Thread: Out of touch
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Old 09-21-2006, 07:40 AM
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cutntrim cutntrim is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2003
USDA
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I'm like Pelican. There are a billion maintenance companies (and seemingly just as many installation companies too) around here, but I've been at it for 14yrs so I've got a core list of customers.

I went from all maintenance, to a mix of maintenance and construction a few years ago. Next year may be the first year that I'll reach my goal of 50%-50%. I only run two trucks right now.

Anyway, to answer your question, hourly labour rates for maintenance are probably 90% of what they are in construction (at least according to the professional assoc. I belong to...Landscape Ontario). Seems to me that the profit in construction comes from markups on materials, less equipment overhead/maintenance, and less downtime/windshield time.

Maintenance provides a steady annual cash flow, and keeps your company in people's minds as Pelican mentioned. If you can keep a seperate crew busy with maintenance then it may be worth it. Jumping back-and-forth with a single crew is a PITA...trust me.
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