# Residential snow removal pricing??



## Djm71199

So I’m sure there’s plenty of these posts on here, but I’m planning to start my own landscaping/snow removal business not that I have a truck & plow. My big thing is I live in central New York and plan to do solely residential for this year at least.. any bidding advice?


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## Unraveller

1) don't get a truck & plow. 
2) spend the next 2 weeks reading the forum.


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## Djm71199

Unraveller said:


> 1) don't get a truck & plow.
> 2) spend the next 2 weeks reading the forum.


Confused by this comment. I've plowed before, if that's what you're implying. Not for myself, that's all.


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## Unraveller

Djm71199 said:


> Confused by this comment. I've plowed before, if that's what you're implying. Not for myself, that's all.


If you read the forums, you'll see that residential snow removal, is primary done WITHOUT a truck and plow.


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## Randall Ave

Welcome to the site. So you have experience. Do you have equipment? Talk to your neighbors, friends, see what they are, have paid. Your area is probably more a seasonal thing.


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## FredG

Djm71199 said:


> So I'm sure there's plenty of these posts on here, but I'm planning to start my own landscaping/snow removal business not that I have a truck & plow. My big thing is I live in central New York and plan to do solely residential for this year at least.. any bidding advice?


 Your not leaving enough info, what equipment do you plan on using? As you know Syracuse is not a low snowfall area. No truck and plow, what is your plans to move snow?

Do you plan on doing this with a walk behind blower and shovel? Tractor? Sometime the equipment you are using can determine your price. A guy that can do 60 driveways normally will be a little cheaper than a guy that can do 10.


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## Drock78

Unraveller said:


> If you read the forums, you'll see that residential snow removal, is primary done WITHOUT a truck and plow.


What is residential primarily done with?


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## prezek

Djm71199 said:


> So I'm sure there's plenty of these posts on here, but I'm planning to start my own landscaping/snow removal business not that I have a truck & plow. My big thing is I live in central New York and plan to do solely residential for this year at least.. any bidding advice?


Do you mean NOW that you have a truck and plow?


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## Hamster360

Every year I ha e a guy or 2 that worked for me tell me they’re starting their own snow business. I always wish them luck, tell them what I would do if I started from scratch again, and they don’t listen and go out of business after one year, or before.

1. Get insurance figured out.
2. Get a truck, or put a trailer hitch on your car and get a small trailer
3. Toro 721 blower. Brand new not used
4. Pick up 30-40 driveways, 20 ft wide or less, 40 ft long or less.

Around here, you can get a driveway and walks for 5-700$ for the season. If you can find 25 that need to be done before 7am, and 15 that want done by 9am or later, you’re golden. Find someone to help you on the bad terrible storms. Get a 2nd blower if you think you need it. Payments are 50% up front 50% on January 1st. If they want to pay 100% up front don’t take it. Guys being in business for the first time like to spend money far quick than it comes in.

40 [email protected]$ each is 20k. 1500 for fuel and a blower. 2500$ for a helper when you need one. Insurance and some other payments. Should profit 10-15k depending on a few things. Not huge money, but better than working at McDonald’s.


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## Hydromaster

30 drives x 25 minutes each =12.5 hrs
For just snow blowing alone.
+ travel time,breaks, and getting that newspaper out of the auger...

There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

You’re last customers will get home from work and there drive will still be full of snow.


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## Philbilly2

Hydromaster said:


> 30 drives x 25 minutes each =12.5 hrs
> For just snow blowing alone.
> + travel time,breaks, and getting that newspaper out of the auger...
> 
> There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.
> 
> You're last customers will get home from work and there drive will still be full of snow.


But you are not accounting for is that 5 out of 4 people struggle with math...


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## Mr.Markus

Hydromaster said:


> 30 drives x 25 minutes each =12.5 hrs
> For just snow blowing alone.
> + travel time,breaks, and getting that newspaper out of the auger...invoicing, collecting,addressing concerns about what time youll be there every storm, getting flaged down by the really cute and overly flirtatious neighbour before you get there. Getting spotted at the nieghbours first, first sunny day of the month getting a call to replace the stakes as their kids had a sword fight with them and wrecked them...etc.
> 
> There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.
> 
> You're last customers will get home from work and there drive will still be full of snow.


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## Hamster360

25 minutes to do a driveway is pretty slow unless its a large driveway, or the snow is a foot deep. If your average driveway is 20x40, at 25 minutes you're clearing 32 square feet per minute. If it takes you 60 seconds so snow blow or shovel 2-6" of snow from an area the size of a sheet of plywood, stay home, you'll never make money.

20x40, under 6" of snow should be 10 minutes. Less if it's only 2-3" of powder. Should be aiming for 4 driveways per hour average.


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## Hydromaster

Hamster360 said:


> 25 minutes to do a driveway is pretty slow unless its a large driveway, or the snow is a foot deep. If your average driveway is 20x40, at 25 minutes you're clearing 32 square feet per minute. If it takes you 60 seconds so snow blow or shovel 2-6" of snow from an area the size of a sheet of plywood, stay home, you'll never make money.
> 
> 20x40, under 6" of snow should be 10 minutes. Less if it's only 2-3" of powder. Should be aiming for 4 driveways per hour average.


 Are we snowblowing in a perfect world or are we snowblowing in the real world ?

Include all time involved.
Unloading, fueling, putting clothes on & off Wet gloves hat . Dealing with the wind ,
Sheer pin replacement, getting the newspaper out of the auger, loading the snowblower travel time.

Do you have a back up snowblower because will know snowblowers never break down .
So you might be get away with one time using a single stage snowblower and then another time you're going to need a larger two-stage snowblower

How big of a window did the city plow leave across the end of the driveway.

There's a lot more to it than running up and down the driveway as fast as the snowblower will go .
Even with a powdery 2-3 inches, you won't be running a snowblower as fast as it can go
And do a professional job .
Remember they want all of the snow removed from the driveway not a little left behind, ie trails of snow

So for an average time I'm sticking to my guesstimate , That comes from decades working in the snow industry and letalone a child hood of working in snow, tells me that snowblowing a driveway will never be a 5 to 10 minute job


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## Mark Oomkes

What if the drives in his area aren't 20x40?

What if he can't get $500-700/driveway?

I guarantee you won't get a 20x40 driveway for that amount around here. We still have contractors charging $200-225 for a season.


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## Hydromaster

An idea 

I know....

Set up a business LLC like 
“Acme snow blowing LLC”
and subcontract your services to a couple of established snowplowing businesses? 

They’re always looking for people to snow blow sidewalks and sidewalks around businesses.


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## Drock78

Mark Oomkes said:


> What if the drives in his area aren't 20x40?
> 
> What if he can't get $500-700/driveway?
> 
> I guarantee you won't get a 20x40 driveway for that amount around here. We still have contractors charging $200-225 for a season.


Multiple flyers on our mailbox for that 200-225 range. People complaining left and right because a longtime local business raised to $250.


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## Mark Oomkes

Drock78 said:


> Multiple flyers on our mailbox for that 200-225 range. People complaining left and right because a longtime local business raised to $250.


Not possible...$500-700 per drive...EVERYWHERE.


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## Drock78

Lol. At 500-700 per drive, I'd actually consider doing some residential drives.


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## Hamster360

I never said everywhere. I gave him the numbers I see in my area because no one else from New York was jumping in. Everyone knows pricing is not universal. We still have guys in my area charging 350$ but they usually quit showing up mid January.


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## snoworks1

With medium density routes, our average driveway plowing times are 8 - 9 minutes. This is factoring in 5 different trucks, with all different size trucks and plows. Thats averaging all storms from 8" totals and down. Obviously if you take the lower snowfall totals, the average driveway time dips to under 6 minutes, On the higher side the average driveway times can get as high as 13 minutes. I think a realistic estimate for hand snow blowing of driveways that size, including travel time to the next driveway would be at a minimum 20 mins., when averaged out.

Our seasonal contract pricing averages have hovered around the $450 - $475.00 mark, for the past several years. We base our pricing on 10 plowable events a year. We are on the high end of the market, based on pricing I have seen in other areas, on this site.

Peace!


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## Mister Nature Lawn Care

snoworks1 said:


> With medium density routes, our average driveway plowing times are 8 - 9 minutes. This is factoring in 5 different trucks, with all different size trucks and plows. Thats averaging all storms from 8" totals and down. Obviously if you take the lower snowfall totals, the average driveway time dips to under 6 minutes, On the higher side the average driveway times can get as high as 13 minutes. I think a realistic estimate for hand snow blowing of driveways that size, including travel time to the next driveway would be at a minimum 20 mins., when averaged out.
> 
> Our seasonal contract pricing averages have hovered around the $450 - $475.00 mark, for the past several years. We base our pricing on 10 plowable events a year. We are on the high end of the market, based on pricing I have seen in other areas, on this site.
> 
> Peace!


If I do 400 as seasonal rate show do you divide those from each houses through the winter. I'm a new boss so I want to understand those. I have been shoveling as a lanourer for years and will be doing snow plowing this year. Much appreciated.


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## sota

If you've been a shoveler, why not see if the same shop would bring you on with a plow, and how much they'll pay you?


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## snoworks1

You have to understand your area's seasonal averages to come up with a profitable overall total, for your area.


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