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Are you sure you're from NE?? People in the midwest typically take great pride in their yards and do all the work themselves including tending to gardens that have a variety of vegetables. Hiring landscapers is for pu$$ie$, Californians and those that are old, disabled or in some way unable to take care of their lawns.
We had about a half an acre at our former house and definitely appreciated having a self-propelled mower. Some of our neighbors had riding mowers, but we found a self-propelled mower was fine for half an acre.
We always did the edging and sweeping when we finished mowing because we liked it looking tidy, it was what everyone did, and in our Midwestern neighborhood it was an unmandated expectation.
What a waste of time, no way. I'd rather tear out the lawn and put in cactuses frankly. Life is too short to waste like that. Unless your time is just not worth anything.
Are you sure you're from NE?? People in the midwest typically take great pride in their yards and do all the work themselves including tending to gardens that have a variety of vegetables. Hiring landscapers is for pu$$ie$, Californians and those that are old, disabled or in some way unable to take care of their lawns.
Most people in nicer areas in the Northeast don't mow their lawns or do their yardwork. Not a lot of mowers in the Scarsdale and Greenwich type towns. Not even the norm in the more middle class towns. Unless you love working in the yard, it makes zero financial sense for someone to spend 2 hours on weekly yardwork when it can be contracted out for $30.
I do notice it's somewhat more common in the Midwest, controlling for income. I don't know why, but maybe you're right that it's considered more "macho" or something to ride a tractor around the yard. Who knows, there are always regional differences. In CA it seems no one mows their own lawn, even in working class areas.
Most people in nicer areas in the Northeast don't mow their lawns or do their yardwork. Not a lot of mowers in the Scarsdale and Greenwich type towns. Not even the norm in the more middle class towns. Unless you love working in the yard, it makes zero financial sense for someone to spend 2 hours on weekly yardwork when it can be contracted out for $30.
I do notice it's somewhat more common in the Midwest, controlling for income. I don't know why, but maybe you're right that it's considered more "macho" or something to ride a tractor around the yard. Who knows, there are always regional differences. In CA it seems no one mows their own lawn, even in working class areas.
I doubt that anyone in Scarsdale and Greenwich have their lawns mowed for $30!
I'm outside of Pittsburgh. My one neighbor is a doctor and mows his lawn. Another neighbor is a retired bank vice president who mows his lawn with a push mower. There are also a couple college professors who mow their own lawns.
Are you sure you're from NE?? People in the midwest typically take great pride in their yards and do all the work themselves including tending to gardens that have a variety of vegetables. Hiring landscapers is for pu$$ie$, Californians and those that are old, disabled or in some way unable to take care of their lawns.
Im from California and I do my own lawn. Most of my neighbors do their own lawns. A few people have someone else do them. With the on going drought though having a lawn may become a liability here in California. I do take a lot of pride in our yard. My wife does not like me mowing it though. We have three teen agers at home and she wants them to take care of the yard.
I doubt that anyone in Scarsdale and Greenwich have their lawns mowed for $30!
I paid $18 for .35 acres in the NYC area, so I think $30 for a half-acre is pretty doable. Lawn care tends to be pretty cheap in metro areas like NYC and LA, where there are tons of undocumented immigrants. It tends to be pricier in areas with less of a labor market (ie fewer immigrants, especially undocumented ones). It sounds strange, but you probably pay a lot more in Columbus, Ohio than in NYC or LA areas, at least for garden, lawn or pool-type work (at least that has been my experience).
Quote:
Originally Posted by villageidiot1
I'm outside of Pittsburgh. My one neighbor is a doctor and mows his lawn. Another neighbor is a retired bank vice president who mows his lawn with a push mower. There are also a couple college professors who mow their own lawns.
Well Pittsburgh, culturally, is Midwest, so it makes sense. When I say "Northeast" I was referring to the Northeast Corridor, not areas like Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, etc. which are technically Northeast but are culturally more similar to Cleveland, Detroit, Cincy and the like (places where I notice even high-income types do their own yardwork).
And in somewhere like LA/OC It could also be the Mexican and Asian influences. In Mexico no one mows their own lawn or does their own yardwork, because labor is so cheap. In Asia, lawns generally don't exist.
Also, when I say "CA" I mean basically LA and SD and Bay Area. Probably inland places like Sacramento are more like the rest of the country (people doing their own work). Coastal CA is as different from Inland CA as NYC and Boston are from Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Even in working class areas like Anaheim, where incomes are low and yards tiny, I see lawn companies everywhere and I bet most people don't own a mower or trimmer.
I paid $18 for .35 acres in the NYC area, so I think $30 for a half-acre is pretty doable. Lawn care tends to be pretty cheap in metro areas like NYC and LA, where there are tons of undocumented immigrants. It tends to be pricier in areas with less of a labor market (ie fewer immigrants, especially undocumented ones). It sounds strange, but you probably pay a lot more in Columbus, Ohio than in NYC or LA areas.
We have few immigrants in Western PA and the ones we have tend to be computer programmers, doctors and college professors. The lawn crews around here are white guys, many with college degrees. One local company advertises that the owners both have landscaping/horticulture degrees.
We have few immigrants in Western PA and the ones we have tend to be computer programmers, doctors and college professors. The lawn crews around here are white guys, many with college degrees. One local company advertises that the owners both have landscaping/horticulture degrees.
That has been my impression too, and that might affect costs.
My parents live in Michigan, and their lawn care costs more than my experiences in NYC or LA, and it's all white guys in MI. Also, most of their neighbors do their own lawns/gardening, even if we're talking homes nearing the $1 million range (which is a ton of money for MI real estate).
My neighbor edges and trims his small lawn every Wednesday night. He gets tired so the mowing part is done the next day.
He will be 90 next week.
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