How to Price Winter Landscaping Services (2026)

Mowing season is winding down, and customers are asking the question you’ve dreaded. One owner put it this way in a Facebook landscaping group: “What can I offer to my clients so they dont cancel the service or ask for 1 time a month thing.” That owner had just grown from 4 properties to 25. Now winter was coming for all of it.

You probably already know what do landscapers do in the winter: lights, gutters, pruning, cleanup. Plenty of articles list 19 winter landscaping services to offer. What none of them tell you is what to charge.

This post is a pricing guide, not an ideas list. You’ll get one method for every winter job, starting prices for five off-season services, three worked example quotes, and a pitch script for your mowing customers.

Winter Landscaping Services Pricing at a Glance (2026)

These are starting points, not your price. Sourced ranges are homeowner-facing figures from Angi. Where no published benchmark exists, the range is marked as an operator estimate. Run every job through the method in the next section before you quote it.

Four of the five jobs use gear already on your trailer. That matters when cash is tight in December, and it’s the fastest route to winter income for landscapers who don’t want to buy new gear.

Which Winter Landscaping Services to Offer: Pick 2 or 3

One YouTube business coach named the common mistake: “we add too many services to the business too soon.” Every new service means new gear, new pricing, and a learning curve. Pick two or three.

Snow belt vs. no-snow markets

In the snow belt, winter work is squeezed into late fall and early December. Lights, gutters, and spring contracts fit that window. In the South, pruning and debris cleanup can run all winter, and lights still sell.

What your crew and trailer can already handle

If your guys are good with hedge trimmers, pruning is an easy add. If you have a tall extension ladder and someone comfortable on it, gutters and lights are next. Don’t buy a new rig to chase a $200 job.

Weather risk vs. guaranteed revenue

Leaf cleanup can get snowed out. Spring contracts carry zero weather risk because you’re selling next season. Pair at least one weather-proof service with any that depend on the forecast.

How to Price Any Winter Job: Man Hours, Materials, Margin

Every job below uses the same four-step method. If you’ve read our guide on how to calculate landscaping job costs, this will look familiar.

Step 1: Estimate man hours. Crew size × hours on site. Two guys for three hours is 6 man hours. Add drive time if the job is off your route.

Step 2: Multiply by your loaded labor cost. That’s what an hour of labor actually costs you: wages plus payroll taxes, workers’ comp, and a share of truck and insurance. If you don’t know your number, work it out before you quote anything.

Step 3: Add materials and disposal. Lights, clips, bags, dump fees.

Step 4: Divide by (1 − your target margin). Want a 40% margin? Divide your total cost by 0.6. Don’t multiply cost by 1.4. That only gets you about a 29% margin, and it’s the most common pricing mistake in the trade.

The formula:

Price = (Man hours × Loaded labor cost + Materials + Disposal) ÷ (1 − Target margin)

The example quotes below use illustrative inputs: a $35 loaded labor cost per man hour and a 40% target margin. Swap in your real numbers. Your market, wages, and overhead will be different.

1. Christmas Light Installation

This is the biggest winter search term by far, and it peaks in late fall. Most homeowners would rather pay a pro than climb a roof in December.

Per linear foot vs. flat-rate packages

Angi’s published range is $2–$5 per linear foot, with a typical job running $220–$684 (via mikevidan.com). That range usually reflects installing lights the customer already owns. If you supply commercial-grade lights, your price per foot will run much higher, and it should.

Per-foot pricing is easiest to explain. Measure the roofline from the ground with a measuring wheel, multiply, and add trees or bushes as separate line items. Flat packages (“Front roofline + two bushes: one price”) sell faster because there’s no math for the customer to do. Use per-foot to build the package, then quote the package.

Install, takedown, and storage

Price the full cycle: install in November, takedown in January (about half the install time), and storage if you own the lights. Storage keeps the customer locked in for next year. Collect a deposit at booking, since you buy lights before doing any work.

2. Gutter Cleaning

Gutter cleaning is the easiest winter add for most crews. It’s quick and needed right after the leaves drop.

Per linear foot or per story

Angi’s Denver pricing shows how story count drives price (Angi):

Prices run higher in other metros. Houston lists $155–$260 for one story and $220–$460 for three. Price by story for simple homes. Use per-foot for big or oddly shaped rooflines. Set a minimum ticket so a short run of gutter still pays for the stop.

Bundle it with the final fall cleanup

The cheapest gutter job is one where your crew is already parked. Add it to the final fall cleanup and you skip the drive time. Pass a little of that back as a bundle discount.

3. Dormant Pruning and Shrub Cutbacks

Searches for “dormant pruning” peak in November. Homeowners start thinking about their overgrown boxwoods and hydrangeas once the leaves are off and they can see the shape of things.

Hourly vs. per-shrub pricing

There’s no solid published benchmark for this one, so build the price from your own numbers. Our operator estimate is $250–$800 per residential property, depending on shrub count and haul-off.

• Hourly works when you don’t know how bad it is. Quote a crew rate plus disposal, with a not-to-exceed number.
• Per shrub works on properties you already maintain. You know every bush. Price small shrubs, large shrubs, and ornamental trees in three tiers.

Leave climbing and large trees to arborists. Stick to shrubs and small ornamentals.

Why November is the right time to pitch

Pitch it on the last mowing visit. “While we’re here, those boxwoods along the walk are due for a cutback. Want me to put it on the schedule for next week?”

4. Late Leaf and Debris Cleanup

Angi puts a typical leaf cleanup at $191–$592, with a $379 average (via mikevidan.com). Late cleanups after the final mow are often heavier and wetter, so price them that way.

We cover per-bag, per-hour, and flat pricing in detail in how to charge for leaf removal. The short version for winter is this. Put disposal on its own line, and write into your quote that a snowed-out visit gets rescheduled, not refunded.

5. Spring-Booking Contracts and Deposits

This is the job most owners skip, and it’s the one with zero weather risk. You’re selling next season’s route now, while customers are happy with this season’s work.

One Reddit owner described the problem it solves: “Until now, I’ve only charged them for 10 months of the year, excluding December and January.” A spring contract won’t fill December with work. It does put cash in the bank in December, and it locks in your route before the lowballers start leaving door hangers in March.

How to structure it (author’s recommendation, not an industry standard):

• Offer next season’s mowing at this year’s rate if they sign by a set date, such as December 15.
• Take a deposit equal to the first month of service, applied to the April invoice.
• Make the deposit non-refundable after a set date, and put that in writing.

A Facebook group post captured the scarcity angle well: “Our winter slots fill up fast!” The same idea works for spring. Your route has limited room, and the people who sign first get the best spots.

What About Snow Removal?

Snow is the biggest winter earner in the snow belt, but it’s a different business with its own gear and contracts. We cover per-push vs. seasonal pricing in how much to charge for snow removal. For more off-season ideas beyond these five, see 7 landscaping off-season revenue ideas.

Example Quotes: 3 Winter Jobs Priced Out

Every input below is illustrative: $35 loaded labor cost per man hour and a 40% target margin. Plug in your own numbers.

Example 1: Christmas lights, 120 feet of roofline, you supply the lights

That works out to about $7 per foot. That’s above Angi’s $2–$5 range because it includes lights and takedown. If the customer supplies the lights, the price is $525, about $4.40 per foot, inside the published range.

Example 2: Gutter cleaning, two-story home, 160 linear feet

That’s $1.20 per foot, right in Angi’s two-story range. If it’s a standalone stop off your route, add 30 minutes of drive time for two guys ($35 in labor). The price goes to $250.

Example 3: Dormant pruning, 14 shrubs plus 2 small ornamental trees

That’s about $26 per shrub. Track the real time and next year’s quote gets sharper.

How to Sell Winter Services to Your Recurring Mowing Clients

Your mowing customers are the easiest winter sale you’ll make. They trust you, and you’re already on their street. For more on how to bring it up without sounding pushy, see our upselling scripts.

Timing: September and October

Pitch winter work while you’re still mowing. Once you stop showing up, someone else’s door hanger is in the mailbox. If you’re reading this in November, pitch on your final visits this week.

The fall-visit pitch script

Adapt this to your own words:

“Hey, quick heads up before the season wraps. We’re keeping the crew busy this winter, and I’m only taking a handful of properties for a few extra services. Your gutters will be full after the leaves drop. We can clean them on the final cleanup visit, so there’s no extra trip. I can also do the boxwood cutback and put up roofline lights. I’ll email you a quote with all three priced out, and you pick what you want. And if you sign up for next season’s mowing before December 15, you keep this year’s rate.”

It names specific things on their property and ends with a clear choice. Send the quote that same day.

Bundles and the 10-month vs. 12-month conversation

Bundles move people. One Facebook group post read: “BOOK OUR SEASONAL SNOW REMOVAL SERVICE & GET LAWN CARE FREE FOR THE WHOLE SEASON!” Aggressive, but a package feels like a deal even when the discount is small.

The bigger move is 12-month billing. Total the year’s services, divide by 12, and bill the same amount every month. The customer gets a predictable bill. You get cash in January. Start with your best customers.

Quote and Invoice Winter Jobs From the Truck

Winter jobs are small and fast. If you’re writing quotes at the kitchen table on Sunday night, the paperwork eats the margin on a $192 job.

This is where running the same app all year pays off. In Okason, the customers, properties, and Price List you built over the mowing season are already there in December. Add your winter services to the Price List once. With Talk-to-Estimate, you say the job in the customer’s driveway (“160 feet of gutter, two story, bundle with final cleanup”) and get priced line items back. When the crew marks the job complete, the customer, services, and pricing carry onto a draft invoice in one tap. Okason adds no markup to card payments, so on that $192 gutter job you pay your processor’s published rate and nothing on top.

FAQ

What do landscapers do in the winter?

Most small crews pick two or three off-season jobs: Christmas lights, gutter cleaning, dormant pruning, late leaf cleanup, or snow removal in cold markets. Many also sell next season’s contracts with a deposit.

What winter landscaping service makes the most money?

In the snow belt, snow removal usually earns the most, but it needs gear and a different contract setup. For crews without plows, Christmas light installation tends to have the highest ticket per job, especially when you supply the lights and charge for takedown and storage.

Should I require a deposit on winter jobs?

Yes, on anything where you buy materials up front, like lights, or hold a schedule spot, like spring contracts. Put the refund terms in writing.

How do I price Christmas lights per foot?

Measure the roofline, then build your cost: man hours for install and takedown, plus lights if you supply them. Divide by (1 − your target margin), then divide by the footage. Angi’s published range is $2–$5 per linear foot for typical jobs, which usually means installing customer-owned lights.

Is snow removal worth it for a small crew?

It can be, if you’re in the snow belt and can handle overnight call-outs. If you’re not ready to buy a plow, start with lights, gutters, and pruning. Our snow removal pricing guide walks through the numbers.

Your Next Step

Pick two winter jobs from the table above. Work out your real loaded labor cost tonight. Then price one example job for each using the four-step formula. On your next mowing visit, use the pitch script with your three best customers. One “yes” on gutters and lights pays for the effort, and a signed spring contract puts cash in the bank before Christmas.