Can I get a price check on my stump work? Am I charging enough?

[Hoosier]

So, I have been doing this for a few years now and I thought I would ask around about pricing. I know many guys use a per inch price but I am finding that is just not applicable. In many cases where the stump needs to be obliterated with the roots being dealt with and the grade set back to flat from the root crown you cannot simply use a "per inch" price to obliterate a stump for replant.

I tend to get calls from people that had other guys do a stump poorly and they took it just a few inches below grade and I think those guys are doing the "per inch" price and generally undercutting everybody else and at the same time making everyone look bad.

By the way, whoever is grinding on the south-side of Indy with a rented grinder needs to be run out of town.

Anyway, I tend to obliterate a lot of ornamental stumps so the spot can be re-used for a new tree. Often that means spending a bunch of time chasing roots with an alpine after blasting the stump with my Super Jr. and I am wanting to know if I am charging enough?

Here is an example of the stuff I run into.
This stump, while not huge had a large diameter dirt "Crown" from the root spread, the root mass was thick and heavy all the way out to that fence post, in fact that post was in heavy wood that needed to be ground away to get that post out because it was trapped in wood. (That was fun).

I ended up grinding all the way out to the lawns edge and then flattening out the soil and removing all of the large mulch. I spent some time on it for sure.

Would you say that a stump like this would typically run in the $125 range for this kind of work or would you charge more or less?

I know most of my local competition would just hit the stump and get it below grade and go, but I tend to work in higher end housing areas that want things put back the way they were and a "Bump-n-go" would just not work in my business model.

I dont think using the hour meter would work either because of the use of two machines in some instances, not to mention that I often need a pick to pull roots up etc..

Thanks for any insight gang.

 

[deepsouth]

No idea on price.

But here's a suggestion - whats the value.

And then there's two measures of value - value to you, and value to client.


NEVER underestimate value to client.

Value to you - your time is worth $x per hour. If you don't make, say, $30ph from home to home, why wouldn't you be a wage slave?

Then add the dollars per hour for the machines, including their depreciation and maintenance and running costs. This includes your vehicle, saws, grinders, hand tools, you name it.

Then add a percentage for overheads - phone, cards, accounting & tax, etc.

Work this out to determine a viable position.... Above that is profit. Below that, why f'n bother!


Client value either wins or loses the job. Along with your reputation.

For example, I tried to land the professional work of a mate. Didn't on round one as I was honest and said some extra work outside at $ 550/hr would be needed. Current work doer said its no worries. Got to the cruch and work doer said we need outside consultants at a higher rate.

He now feels used, and may well come back - as I was honest.

I'll admit, I didnt like losing first up, but I don't lie, do stuff outside my abilities or bull@$#%.

I can also sleep well at night.

Hope this helps.

Also- edit - you always get a hack that wants $10 an hour, doesn't consider travel to/from and the fact their gear will need repair/maintenance/rePlacement, so massively underprice the job.

And probably don't have the ability to do it well.

 

[Mowingman]

That would be a $100.00 job for me. It would take me about 20 minutes, tops, including loading and unloading my machine. I do not level or remove the grindings, just rake them into a pile.
Market conditions in your area will determine how much you can get for the job. We all have guys around us who work too cheap. Just do a great job every time, and, word will get around that you are the "go to" guy for stump removal.
Jeff

 

[old_soul]

So, I have been doing this for a few years now and I thought I would ask around about pricing. I know many guys use a per inch price but I am finding that is just not applicable. In many cases where the stump needs to be obliterated with the roots being dealt with and the grade set back to flat from the root crown you cannot simply use a "per inch" price to obliterate a stump for replant.

I tend to get calls from people that had other guys do a stump poorly and they took it just a few inches below grade and I think those guys are doing the "per inch" price and generally undercutting everybody else and at the same time making everyone look bad.

By the way, whoever is grinding on the south-side of Indy with a rented grinder needs to be run out of town.

Anyway, I tend to obliterate a lot of ornamental stumps so the spot can be re-used for a new tree. Often that means spending a bunch of time chasing roots with an alpine after blasting the stump with my Super Jr. and I am wanting to know if I am charging enough?

Here is an example of the stuff I run into.
This stump, while not huge had a large diameter dirt "Crown" from the root spread, the root mass was thick and heavy all the way out to that fence post, in fact that post was in heavy wood that needed to be ground away to get that post out because it was trapped in wood. (That was fun).

I ended up grinding all the way out to the lawns edge and then flattening out the soil and removing all of the large mulch. I spent some time on it for sure.

Would you say that a stump like this would typically run in the $125 range for this kind of work or would you charge more or less?

I know most of my local competition would just hit the stump and get it below grade and go, but I tend to work in higher end housing areas that want things put back the way they were and a "Bump-n-go" would just not work in my business model.

I dont think using the hour meter would work either because of the use of two machines in some instances, not to mention that I often need a pick to pull roots up etc..

Thanks for any insight gang.

Why use a pick? or alpine? Sweep the bed with the grinder to remove surface roots.

Around here that stump and roots would be ground out to the grass line @8-10 inches deep for less than 100 $

15 minutes with rayco 1672 grinder. Provided you could back into yard. Now if you don't have access and have to use small machines, i could see the additional $


Also you should be charging extra $ to clean up the chips. I always give customers a price to grind, then x to clean out chips, then x to replace topsoil/seed/straw

Usually all that is 3 times the grinding price. Some want it "put back the way they were" others just want cheap grinding. You have to judge this at the time of the estimate.

 

[Hoosier]

That would be a $100.00 job for me. It would take me about 20 minutes, tops, including loading and unloading my machine. I do not level or remove the grindings, just rake them into a pile.
Market conditions in your area will determine how much you can get for the job. We all have guys around us who work too cheap. Just do a great job every time, and, word will get around that you are the "go to" guy for stump removal.
Jeff

Thanks for the insight Mowingman.

But the leveling and the mulch is where it gets sticky.
You pointed out that you do not level or remove grindings so we are comparing apples to oranges here. If that stump had been ground, and the immediate area around the stump was not leveled then the bulk of the stump did not get ground out, at least not in a way I would put my name on it.

I never leave a mound of mulch. Sure, if I am working in a pasture I may spread it around, but in a nice high end home with a perfect yard you cant leave a pile of mulch and feel like you did the job correctly. I sell against that when bidding and it lets me charge more I guess.

 

[Hoosier]

Why use a pick? or alpine? Sweep the bed with the grinder to remove surface roots.

Around here that stump and roots would be ground out to the grass line @8-10 inches deep for less than 100 $

15 minutes with rayco 1672 grinder. Provided you could back into yard. Now if you don't have access and have to use small machines, i could see the additional $


Also you should be charging extra $ to clean up the chips. I always give customers a price to grind, then x to clean out chips, then x to replace topsoil/seed/straw

Usually all that is 3 times the grinding price. Some want it "put back the way they were" others just want cheap grinding. You have to judge this at the time of the estimate.

On that job I did not need the pick much (fencepost some), or the alpine. Often I use the alpine on maples that have roots at grade 10 feet from the tree etc..
I do not have a tow behind, most of the time I get the job because I dont drive a truck in the yard. I have a buddy with a tow behind and I throw him some work if the stumps are large and have access, but most of the time I am driving my Rayco across a nice yard into a goofy location. I did consider a tow behind for bigger stumps being they are cheaper than a big RG 50 or 90 but I dont think I would find enough big work to justify it.

So, $125 for grinding that mass out and leveling does not really sound out of line from the sound of it...I guess.

 

[ronnyb]

Sounds way low. Here it would be $200 for the stump, and another $200 to remove chips, soil, seed, and mulch.

 

[Hoosier]

Sounds way low. Here it would be $200 for the stump, and another $200 to remove chips, soil, seed, and mulch.

Thank you for that info, it all helps.

 

[stumper120]

75$ in town with my 665a towed behind my wrangler. 15 minutes and im gone. 12inches deep.

 

[Hoosier]

75$ in town with my 665a towed behind my wrangler. 15 minutes and im gone. 12inches deep.

The whole area or just the stump itself? Any clean up?

Thanks!

 

[Tundra Man Mike]

If I just ground out the hole and large roots and leave, $125. If I had to till the area to the lawn area and it was rocky $260. If I have to break out a chainsaw it is an immediate $20 MINIMUM. If I have to remove the outer wheels or travel a long distance from the trailer it is another $20. If I have to clean up dog poop, it is another $20 Minimum. If I have to bag and drag chippings it is $20 per bag. Farther distance or multiple times to job site adds too. Fuel isn't cheap. Insurance is outta control.

 

[stumper120]

The whole area or just the stump itself? Any clean up?

Thanks!

I can grind roughly a 5x5 square in 1 setup so I would grind maximum travel for it which would cover that whole hump... no cleanup

 

[MOE]

That would be $75 around here,(for a one stump job) and a lot of people might say now and just mow around it.

 

[Hoosier]

This thread has legs.

I also use the cost or renting a grinder to some degree, if a home owner wants to pay the $95 to $150 minimum to rent for 4 hours and DIY the stump (Learn how to use it, and clean up the mess and know where to haul it etc..) then I say have at it. In fact I will volunteer to the home owner the cost of DIY and that can change perceptions of value. If the guy has a wooded lot and he can rent for a day ($300 +) and deal with a large number of stumps for less than I would charge I point out how he could save money, but many professional people have zero interest in the DIY thing. If its a home where stumps are "yard art" or it looks like they have been mowing around it for a decade then I typically don't get called and I rarely solicit for those stumps.


I would not show up for $75 and use both a grinder, saw and a yard cart to haul off anything. Typically, $75 would be for a small 6" shrub or ornamental tree stump and the Alpine. Now, if they have three of those stumps in a yard the overall price does not go up a bunch, maybe $100, but to load and unload equipment = $75. I cant see it being worth leaving the house for less than that with fuel prices, insurance and machine run-time costs. I guess I could do those cheaper jobs and be content, till I have a break down and need to buy a new power head or polychain belt etc..

 

[Toddppm]

Sounds way low. Here it would be $200 for the stump, and another $200 to remove chips, soil, seed, and mulch.

This sounds best and I'd probably be close to the same price doing all of that. If you go through the trouble to do it right, like most companies don't. ie: remove ALL of the grindings that you can and not leave any big unground chunks of root or stump in the hole. Bring good dirt, seed, fertilize and straw........that's a lot of work.

Per inch price really doesn't make any sense at all, figure out what out you need per hour- site to site and price it from there. I think $100.00/hour doing grinding work etc. with the Super Jr. is fair if you can get it.

 

[MSgtBob66]

$100/hr

That job looks to be 125/150 for grind only. I clean up for half the cost of the grind plus disposal at the nearest compost place. My home owners typically want to do the rest themselves.

BOB

 

[Bigstumps]

$225 grinding everything in that area down below grade and raking it back smooth. I'll get that job everytime and leave a happy customer. I will also get referrals. I work strictly on quality of work. I grind them deep, get all the roots and leave the place looking nice. I don't take away grindings. I will discuss with the customer if they want to get the grass to grow back they need to remove the grindings and put in top soil. If this is the route they want to go I will pile up the grindings for them versus raking them out.

I figure I'm there - might as well do a great job and make top dollar. Customers remember the quality of work long after they forget what they paid!! I get tons of referrals. And I follow behind a lot of half ground bargain jobs!

 

[TonyG]

Hoosier,

$125 to grind /cleanup. We try to avoid the reseeding end as of late, just don't want to bother anymore. A complete cleaning is "must".

 

[MOE]

This thread has legs.

I also use the cost or renting a grinder to some degree, if a home owner wants to pay the $95 to $150 minimum to rent for 4 hours and DIY the stump (Learn how to use it, and clean up the mess and know where to haul it etc..) then I say have at it. In fact I will volunteer to the home owner the cost of DIY and that can change perceptions of value. If the guy has a wooded lot and he can rent for a day ($300 +) and deal with a large number of stumps for less than I would charge I point out how he could save money, but many professional people have zero interest in the DIY thing. If its a home where stumps are "yard art" or it looks like they have been mowing around it for a decade then I typically don't get called and I rarely solicit for those stumps.


I would not show up for $75 and use both a grinder, saw and a yard cart to haul off anything. Typically, $75 would be for a small 6" shrub or ornamental tree stump and the Alpine. Now, if they have three of those stumps in a yard the overall price does not go up a bunch, maybe $100, but to load and unload equipment = $75. I cant see it being worth leaving the house for less than that with fuel prices, insurance and machine run-time costs. I guess I could do those cheaper jobs and be content, till I have a break down and need to buy a new power head or polychain belt etc..[/QUOTE

$75 for just that stump really isn't worth leaving the house. I have a $75 Minimum but I try to stack a number of jobs in one day and make a route. Unless I have to drive across a large yard, I would unload, grind and load up and write a bill in 15 minutes. If I do 5 or more of those jobs in one evening, then it's worth it. I could ask $150 and get very little work. The little pain in the ass jobs often lead into nice jobs and nice word of mouth jobs. They can be a pain but pay off later.

 

[Mowingman]

Moe,
I work my $75.00 minimum jobs about the same way. I tell the customer it may be a few days before I get by to grind. Then, as soon as I get 3 or 4 "minimum" jobs, I catch them all at once.
What usually happens though, is I get a bigger job in the same area, and stop at the small job while heading to, or from, the bigger job. It is kind of a waste of time and effort to hook up for a $75.00 stump clear across town.
Jeff