Quick Answer
Plymouth crews bidding spring lawn-repair work should price on three lines: materials at landed cost + 35-40% markup, labor at $65-85/hr per crew member, and equipment rental at cost + 15%. A typical 1,000 sq ft Plymouth overseeding job (aerate, seed, top-dress, water-instruct) prices at $450-650 for a homeowner, with $180-240 in material cost and 4-5 crew-hours. A full 5,000 sq ft renovation prices at $1,800-2,800. The biggest pricing mistake on Plymouth jobs is undercounting top-dress compost - it dominates the material line.
Why Plymouth Lawn-Repair Math Matters
Plymouth crews running spring lawn programs across Plymouth, Kingston, Halifax, Hanover, and Duxbury hit a price ceiling around $0.55-0.70 per sq ft for full overseeding. Below $0.45/sq ft, you're losing money on materials. Above $0.80/sq ft, homeowners ghost the bid. The sweet spot is tight - and the wrong material assumption blows the bid.
The Three Cost Lines
Materials. Top-dress compost, screened loam for patches, and grass seed.
Labor. Crew-hours at fully loaded rate (wages + workers comp + tools).
Equipment. Rental aerators and dethatchers, or amortized in-house equipment.
Mark up materials 35-40%, labor 0% (it's already loaded), equipment 15%.
Material Pricing - The Biggest Variable
Per 1,000 sq ft of Plymouth overseeding work:
| Material | Volume | Bulk cost | Marked up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compost (top-dress 1/4 in) | 0.77 cu yd | varies | varies + 35% |
| Screened loam (patch fill, ~50 sq ft @ 1/2 in) | 0.08 cu yd | varies | varies + 35% |
| Grass seed (4 lb mix) | 4 lb | $20-30 | $28-42 |
| Total material per 1,000 sq ft | - | $90-160 | $120-220 |
The compost line dominates. Crews who don't include top-dressing in the bid lose 30-40% of the material margin. Crews who pad the volume to "just in case" lose the bid.
For the broader yardage formula, How Many Cubic Yards of Mulch for a Lexington 200 sq ft Bed? covers the formula that ports directly to lawn top-dressing.
Browse the lawn-leveling-repair collection for current per-yard rates on bulk materials and the Plymouth landscape supply route for contractor delivery scheduling.
Labor Hours - Per 1,000 sq ft
| Task | Crew-hours |
|---|---|
| Aerate (with rented core aerator) | 0.5 |
| Overseed (calibrated spreader) | 0.4 |
| Top-dress (rake compost in) | 1.5 |
| Water instructions to homeowner | 0.1 |
| Setup, breakdown, drive | 0.5 |
| Total per 1,000 sq ft | 3.0 |
At $75/hr fully loaded, that's $225 labor per 1,000 sq ft.
Equipment Per Job
For a typical Plymouth crew running 5-8 lawn-repair jobs per week in spring:
- Core aerator: rent at $80-100/day, amortize across 3-4 jobs.
- Power dethatcher (when needed): rent at $80-100/day.
- Drop or rotary spreader: owned, $5-10 per job in amortization.
- Wheelbarrows, rakes, hand tools: owned.
Per-job equipment cost runs $25-40 depending on rental amortization.
The Plymouth 1,000 sq ft Bid
| Line | Cost | Markup | Bid line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $120-160 | 35-40% | $165-225 |
| Labor (3 hr at $75) | $225 | 0% | $225 |
| Equipment | $35 | 15% | $40 |
| Subtotal | $380-420 | - | $430-490 |
| Profit margin (15-20%) | - | - | $65-130 |
| Bid total | - | - | $495-620 |
For Plymouth pricing in 2025, the $495-620 range is the sweet spot for a 1,000 sq ft overseeding. Round to $549 or $599 for cleaner presentation.
Scaling Up - 5,000 sq ft Full Renovation
Renovation work (dethatch + aerate + overseed + top-dress) doesn't scale linearly. The setup-and-drive time amortizes; the per-sq-ft material cost stays constant.
| Line | 1,000 sq ft | 5,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Material | $120-160 | $550-700 |
| Labor | 3 hr | 11 hr |
| Equipment | $35 | $80-100 |
| Bid total | $495-620 | $1,800-2,800 |
The 5,000 sq ft job is roughly 4x the 1,000 sq ft bid - not 5x - because of amortization. Crews who price 5x lose to crews who price right.
Patch Repair Pricing (Smaller Jobs)
For salt damage repair, plow damage fills, vole runs, and dog spots - the small-patch work that dominates spring calls:
| Job size | Material | Labor | Bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft (one big patch) | $25-40 | 0.5 hr | $90-120 |
| 200 sq ft (multiple patches) | $80-130 | 1.5 hr | $230-300 |
| 500 sq ft (large damage) | $200-300 | 3 hr | $480-580 |
Patch work is high-margin per crew-hour because the setup-and-drive costs amortize across multiple small touch-ups.
For the broader spreader technique, Spreader vs Broadcast for Plymouth Overseeding Projects covers the tool choice that affects labor time.
What to Add to Every Bid
- Pre-job soil test reference. Suggest the homeowner submit a UMass soil test. Bid contingent on results if pH is wrong.
- Watering instructions. Document hand-off; some homeowners drown new seed.
- Re-seed warranty. Most Plymouth crews offer a 30-day "germination guarantee" - if seed didn't take by day 30, re-seed at material cost only.
- Photos before and after. Use for portfolio and for any disputes.
Common Bidding Mistakes
- Forgetting top-dress compost. Dominant material line; if missed, you eat 30-40% of material margin.
- Underbilling labor on small jobs. A 50-sq-ft patch still takes 0.5 hr setup. Bid for the time, not the area.
- Pricing 5x for 5x area. Setup amortizes; charge accordingly.
- No re-seed warranty. Customers expect coverage; deliver it as part of the bid.
- Skipping equipment line. Rental amortization adds up across the spring season.
Spring 2025 Plymouth Demand
Spring 2025 lawn repair demand is tracking 8-10% above 2024 across Plymouth County, driven primarily by 2024 drought damage carryover and a moderate salt-damage winter. Crews booking by late March are seeing strong April-May calendars.
For the broader regional outlook, the 2026 Boston last frost walk-through covers the spring planting calendar that pairs with lawn repair scheduling.
For the broader regional turf management reference, the UMass Extension Turf Program is the authoritative source.
The Bid Worksheet (One Sheet)
For each Plymouth bid:
- Measure lawn (sq ft total, sq ft damaged).
- Calculate compost (sq ft x 0.25 in / 324 = cu yd).
- Calculate seed (sq ft / 1,000 x 4 lb).
- Calculate labor (sq ft / 1,000 x 3 hr).
- Add equipment line.
- Mark up materials 35-40%, equipment 15%.
- Add 15-20% profit margin.
- Round bid to clean number.
Crews who run this worksheet on every bid land in the right pricing range and avoid the two big errors (under-billing materials, over-billing on small jobs).
The short version: materials + 35-40%, labor at $75/hr, equipment + 15%. $495-620 for 1,000 sq ft Plymouth overseeding. $1,800-2,800 for 5,000 sq ft renovation. Right-priced bids close.
