Best way to bid on an estimate that involves:

[jalegre0]

Senior development with roughly 3,000 homes
Species are black pine, sugar & silver maples, ash, water oaks, red oaks, spruce, and linden
Been there tree guy for the last 5 yrs.
Pitched an idea today that they loved now have to get back to them with an estimate:
I proposed to trim back all trees that are overhanging houses
Remove any dead or diseased limbs,trees
Crown reduction on some specified maples. this was to deter them from topping, as they did in previous years
Also topsoil and mulch around any trees that are exposing roots throughout lawn.
Also there are alot of ash trees that are infected with ash borer's. Has anyone dealt with these varmints? What is the best course to deal with them?

And the biggest ? is should I bill them per job or by hour, how much an hour?

This is a development that has never been maintained. Their trees are a mess, for the last 25 years they would only call if the tree is dead or fell. Is there anything that I overlooked.


As always Thanx
you guys are the best

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'd bill them by the job.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Before deciding how to approach it, maybe you could find out how their budgeting for tree work is going to go from now into the future. Do they have an annual fixed budget, or can only use money left over from other things, so it will vary. Do they want you to schedule maintenance a certain number of times per year, or will call you when they think you are needed. I'd try and get clear on the variables before deciding how to approach the compensation, better to know where your work lies in the general scheme of things for the place. There might be a billing approach that better falls into place for their convenience as well. Seems like a valuable opportunity, good luck!

 

[jalegre0]

The main thing they want to concentrate on from Jan- March is the trimming and any dead or diseased. they want to know how much will be done and how much $roughly per week. I dont know what there budget is but they spent over $380,000 for the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy and dont want this to happen again. Thats why I am trying to propose this maintenance plan

Before deciding how to approach it, maybe you could find out how their budgeting for tree work is going to go from now into the future. Do they have an annual fixed budget, or can only use money left over from other things, so it will vary. Do they want you to schedule maintenance a certain number of times per year, or will call you when they think you are needed. I'd try and get clear on the variables before deciding how to approach the compensation, better to know where your place is in the entire scheme of things. Seems like a valuable opportunity, good luck!

 

[jalegre0]

The main thing they want to concentrate on from Jan- March is the trimming and any dead or diseased. they want to know how much will be done and how much $roughly per week. I dont know what there budget is but they spent over $2000,000 for the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy and dont want this to happen again because of neglected tree maintanance. Thats why I am trying to propose this maintenance plan

Do think the Hourly Wage way is a good way to go and say for example We worked 32 hrs @$$$ an hour this week for a total of ?$
or such and such address needed this trimmed for $$$$ and then reapeat over a thousand times?
Some of these jobs are small so I could probably blow through 20+ jobs a day.
Pretty much my main ? is what is a good hourly rate to charge for his type of work for a crew of 5?
1 bucket operater, one climber, 2-3 groundies

 

[Tucker943]

Are you 100% certain EAB is an issue? Have you done a lab sample? Here is PA (obviously west of you, with a pest that has travelled east), we are not infested with EAB. We have found it, and it has spread eastward, but we are not seeing massive mortality yet, and I myself have seen none at all. I think a lot of people are pointing at every sick ash tree with borer holes and blaming EAB. Have you surely confirmed EAB? I mean this with respect of course. I am just somewhat surprised to hear of measurable EAB problems east of myself.

I looked it up out of curiousity and NJ's Dept of Env Protection is currently claiming EAB has not infected the state yet. On the flip side of the coin, SavATree is claiming they have found it in orange county. I think before rolling EAB into your bid, lab samples would be a wise idea. It could save you big problems.

 

[treelooker]

Write your specs carefully: >X' clearance from buildings, >X" dead wood removed, etc. Callbacks and disagreements kill profit.

 

[Atlantaclimber]

We charge 350 an hour for jobs like that with a similar crew

 

[vharrison]

I would bill it by the hour @ 375.00 per hour, covering your 5 man crew.

 

[Page]

In the past three years I have only seen a handfull of ash's with EAB. usualy they are dieing of ash yellows disease. I have read that the best way to deal with it is to hang bird feeders in the ash tree's durring the colder months when food is more scarce. this will help attract birds to that tree. then remove the feeders for the warm months and the birds will continue to come to the tree looking for food and start eating bugs. I have never tried it myself so I don't know how well it works but so far I don't think there is much else that is doing better. you said you would be covering roots with soil and mulch? would this not harm the tree's in the long run or are you talking about a very thin layer?

 

[jalegre0]

Thanx for all ur help guys but sold something better G.I.S TREE INVENTORY

I started looking into G.I.S mapping and pitched this plan and reasons for the uses of a tree inventory using one of these mapping programs.
Took me three months of meetings and research but i got. I am charging $100 dollars an hour for me and 1 guy to inventory all the trees in the village.



I already got 600 trees inventoried and with this program it will map out all trees and also map out by specific needs and/or species. for example, show me all trees that are dead, or need pruning, which are diseased, etc. It will show exact location, and problem(s) associated with that tree(s) and specifications asked, if none asked will show you all.
It is time consuming, took me 40 hrs to get 1/16 of the whole property inventoried. I tried to sell this in winter and gets approved now when I am busy as hell, go figure.
after inventory complete first order of business is removal of all dead or trees in severe decline(dangerous) and trimming trees away from houses.
below took some pics of progress and program. You can try a freehttp://http://pgonline.planitgeo.com/TreePlotter/Sites/LITE/index.html
ATTACH]

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Around here.. it's 100.00 per hour for a certified arborist assessment and plan. WITH OUT a helper. Helper is usually an additional $25.00 per.

 

[jacolantern]

You cannot go wrong with hourly rate.

 

[BOTS]

I would go hourly, thats how I do it on big jobs that are to hard to bid....and if they through something extra in, your still getting paid by the hour so no free work...remember were a "tree service not a free service"

 

[jalegre0]

i didnt charge for helper because i told them that I never did this before so they already new that I was new at gis system. and besides Im doing all the tree estimates as I do the inventory so I am getting paid to give them a proposal . because basically thats what this is. they want a removal plan, trimming from all structures and tree care plan. not at the tree care stage yet but I got a buddy at bartletts who would help me with that. I need to get pesticide licence

 

[HolmenTree]

My wife gets her hair cut and styled by a lady who operates out of her basement and charges $65 hour.
The lady is so good at what she does that she has a waiting list of a minimal 2 weeks. The customers just keep coming to her.

For my 1 man tree service and what I charge I take a reality check every now and then thinking about that lady barber.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Someone I know told me she paid $167 for a cut and color. I offered to do it for her next time.


Good to go hourly, if they have deep pockets. So often people want to know what something nebulous like this will cost, rather than open the purse strings. If they bawk at hourly, or have some issues, then perhaps do the dead and dying as a trial run and cost estimate calibrator.

 

[HolmenTree]

Hourly doesn't work in my way of thinking. I just go piecework and mark down then estimate every tree and shrub.
It does take a learning curve to know how long it takes you to get the job done, but after a few low estimated prices you learn quick.

Yesterday for example a cottage owner hired me to clear some small trees and shrub off his property. Tallest tree was 35 feet with 8 total, but from what I could see how they were leaning around his cabin he couldn't do the job himself.

I marked every tree and shrub on my estimate form, gave each one a price with maximum $350 on one tree. No stump removal, left firewood blocks on site , chipped and hauled away limbs and brush.
Total cost $1680, well within his budget he said.. I was done in 6 hours including dump at landfill, which works out to $280 hour and I'm working alone with no employee to pay.

Then the bonus comes in, the neighbor comes over and wants two 30 foot high poplars topped and then felled with no cleanup. I quote $420, he's happy with that and it takes me 1 hour.
$2100 for a 7 hour day at $300 hour is a good day......I never would have got that if I charged by the hour, you just have to know your limitations

 

[Mick!]

Days like that are good Willard, experiencing the flip side of the coin at the moment on a large grinding job!
Just got to grit you teeth and get on with it.

 

[ClimbMIT]

Awesome day for you Will!

 

[jalegre0]

I brought a friend from Bartlett in to help a/ inventory it's a beetle borer of ash trees not as evasive ,not eab much more controllable

 

[jalegre0]

I agree on bidding by job and it has favored me in these villages .other tree services swayed them from hourly and daily rates by not working for more than 2 to 4 hrs and charging them for all day. So during hurricane sandy I invoiced per tree invoiced $100,000 a week if I did a daily rate I would of never did that.
This was my main selling point of this inventory . If you took care of trees before they were 30+ yrs old instead of post sandy you would of never had this much damage( 50 employees , sub 2 tree companies 5-7 guys each for 5 wks)I said if you know ur trees you can evaluate, work into budget , remove and trim hazardous trees, take care of trees before decline to save $ on a removal in the future etc. and damage in village.

 

[HolmenTree]

Thanks fellas!
Always remember " Piecework".

 

[jalegre0]

At the end of the day I think the customer is happier too. We have to do a job next week, that involves cleaning up the common grounds (the woods) of all fallen debri and dead trees. This was done last year by another company under the assumption it would take 3days. they went over budget and stopped project. They contacted me and said the want a id with a finished price attached.