The instinct to DIY lawn care is understandable. How hard can it be? But when we sit down with homeowners who've been handling it themselves for years, the math almost always surprises them.
The real cost of DIY lawn care
Let's build out an honest DIY cost model for a typical GTA home with a medium-sized lawn (approx. 3,000–4,000 sq ft).
Equipment (amortized over 10 years)
- Mid-range gas or battery mower: $400–$800 (call it $600)
- String trimmer: $150–$350
- Blower: $100–$300
- Maintenance (tune-up, blades, oil, batteries): $80–$150/year
Over 10 years, that's roughly $1,600 in equipment + $1,000 in maintenance = $2,600 total or about $260/year.
Supplies
- Fertilizer (spring + fall): $80–$120/year
- Grass seed: $40–$80/year
- Weed killer: $30–$60/year
- Mulch for garden beds: $100–$200/year
Supplies: roughly $300/year.
Time
A typical GTA lawn takes 45–90 minutes to mow, trim, and blow. At a conservative 25 mows per season (May–October), that's 18–37 hours per year. At a modest $40/hour value for your time: $720–$1,480/year.
DIY Total: $1,280–$2,040/year
That's before factoring in the Saturday afternoon you spent doing it instead of something else, the times the mower wouldn't start, or the back pain.
What professional lawn care costs in the GTA
For the same medium-sized home, professional weekly mowing typically runs:
- Weekly mowing (trim + blow included): $40–$60/cut
- 25-cut season: $1,000–$1,500
- Spring + fall cleanup: $300–$600 total
- Fertilizer program (3–4 applications): $200–$350
Professional Total: $1,500–$2,450/year — but with zero time spent, professional equipment, and results that are typically significantly better (proper edging, consistent height, catch vs. mulch decisions made correctly).
When DIY makes sense
DIY lawn care makes sense if you genuinely enjoy it, have a small lawn, already own good equipment, and are realistic about your consistency. Many people love lawn care as a form of outdoor exercise and take pride in it.
When professional makes sense
Professional service makes sense if your time is worth more than what you're paying, if your results haven't been great despite effort, or if you want to stop thinking about it entirely. For most dual-income households in the GTA, the math favours professional services — even before you factor in the quality difference.