Ok I have no experience in this but common sence makes me think that if these high rise dwellers want the luxury of these gardens, that you need to charge appropriately. If it means a higher fee then normal landscape work to adjusat for what you are out in parking, time, the extra courtesy of hauling water (if you have to), your expertise....then so be it.

You are catering toa clientele that has made a decision to live in the loftys...so without gouging them,,,your time and experience should be worth the extra money to give them what they arent willing to do for themselves.

Others.....am I wrong?

CarrieB, thanks for the warnings.I've thought about doing this but now I don't know.I would charge more for the inconviences scoping out the trouble before hand and discussing it with potential clients.I always make a spot check of any garden before I take the client on.

I would also get one of those small and long watering hoses that attach to the sink too.Once you do one job you will get others too.What are you charging by the way?

Carrie,
Yes, you should charge accordingly. Your services are all valuable. Perhaps a cart or wagon to carry all of your supplies into the job and the refuse out would be helpful. Something large enough you can do it all in one trip and yet be foldable to fit in your car. You could even paint it and have a nice sign to advertise your business. That way you can park in a more reasonable lot and carry all of your tools, plants, soil, water jugs & containers with you and show off your business a little as you walk through the Philly streets.

Kirk

Thanks all,

And happy yesterday-birthday, Kirk.

I think your advice is all good. If I get calls for more high rise clients, I need to buy a cart, charge for parking, and buy a hose with a sink faucet attachment.

I made several errors here. I forgot to ask in my initial assessment visit if there was a water source & neither balcony (in two separate luxury buildings) had one. I also didn't bring any cleaning supplies since I'm used to just asking the residents to borrow their broom. Now I know better.

I now have a better sense of what to ask and how to work the high rise jobs, though there is a part of me that is hoping I can build a succeseful business without them. They sure are a lot of work for two or three 16-20" planters!

Carrie,

Thank you very much. Maybe you can have the containers made up before you arrive and eliminate the mess and watering. If the client is supplying the containers, pick them up on your initial visit and make arrangements to return them, clean and well designed.

Kirk

I have worked in a few apartment buildings in Pittsburgh, years ago. I seem to recall that the maintenance staff had a shopping cart that we could borrow, which was very useful, so definately get a cart. A Dust Buster would be good for carpet clean-up, if you miss the drop cloths. Of course make them pay for the parking that is most convenient for you.

Speaking of inconvenient, in one of those same buildings, we has a client on the first floor, whose yard was totally surrounded by a wall! We had to schlep every thing over the wall with ladders on both sides. Fun, fun, fun!

I work for an interior landscaping company, but we also do some large outdoor containers for upscale apartments and hotels. Landman and Odie are right on. Charge an appropriate fee - this is a business, not merely a labor of love, right?

I bought one of those sink hoses for my personal use and I hated it. It was hard to fasten to the sink and often leaked, spraying water EVERYWHERE. And the hose was such a small diameter that it took forever. For three pots, you will be way better off with a pair of 2 gallon watering cans. I like the Akro Mills model since it has the fill hole on an angle that fits nearly all sinks. But try to find last year's model, the one without the built in rose on the end of the spout, because the rose drips terribly.

For smaller hauling jobs, we use a large rubbermaid garbage can (called a "garbo") on a wheelbase with casters. You can fit a reasonable amount of gear in there. We also use it to haul large quantities of water around - you can fill it about 2/3 full and push about 20 gallons that way - it's heavy but manageable unless the carpet is very thick.

For large hauling jobs, we have a small box truck and a driver who uses a handcart or a cart that's about the size of a small rectangular banquet table. One definite advantage of the box truck is that he can park in loading zones, fire lanes, double park, etc., and rarely get hassled. The rest of us in normal vehicles can't get away with that as easily.

You can buy disposable "booties" to put over your shoes to keep the carpet clean.

Thanks! You have all been SOOOO helpful. Watergal, I just ordered two of those Akro Mills watering cans. I also went to Lowe's and bought a rubbermaid bin on wheels. I think I have a dustbuster somewhere in the basement - collecting dust. Now, all I need is a dropcloth and those little disposable booties and I'm in business. Parking fees are going on the bill.

Now, I'm ready. You all are invaluable.

Carrie--
If you have a contract, and you should, in addition to your fee, you should add additional items that you will charge the client for in their final bill. For example, I add on photo processing costs and blueprinting costs. I also charge travel time over 25 miles. You could certainly add parking fees. Although this seems like a small amount--usually under $30.00, if you spread that out over the course of a year it adds up. You could certainly add things specific to urban gardens.

This doesn't help and is one of those general comments.

We don't have any 'high rises here but I did once tackle an interior courtyard. Parking was an issue...tracking in dirt...etc. After the work was finished I had to confess that I just didn't enjoy the work. I'm in this line of work because I enjoy it. I enjoy being outdoors and the free and easy feeling. I don't want to be in a building or spend time looking for parking. I don't make a mess at my jobs but don't want to worry about 'stuff' like water dripping on a floor or leaving dirty finger prints on an elevator button.

I finished the courtyard and called up a friend who is more into container design, maintenanc, etc. She was pleased to be recommended for ongoing contract and is in her element. I was happy to get back outdoors and haven't taken an inside job since.

You must and should pass along the expense to your clients. As was said, they are buying the luxury of a service brought to them. That includes the "Delivery Fee."

a good place to buy booties or shoe covers is a medical supply store
. they cost 10 or 15 for a box of 100.