What a Professional Fall Cleanup Includes, and What It Does Not

What does a fall cleanup normally cover?

At its core, a fall cleanup is the removal of what the growing season left behind, done once the trees have mostly dropped. On our jobs that means four things: leaf and debris removal, bed cleanup, cutting back spent plant material, and a general tidy of the property.

In practice the leaf and debris part covers the lawn and also the places material collects, such as fence lines, corners, along the foundation, and on walks, drives and patios. Bed cleanup means getting leaves and dead growth out from among the plants. Cutting back deals with perennials and grasses that have finished for the year. The general tidy is the small stuff that makes the difference between a yard that has been cleared and one that looks finished: fallen sticks, edges, the corner by the gate. The details for our service are on the fall cleanup page.

What happens to the leaves and debris?

This is the first thing to confirm, because it varies between providers more than anything else. Some haul everything away. Some bag it and leave the bags. Some blow it to the edge of the property or into a wooded area and call that done.

We haul leaves away. If you compost and would like some left in a spot you choose, say so when you book. Whatever provider you use, get the answer in plain words, because where the material ends up changes both the amount of work and the result you are left with.

What is usually not included?

A cleanup deals with material that is on the ground or finished for the season. It does not normally include work on things that are still alive and growing, or on the house itself. That rules out several jobs people often assume are part of it.

Pruning trees and shaping shrubs is not cleanup, even though cutting back perennials is. Mowing may or may not be part of a visit, so ask. Weeding beds beyond what comes out with the debris is generally separate, as are fresh mulch, planting, and repairs to edging or irrigation. Removing large items, such as a fallen tree, a long-standing brush pile or construction debris, is hauling work with its own equipment and disposal, and is not covered by a standard cleanup quote.

Which jobs are normally quoted separately?

Four come up on almost every fall estimate. Tree work is the first: removing deadwood, taking weight off limbs over a roof or drive, or taking a tree down are tree services, done with different equipment and training from yard cleanup. Second is the sprinkler blowout, which needs a compressor and has to happen before a hard freeze whether or not the leaves are down.

Third is aeration and overseeding, which is lawn renovation rather than cleanup and wants to be done earlier in the fall while the grass is still growing. Fourth is hauling of large debris, described above. Being quoted separately does not mean these cannot be arranged together. It means each is its own line with its own scope, so you can see what you are paying for and decide on each one independently. Everything we offer at this time of year is listed under fall and winter services.

Are gutters and roofs part of a yard cleanup?

Usually not, and it is worth asking directly instead of assuming. Clearing gutters and roof valleys is ladder and roof work, and many landscape crews do not do it. We do not clean gutters or work on roofs.

That does not make it optional for the property. Gutters full of leaves overflow instead of draining, and the yard cleanup will not fix that. Treat it as a separate job, arrange it with a provider who does that work, and if you can, schedule it after the trees are bare so it is only done once.

What should you ask before booking?

Ask what areas are covered, by name: front lawn, back lawn, beds, fence lines, hard surfaces, the strip along the road. Ask what happens to the material. Ask whether the quote is for one visit or more, and what happens to leaves that fall after the crew has been. Ask what gets cut back in the beds and what is left standing, and whether you get a say in that.

Then ask about the edges of the job. What is the crew expecting you to have moved before they arrive? What happens if they find something outside the scope, such as a large limb down behind the garage? Will the work be rescheduled for weather, and how will you be told? Is the company insured? None of these are trick questions. A provider who does this work regularly will have a ready answer to each, and the answers tell you more about the visit than the total at the bottom of the page.

How do you compare two quotes for the same yard?

Line them up item by item rather than total against total. Start with the four things that most often differ: number of visits, whether beds are included, whether cutbacks are included, and whether material is hauled away. Two quotes that differ on any of those are describing different jobs, and the lower number may simply be the smaller job.

Next, check that both are based on the same information. A quote given after walking the property accounts for the big trees, the narrow gate and the slope. A quote given over the phone from an address may not, and can change on the day. If one provider asked you a lot of questions and the other asked none, weigh that. The things that move a price up or down are covered in our guide to fall cleanup cost factors, which is useful to read with both quotes in front of you. If the real difference between the two is a single visit against ongoing care, that choice is discussed in one-time cleanup or a seasonal plan.

What should you do before the crew arrives?

A few things make the visit go better. Move vehicles off the driveway if the crew needs it for the trailer. Pick up hoses, toys, pet waste and furniture from the areas being cleared. Unlock gates, and keep pets inside. If there are plants you want left standing, or a pile of leaves you want kept for compost, mark them or point them out at the start.

Walk the yard with the crew lead for two minutes before work begins if you are home, and confirm the scope out loud: these areas, these beds, this is what gets cut back, this is where the property line is. It takes very little time and removes most of the ways a cleanup can end up different from what you expected.

Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or book a fall cleanup before the snow settles in.

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