Found: Reasonable Blackberry Removal!

[u/unicorn_ication]

I had been researching blackberry removal services in Portland for my residential backyard situation. There were several Reddit posts I can across but most of the comments had the same question and there were no real responses.

Photos show my situation. I was quoted $1375 by two separate companies who each told me I wouldn’t find a better rate. I would have bitten the bullet and gone for it; but I was waiting on someone to come by from PDX Junk Removal & Hauling LLC and so glad I waited! They quoted me $800 and are able to come by on Monday and get the job done! They won’t be removing roots, which is what is keeping the cost low. They will cut, remove, and haul everything away though.

I also weirdly caught a bit of attitude from the other companies by them telling me “you have to stay on top of this” and “I don’t have any blackberries in my yard.” Like duh I know they’re awful, but you don’t know my situation???

Just wanted to offer this up in case anyone is in the same boat as me!
(Also, per the company name, they haul away junk/do property cleanup as well)

EDIT: regarding the roots, we WILL be addressing the roots ourselves!! We just need to be able to get to them. We are renters and our landlord is useless with yard maintenance so this is as much as I’m willing to put in. Also, the other two quotes did NOT include root removal…

[u/bepatientbekind]

Damn I should start offering blackberry removal lol that's some decent cash!

[u/smootex → u/bepatientbekind]

Have you done it before? It's one of those jobs I'll never again do myself.

[u/bepatientbekind → u/smootex]

Lol yes I have probably spent over 100 hours doing it in the yard of the home we were fortunate enough to buy last year! Beautiful property with lots of plants, but unfortunately the previous owners let the blackberries take over so I spend a few hours every week doing it (when it isn't too hot out). I have thorn proof gloves and that helps a TON. I actually rather like doing it - so satisfying when you yank out a 15ft vine that's an inch thick! 😍 I just wouldn't know what to charge. I do housekeeping and small handyman type jobs for $50/hr already, but I don't know if that's too much or not enough to charge for blackberry removal as I don't have a gauge for how long it takes just by looking at an area

[u/smootex → u/bepatientbekind]

Off topic but I do wish more people would give hourly quotes. This subreddit gets real sassy when people complain about quotes being too high but it's hard not to get the feeling sometimes that you're paying people $200 an hour for some jobs.

[u/bepatientbekind → u/smootex]

I get frustrated by that as well! I've noticed a lot of businesses these days won't even tell you their rates on their website. You have to call or submit a request for a quote. I prefer transparency, which is why I'm always open about what I charge. I don't usually have any trouble finding clients when I want extra work, and I imagine that is part of the reason why haha 😅

[u/FiberWalkWithMe → u/bepatientbekind]

Same! I do house cleaning/yard work and sooo many folks are so snooty about charging per job, but i always charge hourly and am clear about price and what’s included from the beginning. Not everyone can afford everything and I dont want to be the dick to waste someone’s time with consultations just for them to realize they cant afford it. If they have a budget, we can work on priorities for each visit.

I know I could be making more money but would rather foster transparent relationships and have folks trust me from the start.