Land clearing is one of the bigger projects property owners can undertake and can become quite expensive between equipment and labor costs. Whether you want to clear land for recreation or are thinking about building, lowering your land clearing expenses is always ideal. With that in mind, the team from TM Property Solutions is here with some useful tips on how to save money on land clearing projects in Florida.
Get Multiple Estimates
Never settle for the first estimate you get. Odds are you can shop around and find similar, if not better deals. Some contractors might also match quotes that competitors give.
You should also always try to get a quote in writing. You can use the quote in case there is a payment dispute with your contractor. The more you explore your options, the easier time you will have making the right choice.
Only Clear What You Need
You might be tempted to do as much work as you can, such as land leveling and sculpting, in addition to clearing. However, you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew. You may want to stick with just vegetation removal before you start worrying about grading services. Besides, clearing the land can reveal imperfections that might make further development more difficult without more site preparation and modification.
Plan Ahead
The key to minimizing your costs during any land clearing project is to plan ahead. The more you plan, the less time you’ll spend making decisions and the fewer unexpected costs you will have. Below are some considerations to make before engaging in your project:
- Look over your municipalities permitting and zoning ordinances. Depending on where the plot is located, you might have to pull permits before you can start clearing it.
- Create a budget and a tentative timeline. Your budget should be as detailed as possible and include extra money in case expenses run higher than you expect.
- Draw a site plan using some graph paper to measure distances. Mark each area with information on how you want to use it after clearing the plot.
The more detailed your plan, the fewer delays you will experience and the less money you’ll spend on contingencies.
Lease Instead of Own
If your business needs to clear land for development, you might want to do it yourself to save money. In these kinds of cases, leasing the equipment instead of buying it would be the smarter choice. Leasing doesn’t have a large upfront cost like buying does, and the definitive timeframe of a lease can help you stay on schedule.
The main downside of leasing is that buying equipment might be the smarter option for projects that will take a long time. Businesses need to carefully weigh the options between buying and leasing so they can make the most informed decision.
Reuse What You Can
One of the biggest expenses (and the most time-consuming part) of land clearing is removing all the vegetation you cut away. In most cases, you need a wood chipper to mulch everything, straps for stump removal, and trucks to carry all the refuse away.
Forestry mulching is a land clearing method that lets you reuse the vegetation by shredding it into mulch and spreading it over the ground. Forestry mulching requires only a single machine to clear the land and mulch the remains, so it is more efficient and faster than traditional methods. That translates to a lower cost for you.
Purchase Land With Utilities
If you want to keep your work to a minimum, then you should shop around for land parcels that already have some utilities installed, like a septic tank or gas lines. Developed land is more expensive up front, but it will save you time and money as you only have to worry about the clearing part. This strategy is especially useful if you plan to develop the land further and build on it.
Hire a Professional
One final strategy is to hire a professional and have them take care of the clearing. Professionals have vast experience with land clearing projects, and they will know how to complete a job most efficiently. When you factor in the additional time of doing land clearing yourself with rented equipment, hiring a professional may be the more cost-effective choice.
Contact TM Property Solutions Today!
These are just a handful of the ways that you can save money on land clearing expenses. Feel free to read our blog if you want more tips and tricks on land management and information about our landscaping services.
Give us a call today at (863) 216-3166, or send TM Property Solutions a message online to receive a free quote for your next Florida land clearing project! We look forward to hearing from you!
