Smart choices about services and pricing can make your landscaping business more profitable and boost your bottom line. Here, we’re taking a look at the top 6 landscaping services your landscape company can offer your residential customers. When structured properly, these services can offer a healthy profit margin for landscape contractors.
First a Word About Pricing – You MUST Do Pricing Research in Your Area
Since this article is about the most profitable landscaping services, pricing is obviously very important. You need to price services high enough to provide a good profit margin – but not so high as to deter customers from working with you. In order to effectively price your services for optimal profitability, you need to know the going market rate in your area for those landscape services.
While we’ve provided some industry statistics within this article that give national averages for pricing for various landscape services, those prices may not accurately reflect services costs where you live and work.
Here are a few ways to figure out the pricing strategy of your competitors so that you’ll have a better idea of how much your landscaping business should charge for the services that you provide.
Online Research
Check competitors’ websites for published pricing or service packages
Look for online directories or platforms that list local landscaping services and their rates (e.g., HomeAdvisor, Angi, Thumbtack)
Read customer reviews on Google, Yelp, or industry-specific sites to gather insights on pricing and value perception
Analyze social media profiles and posts of competitors for any promotional offers or pricing information
Networking and Industry Events
Attend local home and garden shows or landscaping industry events
Engage with other professionals in the field to discuss general pricing and profitability trends
Join local business associations or chambers of commerce to gain insights into the local market
Participate in online forums or social media groups for landscaping professionals to gauge industry standards (check out our article on the top landscaping business forums)
Mystery Shopping
While some may frown on this tactic, it is highly effective – although it likely won’t be necessary if you’re actively networking and doing online research as laid out above.
Pose as a potential customer and request quotes from competitors
Call or email several local landscaping companies for estimates on specific services
Document the prices, service packages, and any additional offers or discounts
Competitive research isn’t all about pricing, be sure to pay attention to the response time and customer service quality of your competitors as well
Lawn Maintenance And Mowing
Lawn care services form the backbone of many profitable landscaping businesses. Regular upkeep keeps yards looking great and customers happy.
Many landscaping industry pros love the recurring nature of lawn care service offerings. Lawn maintenance an provide recurring source of revenue that you can count on. The more customers that you have on a weekly or biweekly schedule, the more cash that you can reliably depend on, and the less time and money you’ll have to spend trying to round up potential clients for your landscape maintenance business.
Regular Lawn Mowing Schedules
Set up weekly or bi-weekly lawn mowing plans for clients – and make sure that these schedule offerings are published on your website. Make it clear that this is a recurring landscaping service that you offer to all your clients – it isn’t just a one-off that you offer to some of your customers.
What’s involved in regular mowing?
Obviously cutting the grass to the right height is an important part of lawn care. Never cut more than ⅓ of the grass blade during a mowing session is key to prevent harming the grass. Depending on customer preference, you’ll use a mulching mower to haul off all grass clippings – or offer it to your residential customers as mulch or compost.
Ongoing maintenance includes trimming / weed whacking and edging around walkways, driveways and gardens.
Weed control is an obvious add on for mowing. Pulling and weed whacking doesn’t require any sort of special licensing – but applying herbicides to lawns requires a license in most areas – check your local regulations.
Add On: Fertilization
A periodic add-on to your lawn maintenance program is adding fertilizer to lawns – which is usually done in the spring and the fall. There are even organic fertilizer options as an eco-friendly option for many customers.
Add On: Aeration
Aeration is crucial to proper lawn care. Aerate lawns in fall and/or spring to reduce soil compaction using plug aerators for best results. By loosening up the soil with aeration, you make the lawn healthier by allowing water and nutrients to more easily reach the roots. Nationally, the average price for an aeration is around $144.
Advantages Of Recurring Scheduled Services
Obviously the recurring revenue is a huge bonus for recurring lawn care and maintenance. Perhaps even more important is the strong customer relationships that you’ll build through regular visits. This helps to cement your relationship with your customers and increase the chances for referrals.
2) Seasonal Services
Seasonal landscaping services offer big profit opportunities. They meet changing needs throughout the year and keep customers coming back.
Spring Clean-Up And Fall Leaf Removal
Spring yard cleanup preps yards for new growth. Dead grass and suffocating leaves are raked out. Plants are trimmed back and winter damage is removed. Flower beds are cleaned out and fresh mulch is added.
Fall leaf removal keeps lawns healthy. Rakes, blowers, and vacuums are used to clear leaves. You can bag them up or compost on-site. Offer weekly pick-ups during peak season.
Mulching
Mulch helps plants thrive and looks great. Offer this service in spring and fall. Use organic options like bark, wood chips, or pine straw to retain moisture, block weeds and add nutrients to the soil
You could also use inorganic choices like rocks or rubber, however these choices don’t retain moisture and keep plants cool and become more of a permanent fixture on the homeowners property.
Snow Removal And Advantages Of Recurring Service
Snow removal is key for winter profits and is a great way to keep your landscaping company employees busy during slower months. Offer both one-time and contract options for both residential and commercial property customers. Make it clear that a recurring plan helps to guarantee quick service after snowstorms and avoid the backlog that can occur from homeowner demand after a big snow.
Use plows for driveways and snowblowers for walkways and apply salt to melt ice and keep walkways safe.
Push recurring plans. They give steady income all season and they help to keep you busy when lawns are covered with ice and snow.
3. Tree And Shrub Care
Tree and shrub care is a vital service for residential customers. It keeps yards looking great and plants healthy. Tree care service includes several key components that can boost your profits. Note that in many areas you will require a license or certification to perform many tree and shrub care duties. Check the requirements in your location for more information.
Pruning And Tree Trimming Services
Pruning and trimming are must-have services for tree and shrub care. You can shape plants, remove dead branches, and boost growth. Offer seasonal pruning packages to keep customers coming back. Use the right tools for each job, like hand pruners for small branches and pole saws for high limbs.
Disease Management And Pest Control
Plants face threats from pests and diseases. You can help customers protect their trees and shrubs. Learn to spot common problems like leaf spots, scale insects, and borers. Offer eco-friendly treatments when possible.
Tree Removal And Stump Grinding
Sometimes – usually due to safety reasons – trees need to go. Offer safe tree removal services for dead or hazardous trees. Use proper gear and follow safety rules to protect workers and property. Include stump grinding to leave yards smooth and ready for new plants. Rent or buy stump grinders based on your job volume and be sure to dispose of wood chips or offer them to customers for mulch.
Profit Potential And Pricing Strategies
The average tree removal cost is around $750 but can go much higher for larger trees that are in more precarious positions. Use tiered pricing based on tree size and complexity of the job. Give discounts for repeat customers or off-season work. Over time, you can invest in good equipment to work faster and take on bigger jobs. You can market your expertise to justify higher rates than basic lawn care.
4) Irrigation System Installation And Maintenance
A natural extension of general lawn care is to add sprinkler system services to your offerings. You may find that you enjoy working exclusively on irrigation systems as opposed to working on other types of landscaping projects or lawn mowing. Irrigation systems boost profits for landscapers through high-value installations and ongoing service work. These systems help customers save water and keep lawns healthy.
Sprinkler system installation is a high revenue project – with the average install falling somewhere between $3,500 and $6,500 – making it a business idea worth exploring. If you can manage to keep your costs down, it offers excellent profit margin opportunities.
System Design And Installation
Start by assessing the property’s layout and water needs. Map out zones based on sun exposure and plant types. You’ll choose sprinkler heads and control systems that are a good fit for your client’s yard. Install pipes and connect to the water supply. Set up a smart controller to manage watering schedules. Test the system to ensure even coverage. Offer add-ons like rain sensors or drip lines for gardens. Explain system features and teach customers how to use the controller.
Regular Maintenance And Repairs
Check systems each spring to catch issues early. Clean clogged nozzles and adjust sprinkler heads. Fix leaks in pipes or connections. Replace damaged parts like valves or rotors. Update controller settings for seasonal changes.
There’s also a seasonal aspect to sprinkler systems maintenance. You’ll winterize systems in cold climates to prevent freeze damage prior to the freeze. You’ll also be available to help restart these same sprinkler systems in the spring.
You can offer service plans for seasonal shutdowns, startups and tune-ups – as well as priority repairs. You’ll want to make sure that your truck is fully stocked with the most common parts on hand to prevent time wasting trips to the hardware store.
Water-Saving Technologies And Upgrades
Suggest smart controllers that adjust to weather data. Install soil moisture sensors to prevent overwatering. Add flow sensors to detect leaks quickly. Upgrade to high-efficiency nozzles that reduce water use. Implement drip irrigation for trees and flower beds. Use pressure-regulating sprinklers to cut waste. Offer rainwater harvesting systems as eco-friendly options. Show customers their potential water savings with each upgrade.
Highlighting The Recurring Revenue Potential
Here are just some ideas to increase your revenue with Sprinkler System Landscape Services:
Create tiered service plans for different budgets and needs
Offer monthly or yearly contracts for routine checks.
Bundle services like spring start-ups and fall shutdowns
Provide emergency repair options with quick response times
Sell extended warranties on system parts and labor
Create a loyalty program with perks for long-term customers
Track service history to suggest timely upgrades – and keep in touch with a regular email or newsletter
Send reminders for seasonal services to boost repeat business.
5) Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor living spaces transform backyards into functional areas for relaxation and entertainment. These landscape design projects generally come with a big price tag and provide huge benefits to your clients – namely to boost property value and create new ways for them to enjoy the outdoors.
Deck And Patio Construction
Deck and patio installation can be quite the big ticket item with prices ranging from $2,000 – $14,000 on average to build a 20 foot square patio – and decks are generally much more expensive depending on size and materials involved. You can add features like fire pits to add character to your construction.
Composite decks offer customers a virtually maintenance free experience – but are the most expensive. Wood decks require periodic staining and repairs. This offers a recurring maintenance activity for the customers that don’t want to do the upkeep themselves.
Outdoor Kitchen Installations
Outdoor kitchens bring the joys of cooking to your backyard. Basic setups include a grill, countertop, and storage. High-end kitchens add pizza ovens, refrigerators, and sinks. This leads to a wide range of project costs – starting as low as $6K for simple installations, and $100K or more for larger, more elaborate outdoor kitchen projects.
Choose durable materials that can handle weather. Stainless steel appliances resist rust. Granite or concrete countertops stand up to heat and stains. Include proper lighting for night cooking and dining.
Water Features
Water features add a soothing element to your yard. Options range from small fountains and pondless water features to large koi ponds with waterfalls. Customers love the sound of running water – which masks noise (especially appreciated in urban areas) and creates a peaceful atmosphere.
Average sized koi pods aren’t cheap – typically costing $10,000 – $20,000 for an average sized pond for design and installation. But it isn’t just the installation revenue you should be focused on.
Water features offer solid recurring revenue opportunities for contractors. Many homeowners with more elaborate (and expensive) water features won’t want to deal with the maintenance requirements on their own – and these water features require a LOT of maintenance. Algae prevention and cleanup, maintaining pumps, maintaining water quality, and seasonal shutdowns and startups are just some of the revenue opportunities of performing ongoing pond maintenance.
6) Sustainable And Eco-Friendly Landscaping
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping uses native drought tolerant plants and can cut water use by up to 60%. This saves your customers money on water bills and helps during dry spells. But you can also encourage your customers to consider xeriscaping for the lower maintenance requirements of native plants. They resist pests and diseases better than non-natives. This means less work for you and fewer chemicals in your yard.
Native plants also support local wildlife. They provide food and shelter for birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
From your customers’s perspective, xeriscaping offers great long term benefits in terms of reduced water use and less maintenance. From your perspective, a xeriscaping installation can be quite lucrative – with installations costing anywhere from $15,000 – $30,000 or more depending on yard size.
Organic Lawn Care Practices
Organic lawn care skips harsh chemicals. It uses natural methods to keep grass healthy. This protects pets, kids, and local water sources. More and more homeowners are interested in keeping organic options for their lawn – and even large companies like lawn doctor have made organic lawn care part of their core service offerings.
Compost and organic fertilizers build healthy soil over time. This leads to stronger grass that resists pests and weeds.
Natural pest control uses helpful bugs and plants. These fight harmful pests without chemicals. Neem oil and diatomaceous earth are safe, effective options.
Addressing Growing Environmental Concerns And Market Demand With Best Practices
Offer water-saving lawn care upgrades. Install smart sprinklers and drip systems. These cut water use and save clients money.
Use electric tools to cut noise and air pollution. Solar-powered lights save energy in gardens. Rainwater collection systems provide free water for plants.
