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Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/20/2010 8:14:51 PM
Author:NewEnglandLady
I need some PS advice about whether or not we should spend money on a lawn service. Just curious about those PSers who either currently have or have had a lawn service...why do you think it''s worth it? Or if you had one and stopped using it, why? Also, how big is your yard? You can share costs if you''d like, but I know ours would be around $185/month from April - October not including mulching or leaf pickup during the fall, which seems like a competitive rate for the area.

I''m cheap, so I hate to spend the money, but I also don''t want to argue with DH about whether or not the grass is high enough to warrant mowing.
cuz it only cost me $35 per month for cut & edge.
9.gif
we have a pretty good size front lawn plus a little bit on the side of the house.
 

Gailey

Ideal_Rock
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I would say that''s a fair size for a residential lot. I have a lawn service cut the grass on two of my houses that I otherwise take care of (I''m a professional gardener). I don''t cut grass. I pay C$45 per week, per house.

That''s cut and edge. Expect to pay more for Spring and Fall clean-ups (grossly overrated) at approx $275 each time. Spring clean up usually includes power raking and fertilizing with a cheap chemical fertilizer and Fall clean up will include picking up leaves until the snow flies. I don''t use either of those two services. Aeration would be an added cost.

If you think this is going to be a constant source of battle between you and your husband then it''s money well spent.
 

E B

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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The guy we use mows our lawn twice a month for $70 (so $35 a mow). This includes both mowing and edging, and we''ve got a pretty decent sized front yard and a medium-sized back yard.
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 8:39:51 PM
Author: E B
The guy we use mows our lawn twice a month for $70 (so $35 a mow). This includes both mowing and edging, and we''ve got a pretty decent sized front yard and a medium-sized back yard.
Sounds like a great compromise. Ask them to quote you on a bi-weekly service. Don''t just assume it will be the same as a weekly service though.
 

redfaerythinker

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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My mother uses a lawn service, we have a large front and back yard as well as a small side yard. Our lot is also on a steep hill. She''s had the lawn service for about 10 years now since she can''t physically mow the lawn since it''s so steep and she''s a tiny person, and she works crazy long hours so she just didn''t have the time. They basically do all of the landscaping from mowing, edging, flower planting, etc. It''s worth every penny so that she doesn''t have to worry about it.
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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This is actually really helpful. If I could ge bi-monthly service for <$100/month, I would go for it. The house we''re buying sits on 1.25 acres, but only an acre or so is lawn. My husband claims he''ll make time to do it on the weekends, but we aren''t home most weekends and I think he''ll get frustrated with it quickly. I told my dogs that I was going to take away their daily play group so that we could hire a lawn service and housekeeper instead, but they didn''t seem too pleased...
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Hi NewEnglandLady,

Our house is on almost 2 acres. I''d imagine that we would have a similar rate here in CT, but we never called around to find out. My DH said he wanted to mow the lawn himself, and he has been. He mows the lawn with a standard size push mower. Most of our neighbors have a lawn service. Some have riding mowers. We also shovel our own driveway in the winter. We have yet to get a snow blower. And, we take our trash to the dump every Saturday. We are pretty thrifty for our area!

Anyway, maybe give it a go and see how the summer goes. If it turns out that your DH does not have the time to mow the lawn, then wait until you reach that point before hiring a service. And, then the dogs can continue to have their daily play group until then!
1.gif
 

sparklyheart

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
522
My yard is microscopic but I don''t have time to mow it with school and work so I have 3 guys that mow it at once.. it takes them 6 minutes to give you an idea of how small my yard is.. I only pay $8/week because my ex-BF set it up with his family''s yard guy while we were still together.. Worth every penny
9.gif
I would pay more but not the $35/week most people want to charge for all yards. Mine is just too small!! If you have the extra money and that is a competitive rate, then I say go for it! It is so nice to have it done and just always have a pretty yard! I feel like raking/mulching leaves is a bigger job so it sounds pretty fair to charge more for that service.
 

Haven

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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We don''t have a lawn service, but our lot isn''t nearly the size of yours. What a wonderful lot size! Our house sits on a quarter of an acre of land, and DH mows it all himself, and we do all of the landscaping together.

DH was a city boy his entire life until we were married and I brought him out to the burbs, so I didn''t believe him when he said he''d like to mow the lawn. But, he loves it. I think he finds it relaxing.

We almost bought a house on 2 acres of land farther out in the burbs, and had we bought *that* house, we''d definitely have to hire lawn service.
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Maybe you ladies are on to something...perhaps DH will actually enjoy mowing. I might give it this summer to see how it goes, then hire a service if necessary. That will at least give me time to get recommendations from neighbors. I actually enjoy mowing myself, but the plan is that I'll take care of most indoor chores and he will take care of most outdoor chores.

ETA: Sparkly, we have a small yard right now, too (less than a quarter of an acre) and the lawn service people have the grass mowed and the brick swept in about 15 minutes flat. There are usually two who work together and they are so efficient. Maybe I'll ask my landlord how much they charge...

Haven, I'm hoping my husband picks up on your husband's habits! I would love to work in the yard together, but my gut is telling me my husband is going to find it tedious. I grew up mowing 15 acres every week (which my father still mows), but my husband had a tiny yard growing up. I'm interested to see how it goes...
 

Haven

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I''m really shocked that he loves it so much, to be honest. Imagine a born-and-raised city boy getting excited about mowing a lawn and picking out perrenials! It''s crazy. He likes to joke around that he used to have Lake Michigan right outside his window, and now he has grass. We''re only 2 miles from the lake now, though, so he can''t complain.

Anyway, I think that it''s something he''ll either love or hate. I hope your DH enjoys it, though--we have a lot of fun planning out our landscaping and learning about planting things together. Neither one of us has any experience so we''re learning as we go along. (We''re actually going to build a stone wall in our front yard this summer, and DH is all into researching that now.)

I''d love to have the kind of land you grew up on, or even what you have now. What a luxury!
 

Matata

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
 

PumpkinPie

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I am the lawn service
7.gif
and my husband when I can convince him to get off his bum and do it :)
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 9:01:09 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
This is actually really helpful. If I could ge bi-monthly service for <$100/month, I would go for it. The house we''re buying sits on 1.25 acres, but only an acre or so is lawn. My husband claims he''ll make time to do it on the weekends, but we aren''t home most weekends and I think he''ll get frustrated with it quickly. I told my dogs that I was going to take away their daily play group so that we could hire a lawn service and housekeeper instead, but they didn''t seem too pleased...
OK an acre of grass is a different story. You wouldn''t get that much cut in Calgary for $45 per week.

Buy DH a ride-on mower. Then it''s super easy and fast. He will love it.
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM
Author: Matata
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?
 

IdLikeToBuyAVal

Shiny_Rock
Joined
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Messages
219
I second buying a riding mower! We have just over a half an acre and purchased one since a larger self propelled push mower would''ve been only a few hundred dollars less and the riding mower takes half the time! It takes FI about 45 minutes to an hour to mow everything and we mulch leaves in the fall with the mower as well.

Just for comparison''s sake, if you''re paying for 7 months of lawn service that''s $1295 for the year and I think we paid $1400 for our Cub Cadet (it''s one of the smaller ones).
 

Matata

Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/20/2010 11:17:39 PM
Author: Gailey
Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM

Author: Matata

I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?

On days when he just mows, edges, & cleans off the patio & front porch, I''d say about 45 min to an hour. Considerably longer on days when he weeds all the borders & beds or does major cleanup. Depending on time of year, he''ll mow & edge every week but he''ll come more than 1x week depending on what needs doing. Last week he came one day to fertilize because we were having rain and he wanted the fertilizer to soak in and then he came back later in the week to mow.
 

Tuckins1

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Gotta have a lawn first....
41.gif


Been doing so much renovation, our yards are torn up!! We will be re-doing our front porch this summer, then HOPEFULLY I can get some grass and landscaping!! But even after that- no, we won''t have any yard service. We are all about DIY.
 

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
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No--we used to but we got rid of it to save money. Plus DH likes to cut the grass for the exercise.
 

sparklyheart

Brilliant_Rock
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Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM
Author: Matata
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
I''m the opposite because I like to do everything but mow.. This sounds AMAZING though!! I bet your yard is always immaculate.. how nice! That''s a good price too!
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/21/2010 12:27:28 AM
Author: Matata

Date: 4/20/2010 11:17:39 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM

Author: Matata

I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?

On days when he just mows, edges, & cleans off the patio & front porch, I''d say about 45 min to an hour. Considerably longer on days when he weeds all the borders & beds or does major cleanup. Depending on time of year, he''ll mow & edge every week but he''ll come more than 1x week depending on what needs doing. Last week he came one day to fertilize because we were having rain and he wanted the fertilizer to soak in and then he came back later in the week to mow.
Wow! That really is a steal of a deal, and completely out of line with any professional I have ever encountered.
 

Kismet

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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When we bought our house, my husband started off taking care of the mowing but after a few years he got tired of it. We pay $50/mow and our entire lot is only 7800sqft, not sure how much actual grass area there is. He says he would have enjoyed it more if he had a riding mower but I somehow doubt that because he hates driving too. :)
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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NEL - Another piece of advice. If you do not hire someone for fall clean-up, you will want one of these. We got one off of Craigslist for $250, and it works great. I assume this is what landscapers use. Anyway, if you have wooded area on your property, then you can just use this to blow the leaves into the woods. Easy-peasy. It takes a few half Saturdays to get the job done, but DH likes to do it.
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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25,489
We have a small front yard (maybe 12 x 18 feet) and large backyard (maybe 40 x 50 feet). They charge us about $120 a month. It is worth it to me primarily because my dad would come over and mow our lawn (if he thought it was 1/2 inch too high) then complain about my husband not getting it cut yet. It''s not like we ever asked my dad to cut our grass but he is retired and bored so if we don''t get something done he just does it. It didn''t make my husband too happy either that my dad just does things over here. I decided if I hired the lawn service that would help reduce that friction. I also hire them to shovel our walks in the winter.
 
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NewEnglandLady

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I need some PS advice about whether or not we should spend money on a lawn service. Just curious about those PSers who either currently have or have had a lawn service...why do you think it's worth it? Or if you had one and stopped using it, why? Also, how big is your yard? You can share costs if you'd like, but I know ours would be around $185/month from April - October not including mulching or leaf pickup during the fall, which seems like a competitive rate for the area.

I'm cheap, so I hate to spend the money, but I also don't want to argue with DH about whether or not the grass is high enough to warrant mowing.
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/20/2010 8:14:51 PM
Author:NewEnglandLady
I need some PS advice about whether or not we should spend money on a lawn service. Just curious about those PSers who either currently have or have had a lawn service...why do you think it''s worth it? Or if you had one and stopped using it, why? Also, how big is your yard? You can share costs if you''d like, but I know ours would be around $185/month from April - October not including mulching or leaf pickup during the fall, which seems like a competitive rate for the area.

I''m cheap, so I hate to spend the money, but I also don''t want to argue with DH about whether or not the grass is high enough to warrant mowing.
cuz it only cost me $35 per month for cut & edge.
9.gif
we have a pretty good size front lawn plus a little bit on the side of the house.
 

Gailey

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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I would say that''s a fair size for a residential lot. I have a lawn service cut the grass on two of my houses that I otherwise take care of (I''m a professional gardener). I don''t cut grass. I pay C$45 per week, per house.

That''s cut and edge. Expect to pay more for Spring and Fall clean-ups (grossly overrated) at approx $275 each time. Spring clean up usually includes power raking and fertilizing with a cheap chemical fertilizer and Fall clean up will include picking up leaves until the snow flies. I don''t use either of those two services. Aeration would be an added cost.

If you think this is going to be a constant source of battle between you and your husband then it''s money well spent.
 

E B

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
9,490
The guy we use mows our lawn twice a month for $70 (so $35 a mow). This includes both mowing and edging, and we''ve got a pretty decent sized front yard and a medium-sized back yard.
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 8:39:51 PM
Author: E B
The guy we use mows our lawn twice a month for $70 (so $35 a mow). This includes both mowing and edging, and we''ve got a pretty decent sized front yard and a medium-sized back yard.
Sounds like a great compromise. Ask them to quote you on a bi-weekly service. Don''t just assume it will be the same as a weekly service though.
 

redfaerythinker

Brilliant_Rock
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Messages
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My mother uses a lawn service, we have a large front and back yard as well as a small side yard. Our lot is also on a steep hill. She''s had the lawn service for about 10 years now since she can''t physically mow the lawn since it''s so steep and she''s a tiny person, and she works crazy long hours so she just didn''t have the time. They basically do all of the landscaping from mowing, edging, flower planting, etc. It''s worth every penny so that she doesn''t have to worry about it.
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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This is actually really helpful. If I could ge bi-monthly service for <$100/month, I would go for it. The house we''re buying sits on 1.25 acres, but only an acre or so is lawn. My husband claims he''ll make time to do it on the weekends, but we aren''t home most weekends and I think he''ll get frustrated with it quickly. I told my dogs that I was going to take away their daily play group so that we could hire a lawn service and housekeeper instead, but they didn''t seem too pleased...
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
4,568
Hi NewEnglandLady,

Our house is on almost 2 acres. I''d imagine that we would have a similar rate here in CT, but we never called around to find out. My DH said he wanted to mow the lawn himself, and he has been. He mows the lawn with a standard size push mower. Most of our neighbors have a lawn service. Some have riding mowers. We also shovel our own driveway in the winter. We have yet to get a snow blower. And, we take our trash to the dump every Saturday. We are pretty thrifty for our area!

Anyway, maybe give it a go and see how the summer goes. If it turns out that your DH does not have the time to mow the lawn, then wait until you reach that point before hiring a service. And, then the dogs can continue to have their daily play group until then!
1.gif
 

sparklyheart

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
522
My yard is microscopic but I don''t have time to mow it with school and work so I have 3 guys that mow it at once.. it takes them 6 minutes to give you an idea of how small my yard is.. I only pay $8/week because my ex-BF set it up with his family''s yard guy while we were still together.. Worth every penny
9.gif
I would pay more but not the $35/week most people want to charge for all yards. Mine is just too small!! If you have the extra money and that is a competitive rate, then I say go for it! It is so nice to have it done and just always have a pretty yard! I feel like raking/mulching leaves is a bigger job so it sounds pretty fair to charge more for that service.
 

Haven

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
13,166
We don''t have a lawn service, but our lot isn''t nearly the size of yours. What a wonderful lot size! Our house sits on a quarter of an acre of land, and DH mows it all himself, and we do all of the landscaping together.

DH was a city boy his entire life until we were married and I brought him out to the burbs, so I didn''t believe him when he said he''d like to mow the lawn. But, he loves it. I think he finds it relaxing.

We almost bought a house on 2 acres of land farther out in the burbs, and had we bought *that* house, we''d definitely have to hire lawn service.
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Maybe you ladies are on to something...perhaps DH will actually enjoy mowing. I might give it this summer to see how it goes, then hire a service if necessary. That will at least give me time to get recommendations from neighbors. I actually enjoy mowing myself, but the plan is that I'll take care of most indoor chores and he will take care of most outdoor chores.

ETA: Sparkly, we have a small yard right now, too (less than a quarter of an acre) and the lawn service people have the grass mowed and the brick swept in about 15 minutes flat. There are usually two who work together and they are so efficient. Maybe I'll ask my landlord how much they charge...

Haven, I'm hoping my husband picks up on your husband's habits! I would love to work in the yard together, but my gut is telling me my husband is going to find it tedious. I grew up mowing 15 acres every week (which my father still mows), but my husband had a tiny yard growing up. I'm interested to see how it goes...
 

Haven

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
13,166
I''m really shocked that he loves it so much, to be honest. Imagine a born-and-raised city boy getting excited about mowing a lawn and picking out perrenials! It''s crazy. He likes to joke around that he used to have Lake Michigan right outside his window, and now he has grass. We''re only 2 miles from the lake now, though, so he can''t complain.

Anyway, I think that it''s something he''ll either love or hate. I hope your DH enjoys it, though--we have a lot of fun planning out our landscaping and learning about planting things together. Neither one of us has any experience so we''re learning as we go along. (We''re actually going to build a stone wall in our front yard this summer, and DH is all into researching that now.)

I''d love to have the kind of land you grew up on, or even what you have now. What a luxury!
 

Matata

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
8,502
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
 

PumpkinPie

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
2,841
I am the lawn service
7.gif
and my husband when I can convince him to get off his bum and do it :)
 

Gailey

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Date: 4/20/2010 9:01:09 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
This is actually really helpful. If I could ge bi-monthly service for <$100/month, I would go for it. The house we''re buying sits on 1.25 acres, but only an acre or so is lawn. My husband claims he''ll make time to do it on the weekends, but we aren''t home most weekends and I think he''ll get frustrated with it quickly. I told my dogs that I was going to take away their daily play group so that we could hire a lawn service and housekeeper instead, but they didn''t seem too pleased...
OK an acre of grass is a different story. You wouldn''t get that much cut in Calgary for $45 per week.

Buy DH a ride-on mower. Then it''s super easy and fast. He will love it.
 

Gailey

Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM
Author: Matata
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?
 

IdLikeToBuyAVal

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
219
I second buying a riding mower! We have just over a half an acre and purchased one since a larger self propelled push mower would''ve been only a few hundred dollars less and the riding mower takes half the time! It takes FI about 45 minutes to an hour to mow everything and we mulch leaves in the fall with the mower as well.

Just for comparison''s sake, if you''re paying for 7 months of lawn service that''s $1295 for the year and I think we paid $1400 for our Cub Cadet (it''s one of the smaller ones).
 

Matata

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Date: 4/20/2010 11:17:39 PM
Author: Gailey
Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM

Author: Matata

I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?

On days when he just mows, edges, & cleans off the patio & front porch, I''d say about 45 min to an hour. Considerably longer on days when he weeds all the borders & beds or does major cleanup. Depending on time of year, he''ll mow & edge every week but he''ll come more than 1x week depending on what needs doing. Last week he came one day to fertilize because we were having rain and he wanted the fertilizer to soak in and then he came back later in the week to mow.
 

Tuckins1

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
8,614
Gotta have a lawn first....
41.gif


Been doing so much renovation, our yards are torn up!! We will be re-doing our front porch this summer, then HOPEFULLY I can get some grass and landscaping!! But even after that- no, we won''t have any yard service. We are all about DIY.
 

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Messages
11,676
No--we used to but we got rid of it to save money. Plus DH likes to cut the grass for the exercise.
 

sparklyheart

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
522
Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM
Author: Matata
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
I''m the opposite because I like to do everything but mow.. This sounds AMAZING though!! I bet your yard is always immaculate.. how nice! That''s a good price too!
 

Gailey

Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/21/2010 12:27:28 AM
Author: Matata

Date: 4/20/2010 11:17:39 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM

Author: Matata

I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?

On days when he just mows, edges, & cleans off the patio & front porch, I''d say about 45 min to an hour. Considerably longer on days when he weeds all the borders & beds or does major cleanup. Depending on time of year, he''ll mow & edge every week but he''ll come more than 1x week depending on what needs doing. Last week he came one day to fertilize because we were having rain and he wanted the fertilizer to soak in and then he came back later in the week to mow.
Wow! That really is a steal of a deal, and completely out of line with any professional I have ever encountered.
 

Kismet

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When we bought our house, my husband started off taking care of the mowing but after a few years he got tired of it. We pay $50/mow and our entire lot is only 7800sqft, not sure how much actual grass area there is. He says he would have enjoyed it more if he had a riding mower but I somehow doubt that because he hates driving too. :)
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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NEL - Another piece of advice. If you do not hire someone for fall clean-up, you will want one of these. We got one off of Craigslist for $250, and it works great. I assume this is what landscapers use. Anyway, if you have wooded area on your property, then you can just use this to blow the leaves into the woods. Easy-peasy. It takes a few half Saturdays to get the job done, but DH likes to do it.
 

marcy

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We have a small front yard (maybe 12 x 18 feet) and large backyard (maybe 40 x 50 feet). They charge us about $120 a month. It is worth it to me primarily because my dad would come over and mow our lawn (if he thought it was 1/2 inch too high) then complain about my husband not getting it cut yet. It''s not like we ever asked my dad to cut our grass but he is retired and bored so if we don''t get something done he just does it. It didn''t make my husband too happy either that my dad just does things over here. I decided if I hired the lawn service that would help reduce that friction. I also hire them to shovel our walks in the winter.
 
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Do you have a lawn service?

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NewEnglandLady

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I need some PS advice about whether or not we should spend money on a lawn service. Just curious about those PSers who either currently have or have had a lawn service...why do you think it's worth it? Or if you had one and stopped using it, why? Also, how big is your yard? You can share costs if you'd like, but I know ours would be around $185/month from April - October not including mulching or leaf pickup during the fall, which seems like a competitive rate for the area.

I'm cheap, so I hate to spend the money, but I also don't want to argue with DH about whether or not the grass is high enough to warrant mowing.
 

Dancing Fire

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Date: 4/20/2010 8:14:51 PM
Author:NewEnglandLady
I need some PS advice about whether or not we should spend money on a lawn service. Just curious about those PSers who either currently have or have had a lawn service...why do you think it''s worth it? Or if you had one and stopped using it, why? Also, how big is your yard? You can share costs if you''d like, but I know ours would be around $185/month from April - October not including mulching or leaf pickup during the fall, which seems like a competitive rate for the area.

I''m cheap, so I hate to spend the money, but I also don''t want to argue with DH about whether or not the grass is high enough to warrant mowing.
cuz it only cost me $35 per month for cut & edge.
9.gif
we have a pretty good size front lawn plus a little bit on the side of the house.
 

Gailey

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I would say that''s a fair size for a residential lot. I have a lawn service cut the grass on two of my houses that I otherwise take care of (I''m a professional gardener). I don''t cut grass. I pay C$45 per week, per house.

That''s cut and edge. Expect to pay more for Spring and Fall clean-ups (grossly overrated) at approx $275 each time. Spring clean up usually includes power raking and fertilizing with a cheap chemical fertilizer and Fall clean up will include picking up leaves until the snow flies. I don''t use either of those two services. Aeration would be an added cost.

If you think this is going to be a constant source of battle between you and your husband then it''s money well spent.
 

E B

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The guy we use mows our lawn twice a month for $70 (so $35 a mow). This includes both mowing and edging, and we''ve got a pretty decent sized front yard and a medium-sized back yard.
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 8:39:51 PM
Author: E B
The guy we use mows our lawn twice a month for $70 (so $35 a mow). This includes both mowing and edging, and we''ve got a pretty decent sized front yard and a medium-sized back yard.
Sounds like a great compromise. Ask them to quote you on a bi-weekly service. Don''t just assume it will be the same as a weekly service though.
 

redfaerythinker

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My mother uses a lawn service, we have a large front and back yard as well as a small side yard. Our lot is also on a steep hill. She''s had the lawn service for about 10 years now since she can''t physically mow the lawn since it''s so steep and she''s a tiny person, and she works crazy long hours so she just didn''t have the time. They basically do all of the landscaping from mowing, edging, flower planting, etc. It''s worth every penny so that she doesn''t have to worry about it.
 

NewEnglandLady

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This is actually really helpful. If I could ge bi-monthly service for <$100/month, I would go for it. The house we''re buying sits on 1.25 acres, but only an acre or so is lawn. My husband claims he''ll make time to do it on the weekends, but we aren''t home most weekends and I think he''ll get frustrated with it quickly. I told my dogs that I was going to take away their daily play group so that we could hire a lawn service and housekeeper instead, but they didn''t seem too pleased...
 

Loves Vintage

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Hi NewEnglandLady,

Our house is on almost 2 acres. I''d imagine that we would have a similar rate here in CT, but we never called around to find out. My DH said he wanted to mow the lawn himself, and he has been. He mows the lawn with a standard size push mower. Most of our neighbors have a lawn service. Some have riding mowers. We also shovel our own driveway in the winter. We have yet to get a snow blower. And, we take our trash to the dump every Saturday. We are pretty thrifty for our area!

Anyway, maybe give it a go and see how the summer goes. If it turns out that your DH does not have the time to mow the lawn, then wait until you reach that point before hiring a service. And, then the dogs can continue to have their daily play group until then!
1.gif
 

sparklyheart

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My yard is microscopic but I don''t have time to mow it with school and work so I have 3 guys that mow it at once.. it takes them 6 minutes to give you an idea of how small my yard is.. I only pay $8/week because my ex-BF set it up with his family''s yard guy while we were still together.. Worth every penny
9.gif
I would pay more but not the $35/week most people want to charge for all yards. Mine is just too small!! If you have the extra money and that is a competitive rate, then I say go for it! It is so nice to have it done and just always have a pretty yard! I feel like raking/mulching leaves is a bigger job so it sounds pretty fair to charge more for that service.
 

Haven

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We don''t have a lawn service, but our lot isn''t nearly the size of yours. What a wonderful lot size! Our house sits on a quarter of an acre of land, and DH mows it all himself, and we do all of the landscaping together.

DH was a city boy his entire life until we were married and I brought him out to the burbs, so I didn''t believe him when he said he''d like to mow the lawn. But, he loves it. I think he finds it relaxing.

We almost bought a house on 2 acres of land farther out in the burbs, and had we bought *that* house, we''d definitely have to hire lawn service.
 

NewEnglandLady

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Maybe you ladies are on to something...perhaps DH will actually enjoy mowing. I might give it this summer to see how it goes, then hire a service if necessary. That will at least give me time to get recommendations from neighbors. I actually enjoy mowing myself, but the plan is that I'll take care of most indoor chores and he will take care of most outdoor chores.

ETA: Sparkly, we have a small yard right now, too (less than a quarter of an acre) and the lawn service people have the grass mowed and the brick swept in about 15 minutes flat. There are usually two who work together and they are so efficient. Maybe I'll ask my landlord how much they charge...

Haven, I'm hoping my husband picks up on your husband's habits! I would love to work in the yard together, but my gut is telling me my husband is going to find it tedious. I grew up mowing 15 acres every week (which my father still mows), but my husband had a tiny yard growing up. I'm interested to see how it goes...
 

Haven

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I''m really shocked that he loves it so much, to be honest. Imagine a born-and-raised city boy getting excited about mowing a lawn and picking out perrenials! It''s crazy. He likes to joke around that he used to have Lake Michigan right outside his window, and now he has grass. We''re only 2 miles from the lake now, though, so he can''t complain.

Anyway, I think that it''s something he''ll either love or hate. I hope your DH enjoys it, though--we have a lot of fun planning out our landscaping and learning about planting things together. Neither one of us has any experience so we''re learning as we go along. (We''re actually going to build a stone wall in our front yard this summer, and DH is all into researching that now.)

I''d love to have the kind of land you grew up on, or even what you have now. What a luxury!
 

Matata

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I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
 

PumpkinPie

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I am the lawn service
7.gif
and my husband when I can convince him to get off his bum and do it :)
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 9:01:09 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
This is actually really helpful. If I could ge bi-monthly service for <$100/month, I would go for it. The house we''re buying sits on 1.25 acres, but only an acre or so is lawn. My husband claims he''ll make time to do it on the weekends, but we aren''t home most weekends and I think he''ll get frustrated with it quickly. I told my dogs that I was going to take away their daily play group so that we could hire a lawn service and housekeeper instead, but they didn''t seem too pleased...
OK an acre of grass is a different story. You wouldn''t get that much cut in Calgary for $45 per week.

Buy DH a ride-on mower. Then it''s super easy and fast. He will love it.
 

Gailey

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Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM
Author: Matata
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?
 

IdLikeToBuyAVal

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I second buying a riding mower! We have just over a half an acre and purchased one since a larger self propelled push mower would''ve been only a few hundred dollars less and the riding mower takes half the time! It takes FI about 45 minutes to an hour to mow everything and we mulch leaves in the fall with the mower as well.

Just for comparison''s sake, if you''re paying for 7 months of lawn service that''s $1295 for the year and I think we paid $1400 for our Cub Cadet (it''s one of the smaller ones).
 

Matata

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Date: 4/20/2010 11:17:39 PM
Author: Gailey
Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM

Author: Matata

I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?

On days when he just mows, edges, & cleans off the patio & front porch, I''d say about 45 min to an hour. Considerably longer on days when he weeds all the borders & beds or does major cleanup. Depending on time of year, he''ll mow & edge every week but he''ll come more than 1x week depending on what needs doing. Last week he came one day to fertilize because we were having rain and he wanted the fertilizer to soak in and then he came back later in the week to mow.
 

Tuckins1

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Gotta have a lawn first....
41.gif


Been doing so much renovation, our yards are torn up!! We will be re-doing our front porch this summer, then HOPEFULLY I can get some grass and landscaping!! But even after that- no, we won''t have any yard service. We are all about DIY.
 

Laila619

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No--we used to but we got rid of it to save money. Plus DH likes to cut the grass for the exercise.
 

sparklyheart

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Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM
Author: Matata
I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
I''m the opposite because I like to do everything but mow.. This sounds AMAZING though!! I bet your yard is always immaculate.. how nice! That''s a good price too!
 

Gailey

Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/21/2010 12:27:28 AM
Author: Matata

Date: 4/20/2010 11:17:39 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 4/20/2010 10:23:45 PM

Author: Matata

I''ve had lawn service for several years. I didn''t mind mowing & edging but it was hard to keep up maintenance on all the shrubs and trees. So I found someone who will do things in an environmentally sensitive way. For $60/wk, 12mos., he trims all trees, bushes, hedges, fertilizes, and he plants colorful annuals in the flower beds out front twice per year. We have approx 1/3 acre.
That sounds like an absolute steal of a deal. How long does he spend each visit?

On days when he just mows, edges, & cleans off the patio & front porch, I''d say about 45 min to an hour. Considerably longer on days when he weeds all the borders & beds or does major cleanup. Depending on time of year, he''ll mow & edge every week but he''ll come more than 1x week depending on what needs doing. Last week he came one day to fertilize because we were having rain and he wanted the fertilizer to soak in and then he came back later in the week to mow.
Wow! That really is a steal of a deal, and completely out of line with any professional I have ever encountered.
 

Kismet

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
2,991
When we bought our house, my husband started off taking care of the mowing but after a few years he got tired of it. We pay $50/mow and our entire lot is only 7800sqft, not sure how much actual grass area there is. He says he would have enjoyed it more if he had a riding mower but I somehow doubt that because he hates driving too. :)
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
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Messages
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NEL - Another piece of advice. If you do not hire someone for fall clean-up, you will want one of these. We got one off of Craigslist for $250, and it works great. I assume this is what landscapers use. Anyway, if you have wooded area on your property, then you can just use this to blow the leaves into the woods. Easy-peasy. It takes a few half Saturdays to get the job done, but DH likes to do it.
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
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Messages
25,489
We have a small front yard (maybe 12 x 18 feet) and large backyard (maybe 40 x 50 feet). They charge us about $120 a month. It is worth it to me primarily because my dad would come over and mow our lawn (if he thought it was 1/2 inch too high) then complain about my husband not getting it cut yet. It''s not like we ever asked my dad to cut our grass but he is retired and bored so if we don''t get something done he just does it. It didn''t make my husband too happy either that my dad just does things over here. I decided if I hired the lawn service that would help reduce that friction. I also hire them to shovel our walks in the winter.
 
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