Reasonable Cost of Landscaping Services? (house, neighborhood, high school)

[GBStargazer]

We just bought a house in Akwatukee Foothills and I am curious what a reasonable cost for Landscaping Services might be. I know I can call various providers and get quotes (which I will do), but I was thinking that more input is better. (My first quote was about $200/month for weekly service.) The most recent thread on this is from 2008 and I am guessing prices may have changed.

What do you pay for your landscaping service? I know many factors enter into the cost, so please include some of the big ones like square footage (our yard will be around 16,000 sq. ft.), type of vegetation (grass vs. desert vs. plantings...ours will be about 50% grass, 50% desert with a mix of shrubs and trees), and any other big factors that you think are important.

I am not looking for an exact number, just ballpark figures to know if what I get over the phone is reasonable. I am thinking that this thread could help a lot of people know if their costs are in line too. Please avoid names of companies as I am not looking for specific recommendations. Thanks for your time and input.

[mfpd]

1x / month. $80. Desert with artificial grass. Basically, just pull / spray weeds, clean up yard debris from plants.

[ReadyFreddy]

I rarely pay but when I do it's been about $100/month for bi-weekly service from a college or high school kid. That was for a 13,000 SF lot with grass, rock, pool, trees, shrubs, (house), etc.

[Captain Bill]

I think the best way is to get referrals from some of your neighbors for reliable landscapers that service your area.

Then get quotes from them on the exact service you need.

While we can tell you what we pay, it will be in different areas with different services and different landscapers. While it may offer a ball park, it really won't give you the exact information that you'll need.

[momtoty2001]

We pay $40 a week for our 13,500 sq foot yard. We have about 30% grass, rest is pool and landscaping. They pull weeks, fertilize, mow, trim trees and rake the rock.

[GBStargazer]

Thank you for the comparison figures. It would be interesting to get more.

Captain Bill's respond is very sensible (no surprise), however, we are not moving into the house/neighborhood for a while as we are getting some major work done on the house. It still needs landscaping service for that interval, so I will probably keep the seller's company on until / if I find a better option.

Long term goal is to switch to more desert landscaping to cut down costs of landscaping work needed and water usage. Seeing what others are paying is interesting especially if I see a strong correlation between desert-like yards and lower costs to maintain. We are definitely leaning towards taking out the grass and replacing with rocks/desert plants or astroturf.

[azriverfan.]

The 200 quote is pretty reasonable and fair. When I was looking, I was quoted $150 per month for every other week. Beware that many of these companies will charge more for an initial cleanup fee which could be $150-200.

Some other things to consider

1. The person who comes to your place and provides the estimate may or may not be the person who services your lawn. Make sure to ask if that person will be the one coming each week. You might like that person and assume he or she is involved with servicing your lawn.

2. Ask if you are allowed to opt out during winter months. Some companies require that you continue using their service all year or not at all.

3. Many of these "legal" landscaping companies that charge high prices and/or promise better work are just glorified middle men who outsource illegals. That's been my experience anyway.

4. Specify exactly what is entailed in each service. Every company's attention to detail and expectations are different. Make sure you communicate your expectations to them.

5. Ask them what happens when someone doesn't show up to the job? Who do you call? How quickly is a make-up appointment made?

6. Don't make price your primary concern. A landscaper who is reliable (hard to find in this city) and provides quality work each time (again, hard to find) is worth any additional amount of money you might spend within reason of course. I guess what I'm saying is don't avoid a quality company/landscaper over an extra $20-30 per month.