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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to charge £16ph...

109 replies

flowercover · 20/02/2018 17:48

Hello everyone,

I am currently unemployed and to help myself out of this I've decided to try starting up my own gardening service in and around Norwich, and just wanted some feed back from both customers and other gardeners.

I have written a business plan and am trying to calculate what I need to charge in order to make a livable income. Would £16 p/h be too much? Would you rather employ somebody hourly or half day/full day? I can charge less for half/full as my costs would be reduced

Also, if you employ a gardener where did you find their services advertised, and what kind of service were you looking for? I am RHS trained with 5 years experience in a walked kitchen garden and a specialist nursery. Therefore I can offer from simple mowing/pruning/clearing to full garden redesign.

Anything that could help welcomed.

I'm female and 38.

Thanks so much!

OP posts:
HidingFromTheWorld · 21/02/2018 11:03

Do you cover South Norfolk OP?

Dungeondragon15 · 21/02/2018 11:04

I would certainly pay £16 for a gardener that could do garden design and I don't live in a very expensive part of the country. It is very hard to get a gardener though. I know people with a gardener but they won't pass on details (always claiming that they have asked their gardener and they are too busy to take on more work). I would make it clear in your advertisements what your skills are and I am sure that you will get a lot of interest!

Elendon · 21/02/2018 11:04

I would include pruning as design btw. Good point GardenGeek

ChasedByBees · 21/02/2018 11:09

The price seems reasonable (low if anything) but I would just ask, have you had specific training in garden design? This is actually very complex And would have insurance requirements above that of a gardener.

LtheWife · 21/02/2018 11:11

I have a family member who is three years into running a gardening business a little further east than Norwich (NR31). He charges a minimum of £15 an hour, extra for waste removal and has no qualifications. Bigger jobs such as turfing he'll quote a fixed price and regular fortnightly tidy ups/lawn mowing is charged at a fixed rate also.

He's working flat out from March to October doing a minimum of 9 hour days 5 days a week and last year took on a second pair of hands to keep up. He did a spot of flyering at the very beginning but almost all his clients have come from word of mouth or seeing his sign written van parked up whilst he's working. His window cleaner also hands out cards for him when he hears of anyone needing a gardener and vice versa. I will say he couldn't exactly be described as customer focussed (that's putting it politely!) and has been known to drop clients because "they're too much hassle", but it doesn't seem to harm his business.

So I'd say £16/h might be ok for the less skilled jobs but you should be able to charge more for skilled work and I'd have thought Norwich would support a slightly higher price than GY area.

Queenofthestress · 21/02/2018 11:18

FIL charges 20 p/h in Grimsby, south underside

Queenofthestress · 21/02/2018 11:19

Humberside that should say!

GardenGeek · 21/02/2018 11:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RB68 · 21/02/2018 11:25

I think I would say a range of prices for different services. The every day gardening would bring in the bigger products, but also I would say min of so many hrs as otherwise its just not worth it. If you want to give a slight discount for full days go for it but I wouldn't for halves.

I would think carefully about where you market yourself - go for more up market areas - get in the paper shop windows, I would also get known with letting and holiday home places although they may be a bit further affield than the city you could potentially charge a little more - so cream the top payers market.

RB68 · 21/02/2018 11:25

I think I would say a range of prices for different services. The every day gardening would bring in the bigger products, but also I would say min of so many hrs as otherwise its just not worth it. If you want to give a slight discount for full days go for it but I wouldn't for halves.

I would think carefully about where you market yourself - go for more up market areas - get in the paper shop windows, I would also get known with letting and holiday home places although they may be a bit further affield than the city you could potentially charge a little more - so cream the top payers market.

BackforGood · 21/02/2018 11:42

You need to work out your costs.
I have a cleaner who charges £10 an hour, but she has no costs. She can walk here and uses my vac / mop etc.
I have a gardener (well, 2 lads come for an hour, once a fortnight for £35 a visit)... so £17.50ph. They have to have a van for the stuff they bring (mowers, strimmers, wheelbarrow, hedgecutters, etc.,etc.). they also have to buy, and maintain that equipment. A lot of the equipment also uses petrol, or some kind of charge for the giant batteries. They also take the debris away and presumably have to pay to get rid of that somewhere. Then, as the lad that owns the company employs the other 3, then presumably he has employers costs such as pensions, and NI contributions.

All in all, the cleaner walks away with a lot more in her pocket I should imaging, than the gardener, even though more cash comes out of my purse for the gardener.

ChasedByBees · 21/02/2018 11:48

If doing full garden design then that does require liabilities.

Professional indemnity too.

Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 14:42

Overwhelmed with all you replies, thank you for taking time to share.

I have taken alot away from you all, I am thinking a basic rate of £20 seems high, but maybe I'm worth it! Also I think charging a day/half day rate would work well, and quoting for bigger or more advanced work.

The scheme of grass cutting every 3weeks during summer seems logical and could be a bread and butter of the business for the first year, with the aim to take someone one to do assist with the basic work in then future.

I'd be willing to turn my hand to all jobs in the first year to gain a better understanding of domestic gardening.

I am now looking into buying a small van and have some ideas of a name and logo.

I will update you and share once this process is complete, if anyone is interested!

Thanks again.

OP posts:
Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 14:44

Potentially, where are you?

OP posts:
Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 14:51

Really great advice and a very different approach from the 2 day small business course I attend where it was more focused on the cash flow and basic survival outgoings. Thank you for your time!

OP posts:
Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 14:54

@Avasarala

OP posts:
user1471426142 · 21/02/2018 15:20

Oh the other thing to be aware of is the power of word of mouth. In my street once one person has used a supplier they seem to get more work as long as they are good. That helps with transport costs and time.

Are there any commuter towns near you? Where I am I think someone could make a fortune If they could make friends with a local estate agent and target the ex-London buyers who have come from flats. When I bought this house we had no garden equipment and no money to buy a lawn mower etc. We needed a gardener as it was cheaper in the short-term than buying stuff and next door recommended theirs. Even though we could now afford a mower we’ve now kept our gardener out of lazyiness really and it’s become one of our ‘essentials’ despite not thinking it would be.

W00t · 21/02/2018 15:23

Why oh why did you have to be in Norwich?
I need a gardener ...

Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 15:58

@W00t Move to Norwich is a fine city

@HidingFromTheWorld where in south Norfolk do you reside?

OP posts:
Grimbles · 21/02/2018 16:04

Has anyone made a ladygardener joke yet? Blush

But, £20 an hour for general mowing, tidying and so on seems reasonable to me.

Elendon · 21/02/2018 16:15

Hold the van for now! Build up your clientele first. And don't undersell yourself. My RHS course lasted a year!

Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 16:17

@Grimbles on here so far until you the joke has not been mentioned, though a friend and colleague did mention it. Hence why I have changed my part idea on naming to the lady gardening, instead of just lady garden. Another friend mock suggested using it as a gimmick. He is very good at puns so I think I've heard them all!

Glad you are thus far the only person!

OP posts:
Original poster
flowercover · 21/02/2018 16:19

@Elendon

How would I get around equipment, my car is very small a Citroen C1!

OP posts:
Bluelady · 21/02/2018 16:19

We pay our wonderful gardener £20 an hour in Cambs.

MollyHuaCha · 21/02/2018 16:25

We pay £10 an hour for 2.5hrs gardening per week. Gardener has no formal qualifications, but does a nice job. He leaves cuttings etc. in sacks for us to dispose of.

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