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Yard grading

6K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  JancoFlick 
#1 ·
I work for a fairly large excavation company but I want to start my own. I have the opportunity right now to do my first side job. It’s pretty simple, she just needs the final grade done on the yard to get ready for sod. It’s a .25 acre lot but only half needs work. It doesn’t need dirt brought in or taken out. Just smoothed & shaped which I’m more than capable of. What would you charge for this including machine rental, fuel, transportation.. the whole deal? I was thinking $600-$1000
 
#6 ·
$600 - $1000 is quite a range... what are all your costs associated with the above (i.e. - machine rental, fuel, transportation.. the whole deal, etc.)...

Labor
Overhead
Materials
Profit (what you pay your company, not what you pay yourself)
 
#7 ·
$600 - $1000 is quite a range... what are all your costs associated with the above (i.e. - machine rental, fuel, transportation.. the whole deal, etc.)...

Labor
Overhead
Materials
Profit (what you pay your company, not what you pay yourself)
My thinking was this. $175 per day for machine rental. Id say it will take 2 days to be safe and have time to return machine. I estimated $150 dollars in fuel & def for truck & machine, total. Rate for my labor at $40 an hour and estimated time from 7-10 hours. I’ll use 8 for calculations.
overhead $500ish.
labor $320
Materials??
Profit. $320 paying myself for this job in particular.
total cost of $820 received from customer.
Keep in mind this is just to make side money, not to make a living YET. I’m very open to criticism. If this sounds bad I’d like to know. I’m 21 years old, and currently an excavator operator with experience on all machine. I have never bid on a job before so any help is appreciated. I know I have a lot to learn about the business side of things.
 
#23 ·
You have a lot of problems with your breakdown, and I’ll try to explain it.

$40/hour. Is that what goes in your pocket, or is that what you charge the customer for yourself? Because there’s a HUGE difference.

And $40/hour at least in my area, is a good way to go broke. I’d have to pay an operator 40, which means my cost with labor burden would be 60. And that would leave me with nothing, so I might as well stay home and drink.

Where are you getting a skid steer for 125/day? They are $400 here.

Why would it take you 2 days to blade that small area out? I’d probably do it in an hour or two.

But I don’t work for free. I own my own skid steer, but it doesn’t go out for free either. I’m gonna charge load time, travel time, unload time, reload time, fueling time, etc.

If I had 2 hours of actual grading work to be done, and it was 1/2 hour or so from my shop, I’d probably end up charging about 4 hours.

At $165/hour, that would come out to $660. But it would only take me 1/2 day.

Like I tell folk, hourly rate is only half the story. I’ll get it done quick, with no collateral damage, and no mess. And I won’t be in your space for 2 days for a 2 hour job.

I just had a turbo and head gasket done on my skid steer. Cost me $8000. It was down for 3 weeks. Welcome to owning equipment.

And lastly, for the love of all that’s holy, please stop calling your wages “profit”.

YOUR WAGES ARE NOT YOUR PROFIT. YOUR PROFIT IS NOT YOUR WAGES.
 
#24 ·
You have a lot of problems with your breakdown, and I’ll try to explain it.

$40/hour. Is that what goes in your pocket, or is that what you charge the customer for yourself? Because there’s a HUGE difference.

And $40/hour at least in my area, is a good way to go broke. I’d have to pay an operator 40, which means my cost with labor burden would be 60. And that would leave me with nothing, so I might as well stay home and drink.

Where are you getting a skid steer for 125/day? They are $400 here.

Why would it take you 2 days to blade that small area out? I’d probably do it in an hour or two.

But I don’t work for free. I own my own skid steer, but it doesn’t go out for free either. I’m gonna charge load time, travel time, unload time, reload time, fueling time, etc.

If I had 2 hours of actual grading work to be done, and it was 1/2 hour or so from my shop, I’d probably end up charging about 4 hours.

At $165/hour, that would come out to $660. But it would only take me 1/2 day.

Like I tell folk, hourly rate is only half the story. I’ll get it done quick, with no collateral damage, and no mess. And I won’t be in your space for 2 days for a 2 hour job.

I just had a turbo and head gasket done on my skid steer. Cost me $8000. It was down for 3 weeks. Welcome to owning equipment.

And lastly, for the love of all that’s holy, please stop calling your wages “profit”.

YOUR WAGES ARE NOT YOUR PROFIT. YOUR PROFIT IS NOT YOUR WAGES.
These are the types of thing I’m trying to figure out thanks
 
#26 · (Edited)
When it comes to yard grading projects, determining the right pricing can be a balancing act. Considering factors like the size of the lot, scope of work, and expenses such as machine rental, fuel, and transportation is essential.

As a landscaper Kitchener, you're familiar with the local market and costs involved. For a .25 acre lot where only half needs work, and without the need for additional dirt or major adjustments, your initial estimate of $600-$1000 seems reasonable.

However, it's always a good idea to thoroughly assess the project requirements and associated costs before settling on a final price. Take into account the time and effort you'll invest, the rental rates for the required machinery, fuel costs, and transportation expenses.
 
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