[Chris Rigsby]

Hi everyone! I just joined the site today & was curious about pricing commercial lots. Do you do it per hour or per square foot? Like me know what your prices are to please that would be appreciated!
Located in Cambridge, Minnesota

 

[johnhenry1933]

Wow. Just jumped from residential to commercial in a couple of hours. I price it by the job, the equipment and the time involved.

 

[cwren2472]

Wow. Just jumped from residential to commercial in a couple of hours. I price it by the job, the equipment and the time involved.

By 9pm he should be pricing out hourly rates for a loader...

 

[JMHConstruction]

You gotta step back. You're diving in head first after doing a route with your buddy. Have you looked at all the costs and considered the LONG hours involved with plowing? Not to mention missed holidays, canceled plans, and unexpected break downs.

There is a lot of behind the scenes business experiences that you will also have. We can't just tell you a number, because you may need to make more than that to operate, or our costs might price you out of your market.

Short answer, you need to add up your overhead first (insurance, equipment costs, office supplies and labor, taxes, etc), then figure out what you need to make a season to cover your overhead. Divide that by how many times you think you'll go out (don't just throw out a wild guess, do your local research). Then figure out your estimated operating costs (fuel, labor, maintenance, etc) per hour. From there, you will have a good idea what you need to make per hour to cover all your expenses. You have to then add your profit. Hopefully you will still be priced in your market range

 

[Chris Rigsby]

Wow. Just jumped from residential to commercial in a couple of hours. I price it by the job, the equipment and the time involved.

Ya I know I jumped from that & so for your equipment do figure in the maintenance cost & insurance cost I would assume? I also created this thread because I don't have a lot of experience plowing. Ya I've gone out with a friend whenever there was a snow storm and watched him plow, but I'm just curious to see how everyone does there pricing & what prices people put out there.

 

[JMHConstruction]

By 9pm he should be pricing out hourly rates for a loader...

It's the same as a back blade right?

 

[Chris Rigsby]

By 9pm he should be pricing out hourly rates for a loader...

Ok

 

[JMHConstruction]

Easiest way to get into plowing is be an employee for at least a year. Use someone else's equipment before you spend $15k+ on new equipment. That or subcontract so you don't have to worry about finding customers or bidding, and can focus on learning business first.

 

[Chris Rigsby]

You gotta step back. You're driving in head first after doing a route with your buddy. Have you looked at all the costs and considered the LONG hours involved with plowing? Not to mention missed holidays, canceled plans, and unexpected break downs.

There is a lot of behind the scenes business experiences that you will also have. We can't just tell you a number, because you may need to make more than that to operate, or our costs might price you out of your market.

Short answer, you need to add up your overhead first (insurance, equipment costs, office supplies and labor, taxes, etc), then figure out what you need to make a season to cover your overhead. Divide that by how many times you think you'll go out (don't just throw out a wild guess, do your local research). Then figure out your estimated operating costs (fuel, labor, maintenance, etc) per hour. From there, you will have a good idea what you need to make per hour to cover all your expenses. You have to then add your profit. Hopefully you will still be priced in your market range

Ok. Thanks for all the information! & I will do some research to for next season also. Thumbs Up

 

[Chris Rigsby]

Easiest way to get into plowing is be an employee for at least a year. Use someone else's equipment before you spend $15k+ on new equipment. That or subcontract so you don't have to worry about finding customers or bidding, and can focus on learning business first.

That's not a bad idea, will have to find some company's around my area. Then I can learn how to run the equipment and what not. Thanks for your info!

 

[JMHConstruction]

Ok. Thanks for all the information! & I will do some research to for next season also. Thumbs Up

There is a ton of info on here, just takes some time searching through it all. It's good you're waiting until next season, and can study all year. You may even be able to call around and see if anyone needs a driver for the remainder of the year. I'm sure drivers have come and gone by now.

What kind of truck do you have?

 

[BUFF]

By 9pm he should be pricing out hourly rates for a loader...

Hey know play nice........

OP, pricing varies from area to area in as little as 20-30 miles.
At the end of the day pricing ends up being what the market will bare, from there you need to figure out if it's worth it to cover all cost and make some bank.
I'd suggest you talk to your insurance agent to find oot what a General Liability policy with $2m coverage will cost. If you don't have another business that provides a service (Landscaping, Paving, Roofing, Construction, etc.....) you'll find coverage to be pretty expensive.
There's hours of reading to be found about production rates by type of equipment, Salt or Liquid application amounts, Ram/Dodge vs Ford vs GM, Boss vs Western vs Fisher vs SnoEx vs Meyer, V plow vs straight blade vs expandable, full trip vs trip edge, chain lift vs direct lift, what's the best tire, battery, tire chains, etc... You just need to use the search feature in the upper right corner of the screen.

Welcome to the site.....:waving:

 

[Chris Rigsby]

There is a ton of info on here, just takes some time searching through it all. It's good you're waiting until next season, and can study all year. You may even be able to call around and see if anyone needs a driver for the remainder of the year. I'm sure drivers have come and gone by now.

What kind of truck do you have?

I don't have one yet. I'm hoping to get a 95-98 Chevy/GMC K1500 extended cab in the spring. They seem like they would be a pretty good plow truck for starting out. I just figured I would start asking around and do some research right now until I'm able to start plowing.

 

[cwren2472]

Hey know play nice........

I formally apologize for my snarkiness to the new guy

 

[Chris Rigsby]

Hey know play nice........

OP, pricing varies from area to area in as little as 20-30 miles.
At the end of the day pricing ends up being what the market will bare, from there you need to figure out if it's worth it to cover all cost and make some bank.
I'd suggest you talk to your insurance agent to find oot what a General Liability policy with $2m coverage will cost. If you don't have another business that provides a service (Landscaping, Paving, Roofing, Construction, etc.....) you'll find coverage to be pretty expensive.
There's hours of reading to be found about production rates by type of equipment, Salt or Liquid application amounts, Ram/Dodge vs Ford vs GM, Boss vs Western vs Fisher vs SnoEx vs Meyer, V plow vs straight blade vs expandable, full trip vs trip edge, chain lift vs direct lift, what's the best tire, battery, tire chains, etc... You just need to use the search feature in the upper right corner of the screen.

Welcome to the site.....:waving:

& thanks by the way! I will have to do all that so I know what I'm doing then. :waving:Thumbs Up

 

[Chris Rigsby]

I formally apologize for my snarkiness to the new guy

Hey no need to! That was a piece of helpful information. So that was ok to do! Thumbs Up

 

[leigh]

I price my lots per push.I come up with my pricing the same way I price my excavating, construction, environmental businesses. Do the same, apply the basic business principles that you've learned in college ,night school or online.Its all the same! Pricing is just the end result of your application of your knowledge of your circumstances.

 

[Chris Rigsby]

I price my lots per push.I come up with my pricing the same way I price my excavating, construction, environmental businesses. Do the same, apply the basic business principles that you've learned in college ,night school or online.Its all the same! Pricing is just the end result of your application of your knowledge of your circumstances.

You got a lot of businesses to run! & Ok

 

[JMHConstruction]

I don't have one yet. I'm hoping to get a 95-98 Chevy/GMC K1500 extended cab in the spring. They seem like they would be a pretty good plow truck for starting out. I just figured I would start asking around and do some research right now until I'm able to start plowing.

Get at least a 3/4 ton if you're planning to plow commercially. That old I'd probably get a 1 ton. The older trucks don't have the same capabilities as the newer ones.

 

[NYH1]

Not to mention missed holidays, canceled plans, and unexpected break downs.

Two of those things can actually be a good thing....you'll find out in due time! Thumbs Up

NYH1,