HYDROSEEDING AS A BUSINESS -PRICING JOBS – FINDING JOBS
HOW TO PRICE HYDRO SEEDING JOBS
It is important to realize that hydro seeding jobs can vary a lot in what is required. A common application for hydro seeding is to install a new lawn. Erosion control is another common application. Hydro seeding also works better than any other method for construction repair, spot seeding, soil stabilization and lots more.
Typically hydro seeding jobs are priced by the square foot or by the acre. For smaller jobs most contractors have a minimum charge. Typically larger jobs will be priced lower than smaller jobs.
Residential and Commercial jobs are generally priced in the 10 to 15 cent a square foot range but some contractors are as high as 20 cents a foot. If the job is an acre or larger some contractors will drop the price a penny or two per sq. st. Large multi acre hydro seeding jobs such as roadsides and large erosion control project are often in the 5 to 7 cent a sq. ft. range. With small jobs most contractors will have a minimum charge. Typically that may be in the $ 300-500.00 range. Often the larger the machine the higher the minimum charge.
MATERIAL COST OF HYDRO SEEDING
Here is a cost breakdown for the materials to mix a load in a 300 gallon hydroseeder. For this example we are using the prices we sell supplies at and what we would mix in a load.
Mulch 3 bales at $ 11.95 per bale $ 35.85
Seed, 30 pounds at $ 2.05 per pound $ 61.50
Fertilizer 8 pounds @ 2.19 per pound $ 17.58
Tackifier 4 oz $ $ 1.00 per oz $ 4.00
Total material cost for the load $ 118.93
Coverage of a 300 gallon unit is 4000 sq. ft so the cost per sq. ft would be 2.93 cents a sq.ft.
As an example a 10,000 sq. ft. residental job was seeded at 10 cents a sq. ft the charge would be $ 1,000.00 and the material cost would be $ 293.00. That would leave a profit of $ 707.00. If the job was seeded at $ .15 per square foot the the charge to seed the lawn would be $ 1,500.00 and the profit would be $ 1,207.00. A 10,000 sq. ft. lawn seeded with a 300 gallon unit would take about 3 hours to complete with refilling being the biggest part of the time. If this job was seeded with a 750 or 1000 gallon unit the time to complete the job on site would be about 30 minutes.
PROMOTING A HYDRO SEEDING BUSINESS
There is a big demand for hydro seeding but knowing how to tap into that demand can be challenging unless you are adding hydroseeding to an already existing landscape or construction business. Here are some suggestions we have.
CONTACT HOME BUILDERS IN YOUR AREA
Home builders can be a good source of repeat business that can go on year after year.
CONTACT LANDSCAPERS IN YOUR AREA
Many get calls for hydro seeding but don’t own a machine. They are often happy to refer this business to someone and can mark up the price by a few cents and not have to do more than call their sub contractor.
PRINT UP FLYERS
When you see new construction or someone with a lawn being redone drop of a flyer.
JOIN THE I.A.H.P.
A membership in the International Association of HydroSeeding Professionals gets you a listing on HydroSeedingExperts.com which is one of the most widely used internet sites people use to find a hydroseeding contractor. Membership costs only $ 100.00 a year. The longer your membership runs the higher you wil be on the list and the more calls you will get. Getting involved in the Certification Program the IAHP has can move you higher on the list and increase the number of calls you get. People at the top of the list may get 50 or more calls for hydroseeding from that list and those on the bottom may only get a dozen or two but even one job will pay for the membership. The find a contractor site was started by Turbo Technologies and Turbo Turf owners are eligible for a free listing but those listings are below the IAHP members and the extra calls are worth the membership fee. If you are a Turbo Turf owner contact us and we can give you the free listing but the membership in the IAHP is worth the investment. For more information about the IAHP visit their web site.