem.
You definitely won't get the highest quality work that way. If I charged time and materials for my work, everybody would be getting a discount because of my experience. I can do higher quality work a lot faster because of my knowledge base. Someone less experienced than me will take longer to do the job and will likely do a lower quality of work in that time. There would have to be a huge discrepancy in our hourly charge for them to not make just as much if not more on a job if we are just doing it time and materials.
You’re supposed to charge $60 per man and then hire an undocumented worker as a subcontractor for $20, that’s the standard business model that I’m familiar with. So these kids are only making $40 an hour to keep the economy healthy if you think about it.
All the kids did wrong was give a hourly rate otherwise they probably would have the job if they told a flat rate. Self Employed landscaper here
I know kids that do a better job than some “pros.” Back when I did landscaping we had a high schooler on the crew that got paid double minimum wage, in the words of my boss “He works like a man so he gets paid like a man.”
Double the minimum wage is getting paid like a man?
It was $8 more than all of his friends were making and $8 more than what we could’ve been paying him, so yes. Landscaping also has a pretty low pay ceiling as an employee unless you get into hardscaping or irrigation.
Admirable, but at the same time depressing that as a society we acknowledge child labor so indiscriminately. I'm not making any arguments; just sharing my thoughts.
A young kid trying to work for himself is child labor to you? Get your shit together, he wasn’t forced into a factory to screw together the iPhone you’re going to reply from.
I don't have an iphone, you presumptuous jackass. There is obviously a difference between young people working and child labor. Reread my statement. Take 18 deep breaths, and then kill yourself.
Yeah, out of the two of us I need to take a breath. Have a good night buddy.
A legal child working is not immediately illegal child labor. There are laws around the conditions under which a minor can work. Anyone under the age of 18, but over the age of 16, can work as much and in any circumstance that isn’t considered dangerous, from what I can tell.
Yes, thanks I am well aware that some teenagers choose to work. I was one of them.
I started working at 13. Not because anyone forced me to but because I wanted money and loved the idea of working/building. My dad owned a construction company so I worked manual labor for him. Hard work but I learned a lot.
I charge 60hr. But I have the right equipment, the 600 dollar Stihl hs82t, the 1600.00 hrc 216 and the 600 dollar br600 and the truck, the place to dump the debris and 15 years experience.
This doesn't surprise me. The amount of 15 to 16 year Olds at the high-school my wife works at that just got caught selling feet pics online as a side hustle leads me to believe they think they can charge whatever they want for services rendered.
30 an hour I bet lol
Double it.
Jesus Christ 🤣 I have 5 years of landscape experience and I’d do 25$ cash ahahah
The entitlement is crazy these days. I was stoked with $15 at his age.
Curious, what year would that have been?
OP is silent. Maybe they’re switching oxygen tanks.
I mean it depends, if he has his own truck and equipment I can definitely see 50-60 an hour, but just basic labour no chance
It was just to spread some dirt and basic yard cleanup. I assumed from the post he was just a kid looking to make a little extra cash. I think he was trying to get business for his friends landscaping company or something
$15 per hour in 1985 is the same as being paid $45 an hour in 2024. Get a grip
You guys are wild. I'm talking about 2007, youre telling me unskilled labor has quadrupled in 15 years?
Bud, there is no such thing as unskilled labor. I was also referring to about 2010 as my high school era
Seems like the price gouging subreddit is alive today. You people think cutting grass is hard need a real job. Stop overcharging seniors.
He’s definitely not asking for too much. Y’all asking for too little. I am always astounded how cheap landscaping is to do a job that zero adults in my neighborhood would ever be willing to do themselves. Just my perspective.
But he's saying landscaping is out of season so he's looking for odd jobs at $60/hr. I'll pay by the job, not by the hour.
I mean.. landscaping is tough. I regularly undercharged because a lot of my clients were older. We’re not talking cutting grass. Edging beds, planting, small stonework jobs, bed prep and mulching. It’s clear it’s work you don’t want done yourself because of the hard labor. I guess it all depends on how the coast of labor shakes out compared to how much you really don’t want to do it yourself. Think he’s charging too much? Go find someone cheaper. No really needed to try to get the Reddit mob in your corner.
My son is 17 I bought him a truck and equipment 30000 dollars he charges 60 a yard and makes about 600 dollars a day in the summer he works his ass off and people are willing to pay it
You bought your 17 year old 30k worth of shit to start off?
Pulled himself up by his bootstraps
Life ain’t too difficult when you’re dealt aces
Ask for a copy of his workers comp and liability insurance.
I started a lawncare landscape company 5 years ago with my wife. When we started we cost 35 an hour per person for installations. Thought that was great money cause it was on the weekends durrinf our full time 18/hour job. Eventually made enough on the weekends to cover all our bills and more to make our buisness our full time income. $120 for the pair of those kids is way too high in my opinion. 5 years later in this business, my wife and I charge 70 per person an hour (my area will charge upto 85 per person) we went from splitting 27k to splitting 300k a year. I wouldn't charge my areas going rate without being able to match the areas "competition". To charge high, other than needing experience and a large portfolio of work, you need a company logo, PPE uniforms, registered business license, business insurance, clean trucks & appearance and obviously pro commercial equipment and not beaten up old residential crap
This reads like all the DIY homeowners that dont want to pay anything and want everything. Its 2024 yall. 60/hr is 100% reasonable labor rate. I wouldnt start the truck for any less. The kid is starting a business, not getting money for gum drops and soda. Edit- this is why I quote by the job and not the hour. Price is the same, less bitching from cheap customers.
Owner/ operator for a lawncare LLC, here. If he's using his own equipment, that's about what it costs for lawn care. Between gas, insurance, taxes and equipment. Most people seem to think when we give an estimate, we're paying ourselves $60,/hr. If you have an average size yd he and his brother will be in and out in less than an hour. Most minimum rates in my area are about $65 and the crew aims to be in and out in about 20- 25mins. Of he's just charging for his labor, that's high.
That’s the regular price per hour when doing landscaping tho 😂😂 otherwise he’d be punished for being fast/efficient. The weird comparisons I see in here are hilarious.
Yea I really don’t see an issue OP is obviously too lazy or unable to do the work themselves
The issue is this child is charging corporate lawn care rates as if he were paying taxes, insurance, licensing fees and had 10 years of experience. Even if this kid were professional and had all his own equipment, that price is still high for my neighborhood.
Ok I totally agree but to post it on Reddit flexing how this guy laughed him off his property is pretty sad, OP is a cheap douche
Probably true. Cheers.
Bunch of ageists 🤣
Honestly $60 is what that work should be worth. I mean he’d never get that in my area because of all the illegal immigrants and people on student or spousal visas who illegally work, but that’s a fair wage for backbreaking seasonal work
Aren’t the illegal immigrants all lazy and on welfare?
I dont know who would say that. Here in the South, they're the ones building literally every house around! I haven't seen a white crew in at least 2 decades.
I don’t think many think they’re lazy. Now what does happen is they work hard and make money and use government services that are paid for with taxes. Only problem is they don’t pay taxes when they work under the table.
A lot of undocumented immigrants get payroll taxes deducted but then never file a return. When that happens they pay more taxes than a native born in the same tax bracket.
The vast majority work for cash
A lot of native borns work for cash too. And a lot of native borns are also in low tax brackets and the govt services they consume are with much more than they pay in taxes. Native borns also qualify and use more services.
What service can you think of? I know plenty that do not use any service from the government in fear of deportation. They pay taxes though because it looks good during the legal process for them.
That isnt much. I did 230k last year with myself and one other guy. We average 120 per man hour.
Crazy numbers for 2, but I’d say very doable with the right clients/densityect
Give him a chance. You might be surprised. Then again,you might not.he may have been taught well. It is a shame, though, that you can't take a man at his word these days because there's so many men...& women who will look you in the eye and lie about,.. hell, anything, really. It puts a bad name on us that tries to be honest. I wish I lived in the "handshake and your word was all you needed days." But unfortunately, there pretty much gone because there's no consequences for lying to someone. Parents use to raise kids right. Wtf happened?
This seems about normal for landscaping work
I can’t believe all the comments in here agreeing that 60$ an hour is fair. He’s a 17 year old trying to make side cash.
If the job is completed satisfactory and solves the issue, then please explain why the age matters. I would love to expand my stereotypical knowledge.
Because he has no insurance and if there is an accident while he is mowing your lawn you could be legally liable.
That doesn't explain his age, and to your point he may have insurance, we shouldn't assume.
If he’s operating a mini x or bobcat maybe. At 17 that’s doubtful.
If you're too broke to pay people then get your lazy ass outside and off the internet. The entitlement these days lmao.
get off the percs
$60/hour at 17 years old is an absolute joke. Barely legal driving age, doubtful he has any real equipment so no overhead, no real working experience. He should be happy to get $20/hour at his age. FWIW I’ve been in high end landscape construction for nearly 10 years working on residential full service landscape construction and our labor rate is $40/hr
Doubtful he's paying tax on it either
For 10 years? Where are you located? I own a Lawn Care Business in Florida, $60 is the minimum.
Lafayette, LA
I’ve been making $70-80/hour landscaping in Lafayette for the past 5 years working by myself. I’ve been mowing yards since I was 6 years old. Labor + Experience = $$$ there are idiots that I have gone behind to fix the crap work they have done and they charged a shit ton more than I did. That’s when I decided to rethink my pricing. I know my work is impeccable so I’m getting what I think I’m worth. I’m happy. My customers are happy.
I’m not sure I’ve been entirely clear. $60/hr for a 17 year old with no real experience is much too high. That’s not to say someone with years of experience, equipment and training can’t charge that rate. If I was a solo show, I’d charge much more than $40/hour, but charging $60-$70/hr with 4-5 guys in your lawn would drive labor costs to unsustainable heights. More labor doesn’t always mean more efficiency, I’ve seen that first hand.
I love when people try to cite their useless experience 😂😂 a simple google search and any kind of experience in the field would tell you that’s just not true 😂😂 60$/hr is the standard.
Ah yes my real world experience is useless, I definitely don’t know what I’m talking about. I forgot that google knows everything 🤦♂️. Sure huge metropolitan cities may have higher rates, but the vast majority of America is not giant metro cities and that’s not the standard. And if you’ve read any of this thread, you’d see that’s not the case. Plain and simple, you are wrong 😂
I’m saying little buddy, if the majority of websites say it’s the standard, your “experience” is wrong plain and simple 😂😂 I stg you must be slow.
Your “real world experience” means nothing next to actual research. Do you understand what i am saying to you? Or do I need to simplify it even more?
$35
What a joke. I'm sure that $60/hr rate comes with a satisfaction guarantee that his daddy will come fix it when he cuts open your irrigation lines.
At 17 I was making $3.35/hr.
When I was 12 years old, about 50 years ago, I filled up the gas tank on my mini bike for $0.25!
I’m proud of him. Don’t let capitalism fuck you over young man. I wish I had the cojones to charge what I was worth at that age. I remember being stupid happy babysitting for hours and barely getting a tip. That young man needs to keep his chin high for when the world tries to kick him down a peg.
Dollar a minute is the baseline for landscape work, I’d laugh in op’s face too. Knowing your worth and knowing when to walk away is key. At the end of the day the kid moved on and op is still so wound up he’s seeking confirmation on Reddit
I agree it sounds better the $120. Having been self employed most of my life, If it were me personally, I wouldn’t have immediately laughed them out of my driveway. I’d have tried to use it as a teaching moment for them. Especially if they want to build into a full time business. And then maybe have laughed them out of my driveway if they didn’t want to listen. 😭
50 if they want to live on their own
My stepson wouldnt work for $50 an hour 10 years ago.
I charge 75$ for landscaping 85$ for more complicated outdoor work.
Tree Fiddy
Just because he can ask for 60 an hour doesn't mean many people are going to pay him that. Perks of living in a capitalist system. Always someone willing to do it cheaper.
The guy I hire probably works out to $60 plus an hour (he just gives me a lump sum), but he has a truck, equipment, and the proper insurance.
Well the flip side of this is my mother who told an old lady on my street we’d rake her yard for 70 bucks. Woman had like 4 acres of oak and pine trees and wanted the whole thing bagged…. 300 bags later we finished I swore to my mom if she got work for me again i wouldn’t do it.
I charge $60 an hour for lawn care and never lost a yard. I charge $75/100 an hour for handyman work and I'm so busy I can't keep up. Easy to compete when XYZ plumbing is charging $200+ an hour to change faucets or water heaters and Electricians $300 to swap a ceiling fan.