Spring cleanup in Manistee County: what's included and what it costs

Spring cleanup is the work that bridges winter and mowing season. It's also the service most people don't think about until April — by which point the good crews are full.

Here's what spring cleanup actually includes, what it costs, and when to book it.

What's in scope

A spring cleanup from us covers:

• Stick and branch removal from the entire property. Sticks bigger than a pencil get picked up. Branches that came down over winter get hauled.
• Dead foliage cleared from beds and along fences. Stalks of last year's perennials, dead annuals that never got pulled, the matted leaves the wind missed in November.
• Leaves missed in fall. Always some, especially in beds and against foundations.
• Light dethatch where lawns are visibly matted. Not a power-rake on every lot — but where the dead-grass layer is genuinely choking new growth, we deal with it.
• Bed edges cut crisp for the season. The line between lawn and mulch resets every spring.
• Hauled and dumped. Everything leaves the property. No piles at the curb waiting for the spring brush pickup that may or may not come.

What's not included

Things we sometimes get asked about that aren't part of a standard spring cleanup:

• Mulch installation. Separate quote — we have to source bulk mulch, and the spread time changes the visit length.
• Fertilization or weed-and-feed. We're not licensed for pesticide application (Year 1 decision). For a fertilization partner we can refer you.
• Aeration. Spring aeration is a debated practice for Northern Michigan; fall is usually better. Either way, separate service.
• Heavy clearing of multi-year overgrowth or brush. Quoted as debris removal — usually hourly rather than tier-priced.
• Tree work. Anything requiring climbing or a chainsaw on a trunk we refer out.

If you want any of these along with the cleanup, mention it on the quote form. We can quote together or refer you separately.

What it costs

Flat tier-based pricing keyed to lot size:

• Tier 1 (under 0.15 acre): $175
• Tier 2 (0.15–0.33 acre): $275
• Tier 3 (0.33–0.75 acre): $400
• Tier 4 (0.75–1.5 acres): $550
• Tier 5 (over 1.5 acres): quoted individually

Tier 1–3 prices include the dump fees. Tier 4 and Tier 5 include a flat dump-fee allowance; anything over that we pass through at cost.

A Manistee city lot, Tier 2, typically runs $275 — done in 2–3 hours by one crew. A larger Bear Lake lakefront cottage, Tier 3, runs $400 and takes a half day. A multi-acre Arcadia property, Tier 4 or 5, takes a full day and is quoted on a walk-through.

When to book

The realistic timeline:

• February: Cottage owners book for an April or early May visit. Almost no other services are taking bookings yet, which makes us look fast.
• Early March: Year-round homeowners book. We have plenty of capacity this early.
• Late March: Capacity starts to tighten. Easter weekend creates a planning surge.
• Mid-April: Most quality services are full. You can still get on with us this late, but the date will be tight.
• Late April through May: We push remaining cleanups before the weekly mowing season starts. Bookings sometimes get pushed into late May.

If you're a year-round homeowner and you want a clean property by mid-April, book in February or early March. If you're a cottage owner opening up in May, book by mid-March.

Why flat pricing

Most spring cleanup services charge hourly. We don't.

Hourly billing creates an incentive to move slowly. It also makes it impossible for you to plan — "we'll see how it goes" is not a number you can budget against.

Flat per-tier pricing means we're motivated to work efficiently and you know what it costs before we start. If the property is unusually heavy, we'll tell you on the walk-through and quote a Tier 5 number — not surprise you with hours.

How it pairs with weekly mowing

If you're signing up for weekly mowing, bundling the spring cleanup as your first visit is the cleanest option. We handle the cleanup, then roll into weekly mowing the following week. Same crew, same day-of-week starting then.

For Cottage Care customers, the spring cleanup is usually a one-time charge in April that gets the property ready for the season's monthly billing.

Quote here →