# HOA Proposal to me for snow removal. need help



## burnsyscapes123 (Nov 17, 2012)

i will provide snow removal at the following times.
once snow reaches 5 inches with additoinal plwoings when snow reaces another 5 inches

i will be payed 150 for the first 5 inches. and only 75 for every 5 inches after that. but if the snow exceeds 10 inches i will be paid only 75 for every 5 inches after that.

so i will be making two trips for only 150 buks. does not sound like its worth it. But it will only be one mile from where i am plowing.

also its only plwoing. one pass up and down. 1 1/2 miles total.

I am new to hoa's and commerical since i only have done work for dot.

I am in northern VA so we do get snow up averge 4-6 inches 4 or 5 times a year.


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## goel (Nov 23, 2010)

Have you considered the hard pack that will be underneath the 5 inches of snow from when you get 2 to 4 inches and it gets driven over and packed down, a little thawing and refreezing added it.

Very hard on a truck. Not conditions I would consider unless I was desperate beyond belief. That's just a HOA that is cheaper than cheap.


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## BigBoyPlowin (Nov 16, 2012)

What are you asking?

Hopefully its smooth newly paved asphalt! Love going 40 plowing HOA's in my 4500 pickup

At a few of my high end HOA's We're plowing/ Windrowing as we salt at a 1/4" This prevents the hard packed down stuff... but then again im not getting 75 bucks for it...


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## woodchuck2 (Dec 4, 2010)

Well, everyone has their own way at looking at this type of job and of course how much profit they need to make. Personally i would walk, why would the second 5" be cheaper than the 1st? As stated above you have to think about the hardpack as you know some of these yahoo's seem to be needed somewhere and must drive on it packing it to ice for you. I do not work for HOA and wont, you will find they are penny pinchers in the worst way. Here are my thoughts and have been used in arguments when bidding with doing roads, my minimum charge is $30 for almost any driveway, so why would i plow a road 1.5 miles long for $75 when i can make $30 for a 100' driveway? Sure that road is fast to plow "when it is virgin snow", can be winged right back "unless it is heavy wet snow that has been driven on", always needs sanding/salting "if you can get the yahoos to pay the actual value of that service". I will further explain the last comment of sanding/salting. 1.5 miles of road will empty about any large hopper up to 2-2.5yrds, i usually charge $100 per hopper or the same as the price of plowing. So if you can get $150 for sanding then you may be doing ok, but $75 and you are wasting time and fuel. Also you will find you make far more money sanding driveways than roads. I can get 6-8 average driveways per hopper at $30 a whack versus $100 per hopper on a road. And then you have salt, that cost even more to spread and at set prices like those that means less profit.

HOA's only look out for their own wallet, they will not be losing sleep while you are out there beating your blade on the ice they just made for you coming back from their dinner date. You however will be losing sleep when you get that phone call that the HOA president just bounced his BMW off the snow bank because you spread the sand a little thin in one spot and when he got out to check the damage he slipped and fell causing a concussion.


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## BillyRgn (Jan 28, 2004)

Is it 150 the first time because sanding is included? No way would I take something with a 5in trigger WAY to long to wait. Imagine if the snow starts early afternoon and everyone along that mile and a half drives over it coming home, it won't even be plow able. If sand salt isn't apart of it the increases need to be way more than that at least 125 for each additional 5. However I really think you should be there at 2 inches. If they are dead set on there terms I would not even concider it.


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

burnsyscapes123;1516684 said:


> i will provide snow removal at the following times.
> once snow reaches 5 inches with additoinal plwoings when snow reaces another 5 inches
> 
> i will be payed 150 for the first 5 inches. and only 75 for every 5 inches after that. but if the snow exceeds 10 inches i will be paid only 75 for every 5 inches after that.
> ...


Your right it's not worth it.

What you can do is talk to them on safety issues of not plowing until there is 5 inches of snow.

Tell them you will plow at the 3 inch mark only.
Starting with your Base of $150.
2-3 $150
4-6 $250
7-9 $400
10-12 $550 
and $150 dollars for every 3 inches thereafter.

And that would be a low price around here.

If they well not go for it, walk away and don't look back.


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## M.A.H. (Aug 9, 2012)

This sounds like a bad deal to begin with, A 5" trigger  A 2" or maybe even a 3" is doable. HOA's are cheap. Send the a e-mail or call, give them a price on a 2" trigger with salt after each plowing and a price for a 3" trigger with salt after each plowing. If they don't want to pay, walk away. It's your equipment, your insurance and most of all it's your butt on the line.


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## burnsyscapes123 (Nov 17, 2012)

they made it clear they dont want any salt or sand


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## KTLawnCo (Dec 18, 2010)

$150 buck is not worth it. I am in NOVA as well and I would walk away. between gas, wear on trucks, cars driving over the snow, and the headache of hoa presidents, walk away or shoot them another price.


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