AG VanGundy Landscape, Inc. & AG Landscape Materials, Inc.

It’s now mid November and many of us turn our thoughts to the winter and snow.  Have you thought of using a snow removal service?  Have you used a snow removal service in the past, but were not happy with the service your received?  Have you wondered what the difference is between snow plowing, snow blowing, and shoveling and their measure of success?  Have you questioned when service should occur?  These and several other questions are common and the answers can help determine the level of service you require and what you should expect from your service provider.

First, snowplowing is usually performed with a truck (or loader) with a snow plow blade “pushing” the snow to a pre-determined location.  The blade is curved to “dig” into the snow.  Often, as in the case of residential areas (driveways), the snow plow may have to be dropped near the garage door and the snow “pulled” back down the driveway toward the street.  This procedure is called “back dragging”.  When a surface is back dragged, it can sometimes leave a light skim of snow on the pavement, especially where traffic has occurred prior to the plowing.  This is common and should be expected.  This can also be topic of disagreement between the client and the service provider.  The customer needs to also realize that it is impossible to get right up next to the garage door with the plow; therefore, a “trim” of shoveling at the garage door will usually be needed.  Manual shoveling may add additional costs to the snow plowing price.  Shoveling usually has the best results, as it doesn’t leave much of a skim, except where traffic has occurred.  Shoveling, as discussed above, is usually an additional charge or drives the cost up.

Snow Blowing is also considered a manual service, although most of the work is done with a machine.  The contractor walks behind the snow blower and angles the snow off of the surface.  Snow Blowing can also leave a light skim.  Snow Blowing is commonly performed on sidewalks and walkways when you have a snow plowing contract, if shoveling is not done.  Again, this is usually an additional cost to the snow plowing price.

When setting up your contract with a service provider, it is pre-determined when the snow plowing will occur (i.e. 1”, 2”, or even “plowable snow”).  When these inches are determined, it is for the actual snow fall.  There are times, because of blowing or drifting of snow, that you may have more snow on the surface than actually fell.  When this situation occurs, you may have to contact your provider and inform them of the need for a plowing.  Depending on how your contract is set up, there may be an additional charge for having to dispatch a truck.

This brings me to the next topic of setting up a contract with a service provider.  Contractors set up their contracts differently.  Some contractors will charge 1 fee for the month, based on certain accumulations of snow.  Other contractors will charge per push or per time they plow, based on certain accumulations of snow.  Still other contractors have no set contracts and will plow your driveway based on individual calls (when you want the service, you call and a truck is dispatched).  There are usually no set fees with this type of service and the contractor will base his fee on amount of snow to be plowed and the location.  However, the service provider should give you the price prior to performing the work.  When you set up the contract, be sure that the contract states the scope of work to be done, i.e. snow plow only, snow plowing with trimming with a shovel, and/or shoveling the walkway and/or stairs end to end…  Also, the contract should specify, that in the case of damage to the lawn on the side of the driveway who pays for the repairs.  You should realize that scratches to the surface are common and is usually not the responsibility of the contractor.

If you do decide to contract with a service provider, remember that even the best forecasters don’t know when or how much snow will actually come down – you may need to be flexible.