Irrigation
How Much to Charge for Sprinkler Blowout and When to Book
How much to charge for sprinkler blowout: a base plus per zone price from your minutes per zone, the compressor limits, and first freeze dates by town.
· 10 min read
MakeHay blog
Pricing and estimating guides for the trades
How to measure, price, schedule and bill outdoor work, with the arithmetic shown and every number sourced.
Snow plowing
Snow Plow Trigger Depth: 1 Inch vs 2 Inch, Priced and Worded
Snow plow trigger depth explained: what a 1 inch and a 2 inch trigger each cost over a winter from NOAA snow day counts, plus contract wording to copy.
· 11 min read
Snow removal
Snow Plow Log Template: The Records That Win Slip and Falls
A snow plow log template with the fields courts have relied on: times, areas, salt and rate, temperatures, the forecast you acted on, how long to keep it.
· 11 min read
Sealcoating
How Much Sealer Do I Need? Coverage, Sand, Water and Coats
How much sealer do I need for a driveway or lot: concentrate versus mixed coverage from the data sheet, sand and water per 100 gallons, coats, and drums.
· 11 min read
Asphalt paving
How to Price Asphalt Patching: Potholes Per Sq Ft and Ton
How to price asphalt patching: the FHWA repair methods, cold patch by the bag or hot mix by the ton, team time per patch, a minimum charge and sq ft rates.
· 10 min read
Pressure washing
How to Price Roof Cleaning Per Square: Footprint and Pitch
How to price roof cleaning per square: trace the footprint from satellite, apply a pitch factor, add chemical and fall protection time, quote a soft wash.
· 11 min read
Mobile detailing
Mobile Detailing Maintenance Plan Pricing, Visit by Visit
Mobile detailing maintenance plan pricing from your cost per visit: labor, water and drive time, the discount against a full detail, three ways to bill.
· 10 min read
Lawn care
How to Price Lawn Fertilization Per 1,000 Sq Ft (Bag Math)
How to price lawn fertilization per 1,000 sq ft: pounds of product from the bag's N percentage, cost per lawn, minutes per 1,000 sq ft, program pricing.
· 11 min read
Tree service
How to Price Tree Removal Per Inch of Trunk: Public Bid Data
How to price tree removal per inch of trunk diameter: measure DBH, read what cities pay per inch on public contracts, add crew hours, gear and the stump.
· 10 min read
Running the business
Can a Contractor Charge a Credit Card Fee? Rules by State
Can a contractor charge a credit card fee? The card network cap, the states that ban or limit surcharges with each statute, and a $2,000 invoice four ways.
· 10 min read
Pressure washing
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Pressure Washing Business?
How much does it cost to start a pressure washing business: an itemized list priced from dated retailer and manufacturer pages, insurance, and $0 software.
· 10 min read
Parking lot maintenance
Parking Lot Maintenance Schedule: A Year-Round Plan by Month
A parking lot maintenance schedule for the whole year: sweeping, crack sealing, sealcoating, restriping, patching and snow, with the interval behind each.
· 10 min read
Snow plowing
How to Price a Seasonal Snow Plowing Contract With NOAA Data
How to price a seasonal snow plowing contract from your station's NOAA snow day normals, with per push math, a break-even table and contract terms.
· 11 min read
Line striping
How to Price a Line Striping Job by Stall and by the Foot
How to price a line striping job from stall counts and linear feet, with per stall and per foot rates, paint math, ADA add-ons and a 60-stall example.
· 11 min read
Snow removal
How Much Salt to Put on a Parking Lot (and What to Charge)
How much salt to put on a parking lot: pounds per 1,000 sq ft by pavement temperature from state tables, then bags, tons and a per application price.
· 11 min read
Gutters
How to Price Gutter Cleaning Per Linear Foot (From Above)
How to price gutter cleaning per linear foot: footage from a roof outline instead of a ladder, the second-story premium, and a spring and fall plan.
· 11 min read
Sealcoating
How to Price Crack Sealing Per Linear Foot (With the Math)
How to price crack sealing per linear foot: measure the cracks, convert feet to pounds of hot pour from the maker's chart, and set a minimum charge.
· 11 min read
Running the business
How Much Deposit Should a Contractor Ask For? State Limits
How much deposit should a contractor ask for? Small jobs, materials-heavy jobs and big projects, with the state caps and quote wording to copy.
· 11 min read
Sealcoating
How to Price Sealcoating Per Square Foot, Step by Step
How to price sealcoating per square foot from sealer coverage, crew rate and production, plus prep, minimums and margin, with two worked examples.
· 11 min read
Line striping
ADA Parking Striping Requirements: A Contractor Checklist
ADA parking striping requirements: how many accessible spaces a lot needs, van stall and aisle sizes, the restripe rule and a pre-bid checklist to copy.
· 11 min read
Pressure washing
How to Estimate a Pressure Washing Job Without a Site Visit
How to estimate a pressure washing job without a site visit: measure the surface from satellite, apply per square foot rates, add chemical and travel.
· 11 min read
Sealcoating
Sealcoating Temperature Requirements, Rain and Cure Time
Sealcoating temperature requirements from data sheets and public specs: air and pavement temperature, rain window, dry time and a go or no-go routine.
· 11 min read
Asphalt paving
How to Calculate Asphalt Tonnage for a Driveway or Lot
How to calculate asphalt tonnage from square feet and compacted depth, with waste, a driveway and a lot example, and where to find what a ton costs.
· 11 min read
Snow plowing
How Long Does It Take to Plow a Parking Lot? Per Acre Math
How long does it take to plow a parking lot? Blade width, speed by snow depth, turns and stacking turned into truck hours per acre and a per push price.
· 11 min read
