# How much for this lot?



## KCB (Jan 22, 2006)

No salt or shoveling. I want to say $400.+.a pop. But I dont know if thats too high or not high enough...


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## MileHigh (Nov 6, 2007)

400 sounds a bit high to me....

Im thinking with no salt or sidewalks 265 for 1-4 inches. Thats for my area though.


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## speedy (Oct 30, 2004)

$400 Canadian dollars pretty much equals $265 USD....


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## EvenCutLawnCare (Aug 12, 2008)

Is it concrete or gravel?


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## KCB (Jan 22, 2006)

Its asphalt.


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

That looks like about an hour's work to plow.

$400 is MUCH too high.


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## MileHigh (Nov 6, 2007)

LoneCowboy;684983 said:


> That looks like about an hour's work to plow.
> 
> $400 is MUCH too high.


Damn..

you must haul some arse.


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## KCB (Jan 22, 2006)

Ya I dont think an hour is going to do it... maybe, maybe on a couple inches of fluff.
But I dont like to whiz around like there is no tomorrow.


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## jjmcnace (Dec 6, 2007)

If it was me, but it's not. I always figure a pretty safe estimate on the time I think it would take me to plow a lot. Sure you may be able to do it in an hour, but not when there's 3-4" of snow. For a per push price I would figure 2 hrs @ $125/hr. That is real close to bladescape2's price. And it looks like there may be some plowing out back also. My price would be $250-280.


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

There is simply no way that lot takes more than an hour (1-6")
If it's taking YOU more than an hour, someone is going to come around an underbid you seriously and you simply aren't going to get/keep the job.

Yes, I go pretty fast, but it's a time driven business, most productive person wins. 

I took over a contract on a building that is probably bigger than that (easily holds more cars and has more backdragging) last year. The last guy was charging $385 per push.

I looked at it. i drove around, I looked around, I said, there's no way this takes more than an hour. 

I said, how about $185, 1-6". (more for more snow, clearly)

They said, great, called the other guy and fired him on the spot.
It takes me 40 to 50 minutes to do it.

I make good money and the guy before me makes nothing because he got greedy and lost that and 2 others, because it was simply a ridiculous price.


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

jjmcnace;685608 said:


> If it was me, but it's not. I always figure a pretty safe estimate on the time I think it would take me to plow a lot. Sure you may be able to do it in an hour, but not when there's 3-4" of snow. For a per push price I would figure 2 hrs @ $125/hr. That is real close to bladescape2's price. And it looks like there may be some plowing out back also. My price would be $250-280.


I was including the entire lot, back loading dock and all.

I count that lot holds about 50 cars (I count about 25 spaces/cars in the one that has cars and the other side looks about the same size. Plus the loading dock and the entry road and roads are very fast. The only thing you have to backdrag is that inside corner to the L of the building and the loading dock. There are plenty of places to put snow.

You're telling me that a 50 car lot would take you 2 hours, 3 to 4 inches of snow????????

I bet it takes 30 to 45 minutes, but I'd bid about an hour.
1-6 inches of snow.


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## jjmcnace (Dec 6, 2007)

I don't think that would take me 2 hours no, but I would be safe and allocate myself 2 hrs when bidding it to be safe and make sure I could do a good job. It also makes a difference whether you have any other lots nearby. I can tell you for sure that I would charge more than $125 for that lot.

It also makes a difference how bad you need another lot. If you are pretty busy already, then might as well shoot a just a little high. That's all :salute:


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## MileHigh (Nov 6, 2007)

definitely charge more than just an hour on this lot...

bit it @ 2 hours @ 100-135/hr, and clean the hell out of it in about 1hour 20minutes..

customer stays happy cause there isn't some guy racing around the lot trying to do it in less than 45 minutes so he can still make money cause he bid it too low, you don't waste too much time there and you still make the bread....JMO

If you wanna lowball this bid, I would go no less than 185....but I'm stickin with 265.


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## RepoMan207 (Oct 7, 2008)

I would say about an hour myself, and I make it a point to baby my truck on every job. For 6" of snow, that would be done 45 - 60 minutes tops. Obviously that little nook out front would slow you up a bit back dragging, but it's minimal. You can C that out 75% - 80% anyway. Is there shoveling......what kind of place is it? Will there be alot of cars there holding you up, or does it have normal business hours?


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

jjmcnace;686148 said:


> I don't think that would take me 2 hours no, but I would be safe and allocate myself 2 hrs when bidding it to be safe and make sure I could do a good job. It also makes a difference whether you have any other lots nearby. I can tell you for sure that I would charge more than $125 for that lot.
> 
> It also makes a difference how bad you need another lot. If you are pretty busy already, then might as well shoot a just a little high. That's all :salute:


I agree and would also estimate 2 hours. This is assuming that you are plowing the back/side areas and the driveway, which I'm pretty sure you said you are. Since I could probably knock it out in less than 2 hours, I would go $200.


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

If you miss bidding by an hour on a wal mart sized lot (high or low), you miss by less than 10% (probably), not really a huge deal.

If you miss bidding by an hour (high or low) on a lot this size, you miss by 50 to 100%.
That's a big deal and either you are going to get crushed (if you bid low), or you are simply not going to get what could be a profitable job. If you think it takes an hour, then add 10%, don't add 100%, that math doesn't work.

You wouldn't take a 10 hour job and bid it at 20 hours, you would bid it at 11 hours.


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## jjmcnace (Dec 6, 2007)

Maybe you were just a little to low Lonestar. You said previously that you are now doing a lot for $185 that somebody else use to get $385 for. Looks like you could have gotten a little more for that lot. Did that business come looking for you because they thought they were getting over charged?

I'm here to learn just like everybody else. 

Like I said in my last post why cut it so close. Maybe I could get it done in an hour, but I personally would not and do not bid mine that way.


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## plownoob (Aug 14, 2008)

add a lil cushin for the pushin. plowing time that is.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

speedy;684446 said:


> $400 Canadian dollars pretty much equals $265 USD....


$310 depending on exchange.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

King City gets quite a bit of snow and with all those feilds around there is going to be alot of drifting. $400 sounds high to me for your area but do they take salt?


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## Runner (Jul 21, 2000)

There is no way I could do that lot in one hour. Not doing a nice job. I was going to mention about the drifting, also. That whole front is exposed to the open fields that are right out at the west side. It is possible to get 8 foot drifts during a 24 hour wind spell.


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## KCB (Jan 22, 2006)

So curb to curb bid at 2 hours to cover your bases takes this to $250. Then you got to go back and groom it later for obvious reasons. And you had better put that 3rd hour into your bid otherwise you are leaving money on the table.And a sloppy lot. Tell me am I wrong?


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## kthhayes (Feb 28, 2003)

Dry run the lot, if you have doubts on the time it would take then take your truck there ine evening and drive around like you were plowing it, every swipe and back drag through the entire area. Add 20% time to the total, you might have to work around some parked cars and clean up a few roostertails. That will give you a great idea of how much time it takes. I agree with Lonecowboy about an hour or less if you plow it correctly, so if you figure 1.25hours+drivetime.25hoursX $125 per hour=$187.50USD and Cowboy said $185USD Right on!!! And if you are quick, I think I could have that done with my Meyer in 45 min, my 810 Power plow? Well we will see, but my guess is far less... hehehe It is all in the math, but it does not allways work out on the sqft, I am just past the newbie stage at 6 years, and I know that some of my acounts take an hour, and have less than half of the sqft that others have for even less time plowing. You need to know how long it will take, learn the tricks from seasoned veterens, and try different patterns to see what works best for you and the trucks you use. Back dragging is easy in a pickup with no spreader, go to a 1ton dump, add a v-box and its not too bad till you are plowing in rush hour. Tight turns and small spaces are hard to navigate with larger trucks, but plowing a 1' + snowfall with a half ton truck is tricky. My first year in this biz I did driveways after subbing for a local comercial vendor, now I am running two trucks for them, and subbing my growing comercial accounts to a couple of other ppl. Once there is enough to keep one truck on the road for 9 hours then I will buy one and have it to my self, till then I am happy to make less$ and have more hours. If you are new be a sub contractor, if a customer of yours now wants you to do the snow then ask them what they pay, dry run the lot and see if it is profitable for you. I have seen quite a bit in the past six years, one event that had a D-6 loader take off the Protec and place on the smooth bucket to get the job done. My first truck was a 1986 K-5 Blazer rust bucket POS with no top! As a sub durring my second season in just one gruleing event I made enough to buy my second truck, a beatup 96 ram, this year I have a 01 ram with a Blizard 810, and a super clean 94 F250 with a Meyer E60, less than 26k miles on this deisel!!! I guess what I am saying is that if you are new, sub, if you are stuck with a customer drive it and time it, if you are just going to do it, there are plenty of ppl who want bids in December who have had a different vendor every year for a while, but if you under bid on a property, you will loose big, and the next guy will have a hell of a time getting the job at a reasonable price. Too much said, lets play in the powder!!! P.S. Subbing is great!!!! I write down the times that i am in the lot, drop off a time sheet and get a check!, in the mean time I get to play in the snow!!!!


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