The Price Impact of Landscape Service Frequency

Understanding pricing for your landscape, frequency of service, and really having a grasp on what your individual property needs is a tough nut to crack. It might seem strange to you that there’s no outlined price that’s set in stone for all landscapes that fit certain criteria – you might be thinking, “someone else has a landscape that’s the same exact size as mine, but my pricing bid is much higher, why is that?”

The answer? Every landscape is different. Every landscape has unique needs, issues, and services that are required to make it beautiful, and all of those things should be outlined in your pricing plan. There are dozens of factors that go into the price and service frequency of your particular landscape – things like hours required to get a job done, the issues that surround that job, the number of workers on your property, the unique needs of your property, the size of your property, and more. The list could go on and on.

Sitting from our office, we can’t necessarily just tell you off the bat what your landscaping price would be – we’d have to meet with you, see the property, understand your needs, and more – but we can help to break down both price and service frequency so you can have a better understanding of what kind of rate and service might be necessary for you.

At Landcrafters, we believe that you get exactly what you pay for – that is, if you’re working with a company who seems to be giving you an exceptionally low price for a property that requires tons of billable hours and lots of crew members, it’s likely not going to be the work you’re hoping for. Join us as we break down what you should know about pricing and service frequency for your property.

Sit Down and Consider the Type of Property You Have

Of course, your property is going to be priced differently because of the type of landscape services you’re looking for. Sit down for a moment and consider exactly what kind of property you have. Are you a residential property that needs just a few spruce-up check-ins from your landscaping team every few months? Do you run a retail shopping center that needs weekly attention? Are you running an international hotel business that needs daily landscaping attention? Then, consider the type of features on your property and think about the need for maintenance. Does your irrigation system need consistent check-ins? Are you going to provide the right amount of attention to those flower beds? The type of property you have and the features you plan to include (or already have included) in your landscape decisions are going to play major roles in the number of services you’ll need to properly maintain your property. So, before you have doubts about pricing, consider the audience your property serves, what facets on your property require attention, consider the amount of attention, and what types of landscaping features you have (fountains, flowers, fauna, etc.) that might need more TLC. Factor all of those things into cost.

Is Seasonal Service Enough (What Does that Mean, Anyway)

Maybe, after considering the kind of property you have, you and your landscaping company have decided that you only need seasonal services. That’s great! You sat down with them and made a choice about what works best for your landscape. But, do you know what seasonal services really means?

A lot of landscaping seasons are relatively short, but as Floridians who don’t really have a winter, our landscaping season is relatively never ending. That means that you’ll need to specify with your landscape provider what growing weeks they’ll be considering, how many seasonal visits are necessary for your property, and what services a seasonal routine will offer you.

The best thing you can do is ask your landscape maintenance team how many services visits your contract includes, what services are included, what you’ll be charged extra for (should a need arise), how Florida seasons fit into your contract, and how often throughout the year will these visits for maintenance occur.

With Any Landscaping Company, Know About the Numbers

AKA don’t just read the bold type in the contract. Ask about the numbers. Ask about the fine print. Ask your prospective company to avoid using buzzwords and to give you the cold, hard numbers in writing. Make sure that you’re properly understanding the exact services you’re getting, how often you’re getting them, why you’re getting them, and the specifics of each service. Don’t just take “re-mulching the flower beds” as an answer – ask if this includes all of the flower beds on the property, ask if the price they listed counts for each bed or the combined total of beds, ask how many times your landscaping company will perform this service. Lay out all the numbers exactly, ask for clarification on “seasonal” work – don’t just have them list out what they’re doing, have them list out exactly how many times you can expect them to do this for the price you agreed upon. This is one of the only ways you’ll fully be able to understand if you’re getting what you’re paying for.

Ask about additional costs, too. If your landscaping company is going to plant new flowers in your flower beds every season, what happens if they underestimate the bulbs needed and need to buy more. Do you pay for that? Do they? Is there an estimated cost? If there’s fine print (and honestly, we’re not sure that there should be fine print at all), read it, understand it, and ask as many questions as you can to get the clarification on services that you need.

 

Did our price breakdown and look into landscaping services give you a better idea of how landscaping pricing works? We hope so! If you want to talk more about pricing, how we’d price your property, or what services we can offer you and your landscape, give our office a call at (727)-201-3947. Want more information about landscaping in general? Check out our blog for weekly updates on the latest trends in landscaping, tips and tricks toward creating your perfect landscape, and lots of landscaping inspo!