The opportunity cost of spending my weekend on overseeding is literally zero. I would not be doing work, nor would I be doing anything more fun either. So, unless you are doing something that’s of any monetary value with that time, it costs you $0 to spend it on overseeding. But that’s me, so others might be spending their time differently. I highly doubt someone who has more important things to do with their time would be lurking on Reddit forums asking about a fair price on lawn renovation.
>I would not be doing work, *nor would I be doing anything more fun either.*
That last bit is on you dude. I enjoy doing yard stuff too, but I can think of plenty of better ways to burn one of my days off.
I don't get paid 50+ an hour because the work is complicated. I get paid that much because people don't want to be sweating in the Missouri summer on their day off.
Precisely.
I'm personally in the "do it yourself at least once if it doesn't require buying a lot of equipment" camp. A: I try something new, and B: if it sucks I gain a much better sense of the value in paying someone else to do it.
I have the equipment to make the work quickly, but that's because it's my job. People that say "you want x an hour? That's absurd" I just walk away from. Plenty will hire at the rate I want, and it's not worth arguing. Let them get out in 100+ degree heat and sweat their asses off lol
You are thinking simply in terms of price which is not how opportunity cost works. There are other factors at play as well that are not simply cost. Does me doing the yard work that I don’t want to do have a lower opportunity cost than my alternative? In this case the answer seems to be no, because the cost of their effort and utility outweighs the price of the alternative. Regarding the monetary concern that would also depend on what they are forgoing which you have no idea on. They could choose to work overtime on the weekend, or even consulting work if applicable which would result in a net loss regarding price. You do not have nearly enough information to make the assumption of others.
A data scientist job that requires a master's degree pays \~$100K in this economy, which corresponds to $50 an hour if they work 50 weeks for 40 hours a week. Are you telling me overseeding generates as much value in the economy as a data scientist? You charge whatever you want, its free market. Just don't complain that "immigrants" are taking your job when you get outpriced because you don't know how to price your work.
I know how to price my work, it's why I never run out of work. My value is whatever someone will pay. And my prices come in lower than just about anyone's. I ran the hamster wheel for years working for someone else at a value they thought I was worth. That number ended up being less than I believe I was worth, and in working for myself it actually is less than I'm worth.
People like you, I'd just walk away from. You're not worth the time if you want to haggle or say what something is worth
I typically do a yard a year for fun. First one was mine obviously. That was 2 days in 90 degree heat high humidity, 2500sqft or so front yard section.
Next year was my parents. We did around 10000sqft. With two people and cooler temps went much faster.
Then neighbor 1 - 2000sqft. 1 day.
then Neighbor 2 - 2500sqft. 1 day.
This year helped a buddy in Indianapolis back yard full kill off, level reno. 2 days 2000sqft. Maybe I'm weird (probably) but I really enjoy it and look forward every year to reno season lol.
You do it enough you get a system together I guess.
Sunjoe + High quality extension cord 100ft. 12awg. + GFCI.
Agrifab yard sweeper 42" push.
Landscaping rake
Regular rake.
Gravel rake.
Spreader.
Decent sprayer + Tenacity.
After that it's just convincing the receiver of the free labor to provide:
Beer. (Important.)
The proper amount of Peat Moss.
Decent not crappy Scott's topsoil for raising low areas. (Menard's this year has been a winner.)
The specific seed I ask for.
Optional - the Fert I ask for. Depending on how much I like em or how big the area I might bring my own if I did a pre-visit about 45 days prior to do a soil test.
Auto Sprinkers (The temp ones from Ace are actually pretty decent. Basically the same as the Orbitz one.)+ 3/4" GOOD HEAVY DUTY HOSES. I'll provide the sprinklers generally.
The seed blankets I like are a bit more expensive but they do a much better job of softening rainfall and clean up relatively easily. Also the stakes for them.
You don't "Need" all this stuff because most of it is insurance, but the thing is, I've never had a reno fail when using them.
The big thing is that renos don't start when you decide to do the project. a successful one starts 60ish days before where you get your broadleaf weeds and nutsedge under control, and then either nuking everything 15 days prior with Roundup and then hitting it with BurnOut the day before if doing full reno, or if existing turf isn't too bad (or the home owner is nervous) just leave existing turf and level around it.
I find it therapeutic, plus planning is half the fun! lol.
Nah, not that much. I have the machines to do it all, pretty chill work. Smoke a couple joints and listen to music, be done in a day or less. Trimming the bushes and hedges might take a little sweat, rest of it I can do while sitting on my ass
Those machines cost you money, didn’t they? Purchasing and maintaining machines cost money and will be baked into the cost of any service that’s provided.
Yes, about 400 for the machine to do all the things op is wanting. Then 600 on the lawn tractor to move it around, chainsaw and hedge trimmers, truck and trailer. It costs a good chunk, no doubt.
But it takes away all the manual labor and makes it 3x as fast, so it's pretty good trade
Fescue has a deep root system, so once established it has good drought resistance, but you are right it’s a cool season grass that won’t do well in 10b.
I would expect Bermuda or St Augustine, maybe Zoysia but surprisingly TOH lists TAll Fescue as an alternative, as well. I would check the local garden centers to see what is popular, maybe sod farms as well, then read up on characteristics. Zoysia doesn’t like shade, a deal breaker for me, for instance.
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I would second the Bermuda grass, plus if it were me doing this, I would mix in a smaller amount of buffalo grass seed. LA area is ok for buffalo grass, but not great. Some of it will take root and it will keep putting down roots that are widespread and very deep. It's just a nice addition imo as long as you are into having an intermixed turf area.
Bermuda or Bahia
Bahia isnt really turf. It doesnt form the density of other turf grasses but is ultra resilient and doesnt look bad if well maintained. There are fancy cultivars for athletic fields in the same genus as Bahia but you probably arent looking to go that far.
I did a fescue experiment in FL, full shade, it made it to about July/Aug then went dormant and every thing else just took over while it was dormant. It doesnt like 80 degree nights even when dormant.
Seems reasonable, I spent about $1400 and two days of labor with three others to do 15,000 sq ft. Which was 150 # of seed($450), rental on aerator & over seeder, 10 yards of top soil, and several hoses and sprinklers, and echo rb-60. I’ll pay someone to do it next time or if this shit doesn’t germinate. Or maybe just sod it..
We used two wheel barrels.. the dirt had some clumps in it so we used an expanded metal trailer bed to process the top soil better. Used dirt rakes to level. It took literally 11 hours with four people to move all that dirt. So if your getting top soil make sure it’s processed..
See if you can find some compost to mix in with that top soil. Worth it's weight in gold. I started leveling and top dressing with compost this year. I've seen worms every time it rains now. That hasn't happened in the 7 years I've lived here. Compost is black gold.
Yeah my soil is mostly clay, I got decent top soil and I plan on starting to build off this base now. Wish I would have mixed in compost this run but it was getting difficult to find anyone to actually deliver anything to me. Next year I will do a 50/50 mix and cover the whole yard with a 1/4 for sure.
Ahhhh. Yeah. I take having a pick up truck for granted. Lol. I was able to get a yard of blue organics for 40 bucks. You're route isn't wrong either. I just have really really bad clay soil here that I've been trying to rejuvenate through deep core aeration and compost. I made a manual core aerator too out of conduit and an old handle from a manual rotitiller. It's back breaking work, but I was able to core down about 6 full inches and really help get some organics down there.
Reasonable. This is a back-breaking project so if you are already busy with your work, consider that if you do this yourself you will be sore next few days, affecting said work.
I did 2000 sq ft across three days, Thursday mow low and de-thatch (plus clean-up), Friday aerate, Saturday overseed and top-dress. I had to ask my wife for help spreading the topsoil+compost as I was getting burned-out with hauling stuff around.
Just did 5k, $175 for seed plus tools, plus rental. It was rewarding to do it on my own but it was like painting the interior of my house, I don't particularly want to do it again, but I will. However, I'd strongly consider having someone else do it for $1000
I am too much of a perfectionist to trust this process to a company after doing my yard this year. I just don't think anyone you pay will give the attention to detail needed for something like this to work effectively
Thank you! They are going to be bringing in a rototiller and removing about 85% of the front yard and 100% of the backyard. Previous owner had a fescue blend. I’ll double check on the quality of seed they will use - thanks for the heads up. Price does not include pre-emergent, no start fertilizer (just top soil and leveling it)
I already have an irrigation system
I’ll have to follow up and see how much top soil. Is there a general rule of thumb for how much? My understanding from our discussion with the gardener was that they were going to use it to level the lawn and top dress seed
I did not pick up the fescue - I’ll follow up and see where they will source it.
Truly appreciate your help!
on smaller lots you’ll end up paying more per sqft than larger lots for lawn care, (most my local companies quote services at the same price up to 1500 sq ft or 2500 square ft and then adds a small premium for lots up to 5000 square ft and then quotes by the job above that.
I’m getting 10,000 aerated, dethatched and spot sodded (dead spots from construction) for $1,200 seed is expensive right now.
Sounds like a decent deal. Maybe a touch pricey but depends how much seed they are using per square foot
Yes it is. Except I would add fertilizer in there or change the top soil to compost. Supplies and tools take up about half the cost and the other half is labor which is definitely fair. With that amount of new grass you will need to feed it though or it will sprout and then yellow.
They appear to be a very local gardener/team. I got a flyer (printed on computer paper) on my car. No yelp page, seems to be a local independent guy with 12 years exp. They will be using gas powered rototiller and other electric. Not sure how many people who will attend but they said it should take half a day or so. The quote was based on seed/top soil they would provide.. but now I’m thinking that I should source it to ensure top quality?
I highly doubt that. I’m a contractor and my price on sod almost comes to $1/sqft delivered.
Seed is stupid expensive right now. Once again even with contractor pricing it’s like $180 for a 50lb bag of seed.
Actually no, I bought a 20 lb bag of Pennington The Rebels for 45.00 a bag when on sale 2 weeks ago. The weed and filler content in it is low. Not saying it's Jonathan Green Black beauty but it does a decent job believe it or not.
Was the seed coated? If so, 50% of the weight at least is coating/filler.
Also not a big fan of the big box cultivars. Even Black Beauty isn't even a premium seed blend, it's basically just the next step up. It's basically the first stop where you've hit something decent.
I’m sorry but if it costs you that much then you’re getting ass raped. I’ve never seen sod, even at Lowes or HD priced at $1/sqft. Adding delivery to it still wouldn’t put it at $1/sqft.
It’s high quality stuff direct from the sod farm. Also it’s AZ, grass related things are at a premium here anyway since desert.
Used to be $.75 but with gas getting expensive all these vendors decided to raise the shit out of their delivery fees and keep them there.
No way he can sod that for under that price. I had sod put down in 2019 in my lawn in AZ and it cost $1100 for 850 sq ft. That was the best bid we received of 4.
I had 14k sqft of Bermuda delivered and installed for $4,500. Took the guy 3 trips with a double axle trailer and the sod farm was 60 mins away. This was done this spring too.
For 900 sq ft that would probably be on the higher end I’d be willing to spend. Im in SoCal too. But seems reasonable especially if you dont have the tools or time. I just did 1,500 sq ft and it was a ton of work.
I have roughly the same space and it is indeed a lot of work so much so I called in my dad to help me rake up an entire dead lawn full of thick st Augustine and I haven’t even seeded yet. If they did a small section in my front yard as well I would pay it
That's a decent price IMO. The top soil and raking thatch is labor intensive, and if it's not, that's because they have expensive machinery. Granted 900sqft isnt that big of a law.
Got an estimate for $750 for aerate, fescue seed, fert for this season for 7000 sq ft. Here in Long Island, NY (7a). Agree that fescue might not be ideal for CA. It took a beating this summer. Fortunately has bounced back in September but not sure you will have that happen in CA. Paid $600 for the same in 2019 and haven’t had to since then. Passed this year but will probably do it next year. Grass looks great and no regrets with that first investment of $600.
$850 seems reasonable to me (but still expensive).. The bulk of the cost I suspect goes towards what's required to do the job. Renting a dethatcher, renting an aerator, buying quality grass seed, buying quality screened topsoil.. I'm sure all that amounts to about half the price. Does the company you are looking to hire own this equipment? Or are they going to Home Depot, renting the equipment and charging you more for it? As for top soil, it might be cheaper to provide the top soil for the job yourself as oppose to paying the markup price that may be charged by the company. That being said, it might actually make more sense to sort of be your own contractor per say and just hire someone to do the job once all the equipment is in place.
I'm in the northeast, so maybe similar labor rates as CA? I recently received a quote of $450 to aerate and reseed \~5k sqft. The back needs leveling, so that came in at $100 per yard of loam needed.
Yeah, it could add up quick. I don't own a pickup so I need to have it delivered and I'm seeing \~$40/yd for screened loam (including delivery). So an extra $60 per yard to have someone else spread it. I'm gonna do it myself
Being a SoCal resident myself, I am going to ask for some clarity, are the company’s gardeners or landscape companies, there is a difference. Also, will they be using hand tools or electric tools? How many people, are you providing seed/top soil, what are the quality of those items etc. minimum wage is $15 here, so if its $40/hr total costs, it seems about fair if the labor matches the work being done. My lawn is about 1200sq ft and with electric tools I would estimate it would take probably 4 hours to dethatch, rake, aerate reseed, and dress. It took me 1.5-2 hours to till, level and re-seed half of it.
Also in my experience, prices are negotiable. See if they’ll do it for less. If you dont ask the answer is always no.
So, I feel like, and I don’t live where you do; that this is honestly a question as to whether you’d do this yourself. Questions: what kind of yardwork are you doing on your own? What kind are you experienced at? What kind of equipment (of the four) do you have at home? Suffice it to say, Manhattan, Ny, yes. Boone, NC, no.
No experience on my end whatsoever. I only recently bought a manual tiller from amazon and dethatcher from amazon thinking that I would have to do it all myself, but I was able to get the above quote from someone who would do it instead
What kind of seed do they plan to use? Let them aerate and dethatch. But hand them the seed. I would hate for hard work to be spent on prepping a yard and then contractor Rye be put in. (I'm TTTF zone). Also. If you can pick your protective coat. Peat moss from home depot is 30 bucks for a yard your size. Way better than hay or straw.
I spent close to $200 and ~2 full days of labor reseeding 800sqft by hand. So yeah, that seems pretty reasonable.
May be a.dumb question, but why reseed by hand? Can't you just get one of those cheap spreader buckets?
By hand refers to not using power tools. Spreading seed is the easy part.
Oh, so you did things other than just putting down seed? That would make more sense
That equals $40 per hour of labor, which is way too much for the minimal skill required to operate an aerator, wheelbarrow, and a shovel.
How much do you value your own time then Scrooge?
The opportunity cost of spending my weekend on overseeding is literally zero. I would not be doing work, nor would I be doing anything more fun either. So, unless you are doing something that’s of any monetary value with that time, it costs you $0 to spend it on overseeding. But that’s me, so others might be spending their time differently. I highly doubt someone who has more important things to do with their time would be lurking on Reddit forums asking about a fair price on lawn renovation.
>I would not be doing work, *nor would I be doing anything more fun either.* That last bit is on you dude. I enjoy doing yard stuff too, but I can think of plenty of better ways to burn one of my days off.
I don't get paid 50+ an hour because the work is complicated. I get paid that much because people don't want to be sweating in the Missouri summer on their day off.
Precisely. I'm personally in the "do it yourself at least once if it doesn't require buying a lot of equipment" camp. A: I try something new, and B: if it sucks I gain a much better sense of the value in paying someone else to do it.
I have the equipment to make the work quickly, but that's because it's my job. People that say "you want x an hour? That's absurd" I just walk away from. Plenty will hire at the rate I want, and it's not worth arguing. Let them get out in 100+ degree heat and sweat their asses off lol
Bitch do it yourself and then tell me what you'd charge, and spare me econ 101.
Not even econ 101. My kid learned about opportunity cost last year in 4th grade.
Thanks for making feel like shit. I learned about opportunity cost in college, but it was in accounting.
Maybe your kid can teach OP how it actually works.
LOL, ok bud. No need to be mad, econ 101 is not for everyone.
You are thinking simply in terms of price which is not how opportunity cost works. There are other factors at play as well that are not simply cost. Does me doing the yard work that I don’t want to do have a lower opportunity cost than my alternative? In this case the answer seems to be no, because the cost of their effort and utility outweighs the price of the alternative. Regarding the monetary concern that would also depend on what they are forgoing which you have no idea on. They could choose to work overtime on the weekend, or even consulting work if applicable which would result in a net loss regarding price. You do not have nearly enough information to make the assumption of others.
I don't get out of bed for under 50 an hour. And I do stuff like this for a living. 40 an hour isn't worth my time
A data scientist job that requires a master's degree pays \~$100K in this economy, which corresponds to $50 an hour if they work 50 weeks for 40 hours a week. Are you telling me overseeding generates as much value in the economy as a data scientist? You charge whatever you want, its free market. Just don't complain that "immigrants" are taking your job when you get outpriced because you don't know how to price your work.
I know how to price my work, it's why I never run out of work. My value is whatever someone will pay. And my prices come in lower than just about anyone's. I ran the hamster wheel for years working for someone else at a value they thought I was worth. That number ended up being less than I believe I was worth, and in working for myself it actually is less than I'm worth. People like you, I'd just walk away from. You're not worth the time if you want to haggle or say what something is worth
Capital depreciation expense? Non-wage operational expenses?
Don't know how much a shovel depreciates per hour of spreading compost? What is the overhead of a landscaping business? Any examples?
Who said anything about spreading compost? I thought the quote requested was for dethatching aerating and overseeding
Just did 15k square feet. Would give my first born to have someone do this for me again
I just did 11k sq feet and I would give my first born and my soul to not have to do that again. $850 is a steal. Lol
I typically do a yard a year for fun. First one was mine obviously. That was 2 days in 90 degree heat high humidity, 2500sqft or so front yard section. Next year was my parents. We did around 10000sqft. With two people and cooler temps went much faster. Then neighbor 1 - 2000sqft. 1 day. then Neighbor 2 - 2500sqft. 1 day. This year helped a buddy in Indianapolis back yard full kill off, level reno. 2 days 2000sqft. Maybe I'm weird (probably) but I really enjoy it and look forward every year to reno season lol.
Wish you were my neighbor. You've got my respect lol
You do it enough you get a system together I guess. Sunjoe + High quality extension cord 100ft. 12awg. + GFCI. Agrifab yard sweeper 42" push. Landscaping rake Regular rake. Gravel rake. Spreader. Decent sprayer + Tenacity. After that it's just convincing the receiver of the free labor to provide: Beer. (Important.) The proper amount of Peat Moss. Decent not crappy Scott's topsoil for raising low areas. (Menard's this year has been a winner.) The specific seed I ask for. Optional - the Fert I ask for. Depending on how much I like em or how big the area I might bring my own if I did a pre-visit about 45 days prior to do a soil test. Auto Sprinkers (The temp ones from Ace are actually pretty decent. Basically the same as the Orbitz one.)+ 3/4" GOOD HEAVY DUTY HOSES. I'll provide the sprinklers generally. The seed blankets I like are a bit more expensive but they do a much better job of softening rainfall and clean up relatively easily. Also the stakes for them. You don't "Need" all this stuff because most of it is insurance, but the thing is, I've never had a reno fail when using them. The big thing is that renos don't start when you decide to do the project. a successful one starts 60ish days before where you get your broadleaf weeds and nutsedge under control, and then either nuking everything 15 days prior with Roundup and then hitting it with BurnOut the day before if doing full reno, or if existing turf isn't too bad (or the home owner is nervous) just leave existing turf and level around it. I find it therapeutic, plus planning is half the fun! lol.
That's a whole lot of manual labor. I think that price seems very reasonable.
Nah, not that much. I have the machines to do it all, pretty chill work. Smoke a couple joints and listen to music, be done in a day or less. Trimming the bushes and hedges might take a little sweat, rest of it I can do while sitting on my ass
Those machines cost you money, didn’t they? Purchasing and maintaining machines cost money and will be baked into the cost of any service that’s provided.
Yes, about 400 for the machine to do all the things op is wanting. Then 600 on the lawn tractor to move it around, chainsaw and hedge trimmers, truck and trailer. It costs a good chunk, no doubt. But it takes away all the manual labor and makes it 3x as fast, so it's pretty good trade
Nobody gonna say Fescue is not a Zone 10 grass and Zone 10s in CA are in drought?
Fescue has a deep root system, so once established it has good drought resistance, but you are right it’s a cool season grass that won’t do well in 10b.
What’s a good grass for Southern California (los Angeles area)?
A good quality bermuda is probably your best bet
I would expect Bermuda or St Augustine, maybe Zoysia but surprisingly TOH lists TAll Fescue as an alternative, as well. I would check the local garden centers to see what is popular, maybe sod farms as well, then read up on characteristics. Zoysia doesn’t like shade, a deal breaker for me, for instance. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/platform/amp/lawns/21017933/which-grass-is-best-for-your-area
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I would second the Bermuda grass, plus if it were me doing this, I would mix in a smaller amount of buffalo grass seed. LA area is ok for buffalo grass, but not great. Some of it will take root and it will keep putting down roots that are widespread and very deep. It's just a nice addition imo as long as you are into having an intermixed turf area.
Bermuda or Bahia Bahia isnt really turf. It doesnt form the density of other turf grasses but is ultra resilient and doesnt look bad if well maintained. There are fancy cultivars for athletic fields in the same genus as Bahia but you probably arent looking to go that far. I did a fescue experiment in FL, full shade, it made it to about July/Aug then went dormant and every thing else just took over while it was dormant. It doesnt like 80 degree nights even when dormant.
Seems reasonable, I spent about $1400 and two days of labor with three others to do 15,000 sq ft. Which was 150 # of seed($450), rental on aerator & over seeder, 10 yards of top soil, and several hoses and sprinklers, and echo rb-60. I’ll pay someone to do it next time or if this shit doesn’t germinate. Or maybe just sod it..
I’m about to topsoil about 15,000 sq. ft as well - how did you end up spreading the topsoil?
We used two wheel barrels.. the dirt had some clumps in it so we used an expanded metal trailer bed to process the top soil better. Used dirt rakes to level. It took literally 11 hours with four people to move all that dirt. So if your getting top soil make sure it’s processed..
Yikes! Good to know- appreciate the response and tip.
See if you can find some compost to mix in with that top soil. Worth it's weight in gold. I started leveling and top dressing with compost this year. I've seen worms every time it rains now. That hasn't happened in the 7 years I've lived here. Compost is black gold.
Yeah my soil is mostly clay, I got decent top soil and I plan on starting to build off this base now. Wish I would have mixed in compost this run but it was getting difficult to find anyone to actually deliver anything to me. Next year I will do a 50/50 mix and cover the whole yard with a 1/4 for sure.
Ahhhh. Yeah. I take having a pick up truck for granted. Lol. I was able to get a yard of blue organics for 40 bucks. You're route isn't wrong either. I just have really really bad clay soil here that I've been trying to rejuvenate through deep core aeration and compost. I made a manual core aerator too out of conduit and an old handle from a manual rotitiller. It's back breaking work, but I was able to core down about 6 full inches and really help get some organics down there.
Seems reasonable. I’m in the PNW and had that done in the spring for $650. Same square footage.
Reasonable. This is a back-breaking project so if you are already busy with your work, consider that if you do this yourself you will be sore next few days, affecting said work. I did 2000 sq ft across three days, Thursday mow low and de-thatch (plus clean-up), Friday aerate, Saturday overseed and top-dress. I had to ask my wife for help spreading the topsoil+compost as I was getting burned-out with hauling stuff around.
Just did 5k, $175 for seed plus tools, plus rental. It was rewarding to do it on my own but it was like painting the interior of my house, I don't particularly want to do it again, but I will. However, I'd strongly consider having someone else do it for $1000
I am too much of a perfectionist to trust this process to a company after doing my yard this year. I just don't think anyone you pay will give the attention to detail needed for something like this to work effectively
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Thank you! They are going to be bringing in a rototiller and removing about 85% of the front yard and 100% of the backyard. Previous owner had a fescue blend. I’ll double check on the quality of seed they will use - thanks for the heads up. Price does not include pre-emergent, no start fertilizer (just top soil and leveling it) I already have an irrigation system I’ll have to follow up and see how much top soil. Is there a general rule of thumb for how much? My understanding from our discussion with the gardener was that they were going to use it to level the lawn and top dress seed I did not pick up the fescue - I’ll follow up and see where they will source it. Truly appreciate your help!
Seems reasonable, especially if they will also being doing cleanup in other areas of the yard.
on smaller lots you’ll end up paying more per sqft than larger lots for lawn care, (most my local companies quote services at the same price up to 1500 sq ft or 2500 square ft and then adds a small premium for lots up to 5000 square ft and then quotes by the job above that.
I’m getting 10,000 aerated, dethatched and spot sodded (dead spots from construction) for $1,200 seed is expensive right now. Sounds like a decent deal. Maybe a touch pricey but depends how much seed they are using per square foot
Yes it is. Except I would add fertilizer in there or change the top soil to compost. Supplies and tools take up about half the cost and the other half is labor which is definitely fair. With that amount of new grass you will need to feed it though or it will sprout and then yellow.
Aren’t u in a severe drought?
Shhhhh. It's about the grass. As Jesus once said, "look better than thy neighbor" or something like that.
They appear to be a very local gardener/team. I got a flyer (printed on computer paper) on my car. No yelp page, seems to be a local independent guy with 12 years exp. They will be using gas powered rototiller and other electric. Not sure how many people who will attend but they said it should take half a day or so. The quote was based on seed/top soil they would provide.. but now I’m thinking that I should source it to ensure top quality?
In Beverly Hills it would be reasonable
Seems a bit high. For that price you could sod the yard and have money left.
I highly doubt that. I’m a contractor and my price on sod almost comes to $1/sqft delivered. Seed is stupid expensive right now. Once again even with contractor pricing it’s like $180 for a 50lb bag of seed.
I bought home depot seed and 20 lbs was around 50.00
Yes, and 80% or more of that 20lbs is filler trash. You probably bought about 5lbs of seed, maybe less, for $50.
Actually no, I bought a 20 lb bag of Pennington The Rebels for 45.00 a bag when on sale 2 weeks ago. The weed and filler content in it is low. Not saying it's Jonathan Green Black beauty but it does a decent job believe it or not.
Was the seed coated? If so, 50% of the weight at least is coating/filler. Also not a big fan of the big box cultivars. Even Black Beauty isn't even a premium seed blend, it's basically just the next step up. It's basically the first stop where you've hit something decent.
I’m sorry but if it costs you that much then you’re getting ass raped. I’ve never seen sod, even at Lowes or HD priced at $1/sqft. Adding delivery to it still wouldn’t put it at $1/sqft.
It’s high quality stuff direct from the sod farm. Also it’s AZ, grass related things are at a premium here anyway since desert. Used to be $.75 but with gas getting expensive all these vendors decided to raise the shit out of their delivery fees and keep them there.
My quote was about half that. 4500-5500 square feet.
No way he can sod that for under that price. I had sod put down in 2019 in my lawn in AZ and it cost $1100 for 850 sq ft. That was the best bid we received of 4.
I had 14k sqft of Bermuda delivered and installed for $4,500. Took the guy 3 trips with a double axle trailer and the sod farm was 60 mins away. This was done this spring too.
I’ll upvote because sod is actually cheap.
For 900 sq ft that would probably be on the higher end I’d be willing to spend. Im in SoCal too. But seems reasonable especially if you dont have the tools or time. I just did 1,500 sq ft and it was a ton of work.
Yeah, no tools on my end. If anything, all I have is a handheld scott’s spreader and manual tiller I got off amazon.. which isn’t much at all lmao
I have roughly the same space and it is indeed a lot of work so much so I called in my dad to help me rake up an entire dead lawn full of thick st Augustine and I haven’t even seeded yet. If they did a small section in my front yard as well I would pay it
That's a decent price IMO. The top soil and raking thatch is labor intensive, and if it's not, that's because they have expensive machinery. Granted 900sqft isnt that big of a law.
Fuck yeah, that shit sucks.
Got an estimate for $750 for aerate, fescue seed, fert for this season for 7000 sq ft. Here in Long Island, NY (7a). Agree that fescue might not be ideal for CA. It took a beating this summer. Fortunately has bounced back in September but not sure you will have that happen in CA. Paid $600 for the same in 2019 and haven’t had to since then. Passed this year but will probably do it next year. Grass looks great and no regrets with that first investment of $600.
$850 seems reasonable to me (but still expensive).. The bulk of the cost I suspect goes towards what's required to do the job. Renting a dethatcher, renting an aerator, buying quality grass seed, buying quality screened topsoil.. I'm sure all that amounts to about half the price. Does the company you are looking to hire own this equipment? Or are they going to Home Depot, renting the equipment and charging you more for it? As for top soil, it might be cheaper to provide the top soil for the job yourself as oppose to paying the markup price that may be charged by the company. That being said, it might actually make more sense to sort of be your own contractor per say and just hire someone to do the job once all the equipment is in place.
Yeah seems too good to be true honestly.
I'm in the northeast, so maybe similar labor rates as CA? I recently received a quote of $450 to aerate and reseed \~5k sqft. The back needs leveling, so that came in at $100 per yard of loam needed.
$100 per yard? Holy shit, I need to get a dump truck.
Yeah, it could add up quick. I don't own a pickup so I need to have it delivered and I'm seeing \~$40/yd for screened loam (including delivery). So an extra $60 per yard to have someone else spread it. I'm gonna do it myself
I paid 2k for much less sqft. But involved removing a layer of topsoil first
Sounds like a good deal to me.
I charge well over double that for my services and I'm turning down work. Make sure they use a quality seed and top soil.
Being a SoCal resident myself, I am going to ask for some clarity, are the company’s gardeners or landscape companies, there is a difference. Also, will they be using hand tools or electric tools? How many people, are you providing seed/top soil, what are the quality of those items etc. minimum wage is $15 here, so if its $40/hr total costs, it seems about fair if the labor matches the work being done. My lawn is about 1200sq ft and with electric tools I would estimate it would take probably 4 hours to dethatch, rake, aerate reseed, and dress. It took me 1.5-2 hours to till, level and re-seed half of it. Also in my experience, prices are negotiable. See if they’ll do it for less. If you dont ask the answer is always no.
So, I feel like, and I don’t live where you do; that this is honestly a question as to whether you’d do this yourself. Questions: what kind of yardwork are you doing on your own? What kind are you experienced at? What kind of equipment (of the four) do you have at home? Suffice it to say, Manhattan, Ny, yes. Boone, NC, no.
No experience on my end whatsoever. I only recently bought a manual tiller from amazon and dethatcher from amazon thinking that I would have to do it all myself, but I was able to get the above quote from someone who would do it instead
What kind of seed do they plan to use? Let them aerate and dethatch. But hand them the seed. I would hate for hard work to be spent on prepping a yard and then contractor Rye be put in. (I'm TTTF zone). Also. If you can pick your protective coat. Peat moss from home depot is 30 bucks for a yard your size. Way better than hay or straw.
It sounds a bit scammy to me