Garden maintenance cost blew my mind.

[Boleynforsoup]

I had a gardener round to quote for trimming some hedges back from my back gate that overhang from the property behind, weeding the patio and jet washing it. Taking all garden waste with them He’s said half a days work for a couple of them max. He’s just emailed me the quote: £750!!! My flabber is truly gasted…. Is this really the going rate?! 5 years ago without the jet washing I paid someone £45!!!

Sounds about right. I got quoted £1300 just to trim a tree and remove the cuttings.

My garden is the size of a box room and all patio….I can’t believe this is normal

Seems expensive unless its tree surgery. My patio was £200 though! Can't do myself this year

The cost of everything has risen dramatically in the last few years -from fuel to NI contributions. They will have equipment to maintain, fees to pay to dispose of the waste, insurance to pay etc etc as well as wanting to make a wage. I do wonder what I will do when I can. No longer do my own garden, I have no chance of affording someone to do it for me.

Can you approach the property behind and ask them to maintain their shrubbery so it doesn’t encroach onto your property?

My neighbour paid hundreds to have someone jetwash her drive.

I just did mine myself with a karcher. Its not difficult. Ive also stopped paying for cleaning, painting, those sorts of smaller jobs, as people wanted paying so much. These aren't skilled jobs, I can do these things easily myself.

Any younger family members want work?
Be cheaper to buy the equipment and pay them!

If people keep paying it, tradespeople will keep charging it. Its supply and demand. There's a demand for it and people keep on paying it so why wouldn't people charge the most they could.

My gardener charges £25 an hour but it costs him a lot of money to take the green waste to the tip. To be honest I don’t think that price is too bad .

I’d say roughly half of that will be the labour cost for 2 people, then it’ll cost him to dispose of the trimmings (if you have a garden waste bin maybe off for him to use that, it might save you), then his time for quoting, cost of machinery, upkeep, van, fuel for the van and possibly equipment depending on what they are using and then the poor guy might like a little bit of profit too!

My handyman would do all that. He charges £20 -£25 per hour. (If you don't habe a pressure washer buy your own - it would still be cheaper).

I think the price is mainly for disposal. It costs a fortune to take things to the tip.

Christ almighty

You could buy yourself a hedge trimmer and a karcher and have money left over.

I quite enjoy jetwashing the patio, it's a really satisfying job. You don't realise how mucky it gets over winter. It is a dirty job though, I always end up wet and covered in grit.

Yeah, that's nuts. Post on a local Facebook page and someone local will do it for less. If you've got a green wheelie bin put the cuttings in there over a few collections.

Ask him for a quote without the waste removal. Gives him a chance to adjust the price for the rest if he is chancing his arm a bit but wants the work.

I paid £250 for a high conifer hedge to be cut back and a native hedge to be cut back. I feel better about my quotes now! My garden is a fair size too.

I bought one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cordless-Electric-Batteries-Telescopic-Extendable/dp/B07BS5HCTW/ref=asc_df_B07BS5HCTW?mcid=bdb9ba83bfef31ee975803f97141ace5&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696452196854&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4251461138799472979&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045709&hvtargid=pla-741219722568&psc=1&hvocijid=4251461138799472979-B07BS5HCTW-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1 these] (Apologies. Can't remember how to do links.) It works fine. You can get a jet washer for a similar price, pay for garden waste collection from your house and still do it for half price!

Get a few quotes.

My dad was quoted £950 for two people to tidy his garden. It wouldn’t have taken more than two hours for two people. He instead went with a neighbour’s gardener who charged him £100.

DP is a gardener. I've just read him your post and he says "where the fuck is this gardener driving from, Mars?"

That's what I was going to say.

Hence the reason there's so many garden bonfires around here.

The council take the piss with commercial waste, even when it's green waste.

a 16 ton grab lorry is only £350 for a kerbside pickup

Buy a jet wash. It's so satisfying, it's free therapy!!

Sounds expensive to be, but I'm a tight wad. My parents pay about twenty pounds an hour for hedge cutting but that's extremely cheap.

Ha ha ha ha. Brilliant.

Tip - before investing in a Karcher, spray the patio with Patio Magic and leave. Reapply a week later if necessary. I've used it for five years and I don't bother spraying anymore as it kills all the black and green. I use weedkiller on moss and grass between the paving stones if i have to. Much easier than jetting!

That price seems ludicrous to me. I know the cost of everything has gone up so tradesmen need to charge more, but that's just ridiculous. I can't believe anyone can afford to pay that!

And cheaper than your millionaire gardener!!