A land clearing estimate should price by the acre, separate light brush from heavy timber and stump removal, and list the disposal method — haul-off, burn, or grinding into mulch — as its own line. Density and disposal move the number far more than acreage alone, which is why a "light" acre and a "heavy" acre can differ by several thousand dollars.
Below is the full line-by-line layout you can copy into any estimate. It's built around how clearing jobs actually price out and where the cost hides — stumps, rock, wet ground, and access — so your number holds up and your margin survives the surprises.
State the acreage and your density assessment — light brush, medium, or heavy timber. Density is the biggest price driver, so describe it so the customer understands why two equal-sized lots cost very different amounts.
Break these out. Mowing brush is fast; felling large trees is slower; grinding or pulling stumps is the most expensive per unit. Separate lines let the customer drop stumps to fit a budget without re-quoting the whole job.
Haul-off, on-site burning (where permitted), or grinding into mulch each cost differently. Name the method and any burn permit. This is the second-biggest price swing after density, so never leave it implied.
Mulcher, excavator, dozer, grapple — list the machines and operator hours, or fold them into the per-acre rate. Note mobilization (lowboy time) as its own line; getting iron to a remote site is real money.
Rock, slope, wet ground, and tight access all slow production and raise cost. Note them so the price makes sense and you're protected if the site is worse than it looked from the road.
Add any clearing or burn permits, a contingency for unknowns, then your margin and total. Note deposit and balance terms. A named contingency saves the job when the brush hides old fence, debris, or rock.
Some clearing jobs aren't worth chasing. Pass, or price them high, when:
A clean no on a bad-fit job is cheaper than a job you lose money on. Walk the site, then decide.
A tight estimate wins a job you were already asked to bid. To get more of those, landowners and builders have to find you, see your machines and past acres cleared, and reach you fast. A site that shows your equipment and before-and-after acreage does the first round of selling for you. We build that, and we run the same setup on our own home-service companies.
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Estimate by the acre, then adjust for density. Separate brush, trees, and stumps, price the disposal method, add equipment hours, mobilization, access, permits, and margin. Density and disposal move the price more than acreage alone.
Light brush can run a few hundred to about $2,000 per acre; heavily wooded land with stumps can run $3,000 to $6,000 or more. Disposal, terrain, and access swing it hard, so price the actual site.
Per acre when you can see the density and define scope. Hourly when the brush, rock, or stumps are unpredictable. Many contractors quote per acre with an hourly rate for surprises.
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