asked to do some general gardening(!)....WWJD?

asked to do some general gardening(!)....WWJD?

Author
Discussion

extraT

Original Poster:

1,740 posts

149 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
So i've been asked to do some general gardening....we are talking 3000SQM, on a sloping hill....

All tools will be provided, and its basically grass cutting hedge trimming etc....

how much do you think I should ask for? I reckon £20 p/hour...mrs says that is a bit too cheap!

What thinks you?

ET

sooperscoop

408 posts

162 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
To be honest, I'd only pay 20 for a time-served landscape gardener doing technical landscape work or big works (digging and building ponds etc). 20 sounds a bit steep for general care. I'd want a super-perfect stripy lawn and a hedge in the shape of a mating ostrich for that.

Of course usual caveats apply, cheaper up north etc etc.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

185 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
You won't get £20 p/h if the kit is supplied.

My father's gardener is excellent and gets £10 an hour, for example.

Yell_M3

389 posts

199 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
Depends on your age.

21 and over
18 to 20
Under 18
Apprentice

£6.31
£5.03
£3.72
£2.68

Do a really good job, move on and employ someone else to do this contract.

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
Johnnytheboy said:
My father's gardener is excellent and gets £10 an hour, for example.
We pay the same for our gardener.

Honestherbert

579 posts

146 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
£20 p/h and you think that's too cheap???!!! My mum pays her gardener £9.50 and he is skilled!

iphonedyou

9,234 posts

156 months

Monday 29th July 2013
quotequote all
Tenner an hour, yep. It's unskilled labour with tools supplied, so it's really minimum wage.

stevenjhepburn

291 posts

128 months

Tuesday 30th July 2013
quotequote all
The Gardeners Guild suggests £15-30ph if you are insured, provide tools, and have experience, licenses and qualifications.

In your circumstances anything from minimum wage to the tenner suggested by other posters sounds reasonable.

curlie467

7,650 posts

200 months

Tuesday 30th July 2013
quotequote all
Yep, I would say a tenner is bang on. That is what I get.

KFC

3,687 posts

129 months

Tuesday 30th July 2013
quotequote all
extraT said:
So i've been asked to do some general gardening....we are talking 3000SQM, on a sloping hill....

All tools will be provided, and its basically grass cutting hedge trimming etc....

how much do you think I should ask for? I reckon £20 p/hour...mrs says that is a bit too cheap!

What thinks you?

ET
rofl

Doing monkey work with someone else's tools.... £20/hour being too cheap is hilarious.

Record the conversation when you ask him for £30 an hour and post it on here, this will be good.

WD39

20,083 posts

115 months

Monday 17th November 2014
quotequote all
What would happen if I decide NOT to clear the autumn leaves from my lawn, borders, driveway etc?
It is like tree central round here and somebody said to me today 'Life's too short to clear leaves'.
I tend to agree. Any advice?

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

232 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
WD39 said:
What would happen if I decide NOT to clear the autumn leaves from my lawn, borders, driveway etc?
It is like tree central round here and somebody said to me today 'Life's too short to clear leaves'.
I tend to agree. Any advice?
Actually I find it quite therapeutic to do little jobs like that. afternoon out in the fresh air, some nice music in the back ground. Occasional cup of coffee brought out to you by the Mrs and the sight of a job well done at the end of it. Bit like mowing the lawn but with more bending down and picking up.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

232 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
OP

£10 p/h is about the maximum I would spend on a gardener. Perhaps a few pounds more if they supplied the tools and took away all the waste.

Ask for £15 and I might go for it for an easy life but will be expecting a damn good job, certainly better than I could do.

Ask for £20 and I would politely decline.

Ask for £25 and I would be quite stunned and think it rather presumptuous.

Ask for £30 and it would be the last time we spoke as that would be just plain piss taking.

liner33

10,642 posts

201 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
I pay £10 but as the guy uses his own machines for some of it and his own fuel etc I tend to either round up or add a bit extra , he works very hard for it

Foliage

3,861 posts

121 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Rude-boy said:
WD39 said:
What would happen if I decide NOT to clear the autumn leaves from my lawn, borders, driveway etc?
It is like tree central round here and somebody said to me today 'Life's too short to clear leaves'.
I tend to agree. Any advice?
Actually I find it quite therapeutic to do little jobs like that. afternoon out in the fresh air, some nice music in the back ground. Occasional cup of coffee brought out to you by the Mrs and the sight of a job well done at the end of it. Bit like mowing the lawn but with more bending down and picking up.
Its like cleaning etc, none of us like to do it but some nice music on and get it done, then after its done the feeling of a job well done and reward yourself with a beer or a steak or something.

jonah35

3,940 posts

156 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
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Minimum wage to £10 ph.

WD39

20,083 posts

115 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Foliage said:
Its like cleaning etc, none of us like to do it but some nice music on and get it done, then after its done the feeling of a job well done and reward yourself with a beer or a steak or something.
The thought of coffee, music, beer and steak amazingly had me raking away this afternoon.

STW2010

5,714 posts

161 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
Rude-boy said:
OP

£10 p/h is about the maximum I would spend on a gardener. Perhaps a few pounds more if they supplied the tools and took away all the waste.

Ask for £15 and I might go for it for an easy life but will be expecting a damn good job, certainly better than I could do.

Ask for £20 and I would politely decline.

Ask for £25 and I would be quite stunned and think it rather presumptuous.

Ask for £30 and it would be the last time we spoke as that would be just plain piss taking.
I agree with this- £30 per hour is almost £60k per year based on a 37 hour week, does that provide you (OP) with some perspective?

Personally if I was looking to pay someone to do that job I'd have a figure in my mind for getting it done. I wouldn't want to pay £10 per hour if the muppet takes 10 hours to do it. But I'm a tight bd and rarely pay anyone for something I could do myself.

Shirt587

360 posts

134 months

Thursday 20th November 2014
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Mowing grass/raking leaves etc is minimum wage.

I'd be OK paying someone £10/hr to do something like weeding or dressing flowerbeds - something that requires a bit of plant knowledge and I don't want to do because it's time-consuming and messy as hell.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 20th November 2014
quotequote all
My gardener is skilled, has his own extensive range of kit, and can quote Gertrude Jekyll at you if you like. He charges £15 an hour.