Anyone pay for snow removal at their home?

[bettymae1121]

My DH just about refuses to clear snow off the driveway and sidewalks. I'd do it myself but I'd need the snowthrower to work and DH refuses to fix it. The best I can manage on my own with a shovel (after a heavy snowfall) is keeping the sidewalks clear and salted. Besides, in our division of houshold labor, he gets the outside stuff, I do 90% of the stuff inside.

I've just about had it with having snowy/icy walks and driveways (not to mention potential liability). I'm think of next year hiring a company to do it for us. I know I'd only have to pay per snow event but I have no idea what they charge.

We have a long single width driveway, I'd guess 50 yards give or take. And two walks, one going from the driveway to the front door and the other going from the front door to the main sidwalk for our street, I'd guess the two would equal 25 yards together.

We're in the far NW burbs of Chicago.

 

[englishteacha]

We pay a plow $25 per visit. We shovel the paths ourselves. We're in rural Maine so your prices are likely to differ.

 

[HM]

Any chance you have teens in your neighborhood that would like to make some spending money? Maybe their parents have a working blower and would allow them to use it to help you out.

 

[windycitymom]

We have a typical suburban driveway and sidewalk, and I pay the neighborhood boys $5 -$10 depending on the amount of snow. They have it done before I arrive home from work in the evening. For a larger snowfall, I would pay even more but Chicago has been spared this winter (unless you are in the northern burbs).

 

[ilovemk76]

My DH just about refuses to clear snow off the driveway and sidewalks. I'd do it myself but I'd need the snowthrower to work and DH refuses to fix it. The best I can manage on my own with a shovel (after a heavy snowfall) is keeping the sidewalks clear and salted. Besides, in our division of houshold labor, he gets the outside stuff, I do 90% of the stuff inside.

I've just about had it with having snowy/icy walks and driveways (not to mention potential liability). I'm think of next year hiring a company to do it for us. I know I'd only have to pay per snow event but I have no idea what they charge.

We have a long single width driveway, I'd guess 50 yards give or take. And two walks, one going from the driveway to the front door and the other going from the front door to the main sidwalk for our street, I'd guess the two would equal 25 yards together.

We're in the far NW burbs of Chicago.

Have you considered calling to get the snow thrower repaired or buy a new one?

 

[akcire]

My DH just about refuses to clear snow off the driveway and sidewalks. I'd do it myself but I'd need the snowthrower to work and DH refuses to fix it. The best I can manage on my own with a shovel (after a heavy snowfall) is keeping the sidewalks clear and salted. Besides, in our division of houshold labor, he gets the outside stuff, I do 90% of the stuff inside.

I've just about had it with having snowy/icy walks and driveways (not to mention potential liability). I'm think of next year hiring a company to do it for us. I know I'd only have to pay per snow event but I have no idea what they charge.

We have a long single width driveway, I'd guess 50 yards give or take. And two walks, one going from the driveway to the front door and the other going from the front door to the main sidwalk for our street, I'd guess the two would equal 25 yards together.

We're in the far NW burbs of Chicago.

I was at my I laws house yesterday. It is vacant and in Lisle. Two guys with a truck offered to clear the snow for $30. I declined, inlaws have a plow on the rider. It took me 10 minutes once I got in the garage.

So probably $30-40

 

[Happyjen27]

Here in Upstate NY we pay by the season. $350.00 per season.

 

[bettymae1121]

Have you considered calling to get the snow thrower repaired or buy a new one?

It IS a new one (well, 3 years old anyway), the pull cord you use to start it dry rotted and broke. Had DH looked it over back in the fall like (I asked him too!!!) he'd have spotted it and had time to repair it then. Now he doesn't want to until it gets warmer out (it's not a hard fix but you have to take half the thing apart to replace the cord, or so he says). I'm not dropping $300 on a new one for a $30 fix.

Even if/when he does fix it, he still hates to clear snow, that's why I thought I'd check into the cost of having it done. I could still use the thrower to clear the walks myself, and have a company handle the drive.

This isn't a hill I want to die on, if DH isn't going to do it, I'd rather just pay for it to be done than fight about it. If it can be done for $30 a storm I think that's a fair amount. Chicago tends to get 1-3 big storms rather than frequent little ones so I'd think most winters it would cost us less than $200 for the season.

As for neighborhood kids, all the ones in my immediate are are all little kids, and anyway I don't want to rely on kids to always be willing/able to do it. I'll pay more to have a guy with a plow on his truck to just automaticly appear after each snow fall. But thanks for the suggestion!

 

[zoemurr]

Here in Upstate NY we pay by the season. $350.00 per season.

This is what we do also, but they don't shovel. I'm not sure how cost effective it would be for them. I think there is also a plan for $25 a trip. Some years (like last) he hardly came at all, others seems he is here everyday, so it works out.
I guess you just need to call and ask. I just paid attention to what neighbors had a service and asked them for recommendations. In my 'hood most people do.

If it would cost you $300 to fix the blower (since he won't do it) or $300 to have the plowing done I guess you'd need to decide which is worth it.

Can't you find a local handyman to do the $30 fix?

 

[CammelleandBre]

$40 per snow/ or ice storm.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Here in toronto they charge you per season, not per snowfall. The rates are anywhere from $375 to $500. The norm is closer to $500 per season.

 

[scrapquitler]

My DH just about refuses to clear snow off the driveway and sidewalks. I'd do it myself but I'd need the snowthrower to work and DH refuses to fix it. The best I can manage on my own with a shovel (after a heavy snowfall) is keeping the sidewalks clear and salted. Besides, in our division of houshold labor, he gets the outside stuff, I do 90% of the stuff inside.

I've just about had it with having snowy/icy walks and driveways (not to mention potential liability). I'm think of next year hiring a company to do it for us. I know I'd only have to pay per snow event but I have no idea what they charge.

We have a long single width driveway, I'd guess 50 yards give or take. And two walks, one going from the driveway to the front door and the other going from the front door to the main sidwalk for our street, I'd guess the two would equal 25 yards together.

We're in the far NW burbs of Chicago.

At our home in Vermont, we have an steep uphill driveway that is about 250 feet long, with a spring right at the top that freezes into solid ice, so a tricky thing to plow. The norm there is to pay per season, and the plow driver comes as needed (usually with storms of 5-6" or more) from November 1 - April 1. We pay $650 for the season, he charges us more because it is a tricky job (he has gotten stuck several times with his F250). They don't do any walks or anything like that. If he has to sand, theres a $50 charge for that each time it happens because he has to get someone else with a sanding truck to come. If extra removal with a payloader is needed, we have to pay for that separately.

He gave us the option of paying per plow, $40 each time. If there is a big storm and he has to come multiple times, you would have to pay each time he came during the storm. With the amount of snowstorms in Vermont, it is almost always a better bet to pay per season. There have been maybe 1 or 2 winters over the last 10 that per plow -might- have worked out about the same or less.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

My DH used to have snow removal as part of his company but it made so little money that he quit doing it (hence, why people charge A LOT for snow removal).

For us, we will not pay for snow removal. We are all healthy and capable. If that changes, then we may ask someone else to do it. Our kids have been doing chores since they could walk and speak and DS10 shovels the driveway and walkways and has for a couple years (and we have a very large area to shovel).

My husband also does very little of the 'inside' chores but we still share the 'outside' chores. I figure as long as we both get the same amount of down time, then we are equally splitting the household work (even though I am a speed demon and can do chores 5x as fast as him ). But if I told him to shovel, and he didn't, well, I'm the woman and he would not be happy

 

[TaraPA]

DS15 has had a snow removal business in our development for the last 3 years. He charges $40 per driveway & does walkways with that too. He either uses the riding mower with plow attachment, the snow blower (used 90% of the time) or the shovel. So it seems like $40 is the norm for most people replying to your post.

 

[living la vida mickey]

We live in Aurora, IL and we pay $25 for a two-car driveway, the sidewalk and walk to our front door. It's per snowfall. If the snowfall is really big, we've paid our guy to come out twice and have paid $25 for each of those.

 

[jedijill]

I pay $30 to shovel my driveway and sidewalks in Denver. They come anytime the snow is over 3 inches.

Jill in CO

 

[Bete]

$30 dollars is about right. I will say when we get it done we are not first on the list for snow removal. We are retired; so, we don't care that's done bright and early. If you need it to be early it's likely you will pay more.

We have a small snow blower and I can handle it. It's electrical with a cord. I have done our drive, as well. It takes longer, but if I need it for a certain time I may have to do it myself.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Our Florida home snow plowing is reasonably priced.
2) For our Ohio house and all our rentals,
. . . Oct-1 thru Apr-1 contract
. . . local nursery doing plowing in winter
. . . plowing is automatic any day snow is over 2" accumulation
. . . drive and walk for each property is $25 per plow

NOTE: If there is 2" overnight and 2" late in the day, there are
two plowings. of And, thus, two charges per property that day.

 

[jdcthree]

I've just about had it with having snowy/icy walks and driveways (not to mention potential liability).

I have nothing to add about cost, but you may want to check the "rules" for liability. Where I live, if someone slips and falls on my uncleared sidewalk, it's not my fault. If I clear/treat the sidewalk and someone falls, it is my fault. Act of God sort of thing.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

My DH just about refuses to clear snow off the driveway and sidewalks. I'd do it myself but I'd need the snowthrower to work and DH refuses to fix it. The best I can manage on my own with a shovel (after a heavy snowfall) is keeping the sidewalks clear and salted. Besides, in our division of houshold labor, he gets the outside stuff, I do 90% of the stuff inside.

I've just about had it with having snowy/icy walks and driveways (not to mention potential liability). I'm think of next year hiring a company to do it for us. I know I'd only have to pay per snow event but I have no idea what they charge.

We have a long single width driveway, I'd guess 50 yards give or take. And two walks, one going from the driveway to the front door and the other going from the front door to the main sidwalk for our street, I'd guess the two would equal 25 yards together.

We're in the far NW burbs of Chicago.

We don't pay for snow removal; we both did it depending on who had to work that day etc. Now our boys are 16 & 12 so they do it.

What's most upsetting in your post is having a dh that "refuses" to do things around the house. Maybe I'm just used to being married to handyman & we both come from families of DIY-ers. Between both sides of our families we have siblings/BILs/SILs that are painters, welders, HVAC techs, kitchen designers, electricians, computer techs, etc.
We rarely pay for labor for anything and all help each other out with projects.
I really couldn't deal with someone refusing to do their share around the house. There would be a Revolutionary War in our house & it wouldn't last long. I would quickly start refusing to do his laundry, make his dinner, clean the house, etc. until he sees how it feels to have a partner refusing to help out.