Hello Mamas,
My parents asked my opinion about having someone water for them when they go out of town. My dad says with their yard it takes a good 12 hours of water one day and another 12 the next. Wow!! They have lots and lots and lots of grass and many plants. Glad I live a ways away so I don't have to water. Lol. Anyway they have asked a family friend to water for them and they want to pay the person. So they asked me how much they should pay. I have no idea, so that is why I am asking for your opinion. The person will have axcess to their house and awesome pool. The person watering is excited about getting to lay by the pool and relax. So my question is what do you pay someone for their time to water the yard and plants. They won't have to hand water the yard, only move from faucet to faucet using sprinklers. It just makes for 2 long days of watering. The person would never ask for any amount of money. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Thanks everyone for all your great advice!! My dad originally said that he thought $100 would be good for both days. So it works up to $50 per day. Although he now says he feels like a cheap skate so he may pay her $150-200. I told him he should get a watering system too, but he loves to water and it is kind of his time to relax. Doesn't make much sense to me. I HATE watering! Anyway thanks ladies!
Access to the pool and house has nothing to do with the responsibility to the yard. I agree that a $50 gift card is a nice touch. It sounds to me as though the owners of the house/pool can afford a $50 card and are probably very thankful that they don't have to worry about the yard.
It is a WIN/WIN situation for both parties!
12 hours of work is going to be really expensive. I agree with the timer and irrigation system. You can get a timer at Lowes for fairly cheap.
On another note, do your parents live in Texas? If so, do y'all not have water restrictions? We have one day that we can water and only at 6am-8am or 8pm-10pm. If you're caught watering at other times, you'll be fined.
I would suggest a timer and an irrigation system. Seriously it is so easy to hook up. Otherwise I have no idea. 12 hours is a long time to ask someone to hang around and water stuff.
If I were the "waterer", I would be happy with access to the pool! But a $50 gift card would be a nice touch.
Your parents must have an amazing yard! Wow! :)
Gosh your parents, spend their entire days, just watering their yard???
What a water bill they must have!
They should get, a sprinkler system with a timer. It can just be a surface sprinkler system. Does not have to be dug into the ground.
A neighbor of ours has this. Did it himself, DIY project.
I would pay someone, $30/day.
My parents have a large yard and it cannot be watered all in one day. My dad solved the problem of watering when they are out of town by buying 2 traveling sprinklers and a timer for the faucet.
I would suggest that instead of having someone come over to water, but if your parents want to stick with their arrangement I would say $25 for each day. If all the person has to do is move the sprinklers around and then gets to relax by the pool and use the house, I would think that is enough.
If I were family or a family friend I would just be happy with having the pool as a way to lounge around and wait out the watering times. If I agreed to do it with no payment arrangements, I wouldn't expect any such payment. If your parents want to do something anyway, I agree that a gift card would be a nice touch in a fair amount ($40-50 bucks at most). BTW- They must have one heck of a yard!
I would add up the actual amount of time they will be doing actual 'work'. So, if they have to go to the sprinkler, move it, set it up etc etc and that takes 15 minutes and they do that every hour for 12 hours then they have done 3 hours of actual work per day. The 'wait' time is offset by the perk of nice house, nice pool, cool drinks etc.
I agree that $20 or 25/day sounds good - that works out to about minimum wage for actual work, I think. Or just a $40 gift card for their fave restaurant.
They really want someone to hang around for twelve hours per day for two days to move the sprinklers? Seems very inefficient. Even though it is not constant work and they will have access to the pool, it is a lot to ask. I would think $40 - $45/day.
It doesn't seem like they would have to be there 12 hours, just be back in time to move the sprinkler. I would say $25-$30 for the entire two days and able to use their pool. I even think that is too much b/c they won't be doing much but giving this person access to swim should be a great thing in itself.
Maybe this person can stay at your parent's house so they are there both days or maybe they don't need access to the house. Maybe they just give the person access to the pool and a $30 gift card when they get home. All they have to do is have a sprinkler in the back yard and one in the front yard and move it occasionally.
$50 gift card or a really nice gift from the vacation place.
If the person would never ask for any amount of money, why feel the need or obligation to pay them if it is a family friend. Don't they do favors for people in good faith anymore or without payback!
how many days is it? and is there literally enough faucets to need to work for 12 hours? or just the water needs to run that long? I would say at least $10 a day for the sheer cost of gas getting back and forth to turn on and shut off. because while the pool part will be fun you can't stay in the pool for 12 hours lol.
