We are often caught between mowing the lawn ourselves and hiring someone to do the job for us. It’s a decision that requires a bit of thought since both have costs and or time obligations attached. The core purpose is to evaluate what is cheaper between the two.
Doing it yourself may seem cheaper at first, but after considering the needs to meet to complete the job, it’s a different story. After all, why pay someone for something you can handle yourself? Behind that statement lies the question, how easy is it to mow the lawn yourself?
Several reasons make you feel that doing this job yourself is easy. However, there are essential factors to consider before you make this leap.
Source: Bob Vila
Contents
Cost of DIY Lawn Care Vs. Cost of Hiring Someone
Before you decide which is cheaper, consider comparing the cost of the two services. Technically, lawn care is a routine that should be carried out more often.
If you decide to do the mowing yourself, then consider the cost of the equipment first. A relatively cheap lawnmower will cost you around $89 – $1700, depending on the kind you prefer best. You’ll also need a leaf blower, which will be about $150, and a weed eater, $100.
After you sum this up, you’ll get a total of $2000, maybe more, which is a lot of money. Remember, the totals are exclusive of the maintenance expenses.
Source: Gardenerdy
Cost of Hiring Someone
You can pay anyone as little as $30 to attend to your lawn, but you’ll not receive a professional service. Different lawn care providers charge differently depending on the kind of service done to your yard. According to Ben from homegardenhuides.com, you can expect to pay around $40 per hour on average. However, considering your lawn’s size ,it can go as low as $35 per hour or as high as $75+ per hour.
Get several quotations from different service providers to choose which fits your budget. Companies charge $60 per hour when attending to your lawn once, but they go as low as $40-$50, where they provide you with the services regularly, either fortnight or monthly.
The best part is hiring a professional will include grass cutting and debris and weed removal, grass clippings, and landscaping where necessary. You may pay more for trimming and sidewalk edging.
Source: All Grass Lawn Care
Pros and Cons of DIY Lawn Care
If you feel that it is cheaper for you to attend to your lawn, let’s check on the common benefits and demerits.
Pros
- Saves you money: Chances that you want to mow your lawn is because you’re trying to save some cash. You’ll therefore not need to pay someone for the same work.
- Exercise: Walking behind that lawnmower is a good day exercise. This is one common reason why people want to attend to their lawn personally.
- Mowing as per your preference: You own the pride of doing your lawn exactly how you prefer it.
Source: Charlottesville Lawn Care Pros
Cons
- Mediocre results: Well, you’re not an expert, and so you may lack the desired skills to attain similar results when you hire an expert to do it instead. Some work needs more than just a lawnmower, and you’ll need other tools and so.
- Hidden costs: Although you’re likely to save some cash initially, it is vital to know that there are some hidden costs involved. Without proper oversight of general care, several things might go wrong. These costs might end up making it more expensive than when you pay someone to do the job instead.
- Time-consuming: Just as you think you’re saving on cost, you end up spending so much time. It’s never easy for individuals with extensive lawn to make several trips and complete everything in time.
How Often Should You Mow Your Lawn?
This is a good question whenever you’re trying to figure out if hiring someone to mow your lawn is cheaper than DIY. A healthy lawn requires attendance every two weeks in summer since the grass grows faster. In winter, you’ll need to mow the lawn once a month.
However, this depends on the location and the kind of lawn you have.
Source: Nutri-Lawn Blog
Additional costs you need to consider
It would be great if keeping a nice lawn was as easy as running a mower over it every second week. The reality is there are a few other services that need to be tacked on if you want a decent looking lawn.
Aeration – Lawn aeration is something that is needed ever 2 – 3 years depending on the type of soil you have. Harder more compact soil will need it more often than sandy soil. The amount of foot traffic it receives alo plays a part. One off aeration cost for pro service – $75 – $150. The machine costs about the same to hire of the day.
Weeding – Weeding a lawn these days is pretty straight-forward with products like Weed n Feed. But some people prefer organic methods and this takes some time. You will pay about $75 twice per year.
Dethatching – Thatch is dead grass that builds up just above the soil and below the grass. It stops water and vital nutrients from penetrating the soil. Removing thatch every 2 years is needed for a healthy lawn. It will cost$52 – $120 to perform with the correct machinery.
Overseeding – This is best done after dethatching and aeration. It is the princess of spreading seed to thicken patchy lawn and bring it back stronger than before. This will cost $35 – $75 for a mid-sized lawn.
Conclusion
After you add up the overall upfront cost of buying the equipment to doing the job yourself the former is least expensive. An individual with a smaller lawn may find it convenient to do it himself. However, if you have a more extensive lawn with sidewalks and edges, hiring a lawn care provider is cost-effective.
