Why Lawn Care Is Priced by Lawn Size (Not by the Hour)

Lawn care prices start with lawn size because size decides how long the work takes, every single visit. More grass means more passes, more turns and more edges. Pricing by size gives you a fixed number before anyone shows up. An hourly rate leaves you guessing until the bill comes. That's why we measure your lawn from satellite images and text you one clear price.

Why not just charge by the hour?

An hourly rate sounds fair. But it puts all the risk on you.

You don't know the number until the job is done. A slow mower, a new helper or a long chat at the curb all land on your bill. Two visits to the same lawn can cost two different amounts.

A price set by lawn size works the other way. Your lawn is the same size every week. So the work is close to the same every week, and so is your price. You know what you'll pay before the season starts.

It's fair for the crew too. A crew that works fast and well doesn't earn less for being good at the job.

Why not one flat price for every house?

Because lawns aren't the same. A flat price has to cover the biggest yard on the street. So people with small lawns pay for work they never get.

Or the price is set low, and the big lawns get rushed. Neither one is fair.

Lawn size splits the difference honestly. A small front lawn pays for a small front lawn. A corner lot with a big back yard pays for that. Our post on what affects lawn mowing cost goes through the other things that move the number, like slopes, gates and trimming.

Is lawn size the same as lot size?

No, and this trips a lot of people up. Your lot size is the whole piece of land on your deed or tax bill. Your lawn is only the grass on it.

Lots of things on a lot aren't lawn:

• The house, garage and shed
• The driveway, walks and patio
• Garden beds and shrub beds
• A deck, pool or play area
• Thick tree cover where grass won't grow

Two homes on the same size lot can have very different lawns. One has a big back yard of grass. The other has a pool, a deck and wide flower beds. The second lawn is smaller, so it takes less time to cut.

That's why we don't price from the lot size on a tax bill. We measure the grass itself.

How do you measure a lawn without a visit?

From above. You send your address on the quote form. We find your home on satellite images and measure the grass areas. Then we text your price within 60 minutes, as long as you send it between 7am and 8pm.

From above, you can see things that are hard to judge from the sidewalk:

• Where the front lawn ends and the beds begin
• How big the back yard really is behind the fence
• Side strips that join the front and back
• Boulevard grass between the sidewalk and the road
• Trees and beds the crew has to work around

Nobody visits, and you don't need to be home. The quote is free, and we don't ask for a credit card. Our page on how the 60-minute satellite price works has the full list of what we look at.

Why is that faster than a site visit?

A site visit means booking a time and waiting at home. Then you wait again for a written quote. That can take a week. In May, a week is a lot of grass.

What can a satellite image miss?

Satellite images are good, but they aren't perfect. They can be a little out of date. And some things just don't show from above.

• Recent changes. A new patio, a pool you took out, or a bed you turned back into grass.
• Grass under trees. A big maple can hide the lawn under it.
• Locked gates and dogs. These change the work but don't show up in a photo.
• How tall the grass is now. A lawn that's been let go needs more work on the first visit.

If any of these apply, add a short note on the form. Something like "we added a deck last spring" or "the back gate has a code" helps your crew get it right.

How can you measure your own lawn?

You don't need to. But some people like to check the number, or compare quotes. Here's a simple way.

1. Split your lawn into rough rectangles. The front lawn, the back yard and any side strip.
2. Pace off or tape the length and width of each one, in metres.
3. Multiply length by width for each rectangle.
4. Take away big beds, patios or a pool inside that area.
5. Add up what's left. That's your lawn in square metres.

Say your back yard is 10 metres by 15 metres. That's 150 square metres. Want square feet? Measurement Canada's conversion table says to multiply square metres by 10.764. So 150 square metres is about 1,615 square feet.

If you measured in feet, you can go the other way. One metre is about 3.28 feet.

Your number won't match ours to the metre, and that's fine. It just shows you why a big back yard costs more to keep up than a small front lawn.

Does size set the price for hedges and cleanups too?

Size still leads, but what gets measured changes with the job.

Hedge and shrub trimming

For hedge trimming, the size that counts is the length and height of the hedge. A long, tall cedar row takes much more time than a few shrubs by the door. A hedge left for years also takes longer than one trimmed every season. So do big piles of clippings to bag or haul.

Spring and fall cleanup

For a spring or fall cleanup, yard size comes first. We measure it from satellite images too. Then the trees matter. Big maples and oaks drop far more leaves than a young tree. Beds full of leaves take longer to clear. And bagging for curb pickup is a different job from hauling it all away. Our post on fall cleanup cost has more on that.

Why does the season price depend on size and frequency?

Your season is a number of visits, and each visit is about the size of your lawn. So two things set it: how big the lawn is, and how often your crew comes.

The Worry-Free Lawn Season puts you on a set day, weekly or every two weeks. The same crew comes every visit and texts you a photo when the cut is done. The season is paid up front. Your first cut is free when you book the season.

Plans change, and that's okay. Pause by text when you go away. Cancel anytime and we refund half of your unused visits.

Who does the work, and who stands behind the price?

Golden Oak Lawn Care matches you with a vetted, insured local partner crew in your city. They do the work. We stand behind it with the Golden Oak Guarantee. If your crew misses your scheduled window, that cut is free. Not happy? Text us a photo within 24 hours, and your crew re-cuts it free within 48 hours.

Our partner crews do maintenance only: mowing, trimming and edging, hedges, and spring and fall cleanups. They don't spray weeds or pests. See all four jobs on the lawn care page, or read how it works from form to first cut.

Want it handled? Get your price in 60 minutes, or call 1-866-904-LAWN.

Lawn Care Price Questions

Sources: Measurement Canada conversion table.