# How much charge for residential snow removal?



## spitfire3416 (Jan 26, 2015)

Does $300 for a driveway roughly 1200 sq ft and a 100 ft walkway sound like too much for 20 inches of snow. We came two times. Once at about 7“ and then again at 13”


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## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

How long did it take?
And where are you located?
If you say the You Pee, it’s too much...


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## NBRam1500 (Nov 22, 2019)

Sounds high to me for two services..
If customers willing to pay that go for it. 

We would charge 75-100 for a one time customer for that snow fall


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## fireball (Jan 9, 2000)

Seems kinda extreme for Newark but a bargain for Chatam


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## spitfire3416 (Jan 26, 2015)

BossPlow2010 said:


> How long did it take?
> And where are you located?
> If you say the You Pee, it's too much...


New Jersey


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## spitfire3416 (Jan 26, 2015)

BossPlow2010 said:


> How long did it take?
> And where are you located?
> If you say the You Pee, it's too much...


And it took 45 minutes with 2 people. We use snow blowers for residential


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## spitfire3416 (Jan 26, 2015)

fireball said:


> Seems kinda extreme for Newark but a bargain for Chatam


This is located in mountainside which is basically right near Chatham. What do you think is a fair price?


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

Mountains?

$55

That’s where efficiency pays.
Faster/ more efficient equipment is needed.

Sure, the 2 of you spent 45 minutes each for
A total of 1.5 man hours.
Would you change more if you used shovels
And it took 4hrs?


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

I don't think $100 an hour is out of line for any piece if equipment. 
There are limits to what you can charge though. 
Especially in a severe event like this.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

^Sew your at $75?

A $100 an hr for a









What if they shoveled it ?
it now takes 2hr for the same job
Is it worth more because it took longer to compleat?


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Hydromaster said:


> ^Sew your at $75?
> 
> A $100 an hr for a
> View attachment 213166
> ...


The answer to your question is no.
I said there are limits to what you can charge for any given job.
No matter what equipment you are using.
If I added the word "powered" in front of equipment would that help

You are doing a hard job, under miserable conditions with a specialized piece of equipment. Not talking about the shovel.
It better be worth your time at the end of the day.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

Yes, 
And the guy with a plow truck or a tractor mounted snowblower should charge 
$200? The job is stil “miserable “???

They charge $25–55. 
Why should the home owner pay more for equipment used that is less efficient and takes 2guys? , sipcalized or not?


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## sota (Jan 31, 2011)

I'd say you're in line.


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## sota (Jan 31, 2011)

Hydromaster said:


> Yes,
> And the guy with a plow truck or a tractor mounted snowblower should charge
> $200? The job is stil "miserable "???
> 
> ...


Not around here they won't.


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## spitfire3416 (Jan 26, 2015)

So I just downloaded the shovelr app and it suggests $240 would be the minimum charge based on my location. Assuming minimum is only for a few inches, so maybe $300 isn’t far off?


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

Have you submitted the invoice?
Did you agree on a price ahead of time?


The bottom line is It sounds like you don’t know your cost of doing business?
Just because some app says charge $xyz just becysomebody’s is advertising that amount doesn’t mean your clients or your market will Bear that price point.

It sounded like a really difficult drive up in the mountains yet it only took you 45 minutes.
Just say’en Two guys & a snowblower don’t command more money than a plow truck or a tractor or a loader...

Good luck.


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## spitfire3416 (Jan 26, 2015)

Hydromaster said:


> Have you submitted the invoice?
> Did you agree on a price ahead of time?
> 
> The bottom line is It sounds like you don't know your cost of doing business?
> ...


I understand that I can't charge more just because it takes longer with snow blowers. I get that. But if plows in my area are getting $300 for the same driveway then why should I charge less just because my costs are less? I know my costs. I just want to be in line with the going rate but I've never handled a storm this big so I was second guessing my rates.


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Hydromaster said:


> Yes,
> And the guy with a plow truck or a tractor mounted snowblower should charge
> $200? The job is stil "miserable "???
> 
> ...


Not here. 
Nobody here buys a $30k tractor and does anything for $55.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

jonniesmooth said:


> Not here.
> Nobody here buys a $30k tractor and does anything for $55.


A guyy around here, kind of like the biggest guy up in Canada, uses all these tractors and he's doing drives for like 10 bucks a pop.

When reality we have no idea what the driveway looks like,". It was a 45 minute job.

If you're plowing driveways how much do you charge for the guy to hop out and shovel the stairs and sidewalk?

he wants wages , Business expenses for two people but that doesn't necessarily justify a premium price.

Jmo.
What is the billable rate for one snowblower and one shovel? Is it hort of $125+ an hour.?

Again Good luck. Some say charge the most you can get, some say, get them on a seasonal contract to retain a customer without gouging them for a one time event.


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## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

spitfire3416 said:


> This is located in mountainside which is basically right near Chatham. What do you think is a fair price?


There's mountains in New Jersey?


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Hydromaster said:


> A guyy around here, kind of like the biggest guy up in Canada, uses all these tractors and he's doing drives for like 10 bucks a pop.
> 
> Right, seasonally the drives might average out to $10 each. But if they do any on call work, I bet they aren't.
> 
> ...





Hydromaster said:


> A guyy around here, kind of like the biggest guy up in Canada, uses all these tractors and he's doing drives for like 10 bucks a pop.
> 
> When reality we have no idea what the driveway looks like,". It was a 45 minute job.
> 
> ...


Sticker shock on the call out price is a good carrot to steer them into a seasonal.
Or even a per push contract.
It's foolish arguing prices from 500 miles away. 
Any call out service justifies a premium price.
I use a minimum price. What's the claim?
A Ventrac does the work of 10 shovelers?
So if it took 1.5 hours to snowblower and shovel and $100/ hour each is fair, that's $200.
But the Central could do it in 20 minutes 
That guy in Canada would charge $10?
Somehow I don't think so.


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## cwren2472 (Aug 15, 2014)

BUFF said:


> There's mountains in New Jersey?


Of course.


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

cwren2472 said:


> Of course.


Your on the good side of Newark, now this is jersey, Chatham is big money. The guys I know were getting around 300 for the average driveway for that storm, but thats with a 40,000 truck, not a 500 blower, I think your a little high.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

jonniesmooth said:


> Sticker shock on the call out price is a good carrot to steer them into a seasonal.
> Or even a per push contract.
> It's foolish arguing prices from 500 miles away.
> Any call out service justifies a premium price.
> ...





Neige said:


> Landgreen I believe you should be more than the guy in a plow truck. You have a much bigger investment, but ensuring a better service with no piles and lawn minimal lawn damage. If you go with a seasonal price, divide that by the average events you get. If your price is $450.00 and you have 15 events and each event you pass at minimum two times the price is $15.00 per pass. The idea is to come in at a price where the potential client is thinking why am I out here clearing my own snow.
> Once you have a client locked in on the snow blowing service, they tend not want to go back to being plowed out. You also tend to increase your clientele in areas where you already service people. Thats how you build up route density. Its really up to you to find that sweet spot of a price, where people starting thinking why am I still clearing my own drive. The other important item is to be very expensive for the people who flag you down or want it done only once on call. These people need to be paying at minimum 3 times more then what you average pass comes out to. There is not enough money in doing people only when they need you in those big storms.
> I will end that in my market we are around $320.00 for the season and we serviced them last year 60 times. Thats $5.33 per pass, and most of our drivers are doing 50 drives an hr, so making my brothers $266.50 an hr.
> Just my $0.02 worth of advice.


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## demetrios007 (Sep 30, 2004)

For non customers the average driveway was 250 to 300 and we had 24+" that's one push Tuesday night when it was done. I had a few large ones that went 450. Problem is they agree when they are stranded and cant get anybody. For non customers we do cash or credit on the spot. You send bills like that amd they forget how bad it was when ita time to write the check. Hell I had flag downs running the skid up the highway wed amd thurs between stacking jobs. It was nuts in NJ


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