FAQs
How Double Take Lawn Services takes care of your lawn from grass cutting to snow removal and more.
Here are a few common questions we get asked by our lawn care customers.
How much does lawn care services cost?
It depends - if you’re looking for a basic weekly mow and trim, an average size lawn in Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, or Altoona, IA typically ranges from $50-$75 per week. Other lawn services like bush trimming, landscape maintenance, and yard clean-ups depend on the scope of the work; we’ll need to make an on-site visit to give an accurate price for most lawn care projects like these. We do our best to offer affordable lawn care services competitively.
How often do you cut my grass?
Your weekly lawn mowing service is scheduled on a day of the week depending on where you’re located in our service area, but with dry spells and wet weeks, we try to cut your grass every 5-10 days depending on Iowa’s weather (ex: during the heat of the summer). This helps keep your lawn looking uniform and healthy.
What length will you cut my grass?
We keep it cut between 3-4 inches to help ensure you have a soft, healthy lawn year-round.
How early in the day do you start mowing?
We don’t start before 7:30AM.
How often do you trim my lawn?
After each weekly mow, we trim the grass around hard surfaces, fences, and trees.
How often do you edge my yard?
Edging happens around sidewalks, driveways, and concrete patios once or twice a month as needed and by request.
Do you mow anywhere in Des Moines, IA?
No - to provide the best and most efficient service, we only serve customers in Eastern Des Moines (50317, 50316, and 50313 zip codes) along with Pleasant Hill and Altoona, IA.
Do you trim or plant trees?
We will do light tree trimming that we can reach from the ground (up to 12 ft) with our equipment. We don’t do major cutting/trimming or remove trees of any size. As for planting, we only plant small trees, bushes, or shrubs that will go with your landscaping.
Can you design and install landscape edging or pavers?
No, we don’t offer design or installation of landscape edging or pavers, also called hardscaping. We do offer landscape maintenance, offered in 2 levels. We also offer monthly landscape maintenance and plant installation.
Do I need to be home when you are cutting my grass or other yard work?
No, we’ll do the work whether you’re home or not. We do ask that your lawn be free of hazards like children’s toys and pets are put away for their safety.
Can you mow my lawn if I have a fence?
Yes - if our equipment can fit through your gate we can mow your yard. If your gate opening is 51” or greater, we are able to fit our equipment. If it’s smaller, we may add an additional push mow charge depending on the size of your lawn due to the extra time it takes to service the lawn.
Can you do grass mowing on hills?
Mowing grass on hills will depend on the incline but we are able to mow most hills found in Des Moines. There may be additional charges depending on your hill. We will assess with an on-site visit if needed.
How often will I be charged for my weekly grass mowing service?
For mowing and other lawn care projects under $500, we bill every 1st and 15th of the month for the previous services completed. If we skip your property, we won’t charge you. For other lawn care services, we bill once the project is completed unless otherwise discussed or a deposit is needed for materials. For snow removal, we offer a different seasonal packages. The amount owed is due once the contract is signed. Brine application is charged the Monday after ice management service has been done.
How can you tell if a lawn needs to be dethatched or aerated?
Dethatching is removing a layer of lawn debris (also called thatch) from the surface of your soil. A little is OK but when it gets too thick it makes it hard for light, water, and nutrients to get into the roots. If your lawn feels spongy and not firm, either by walking around or by feeling it, there’s too much thatch (over 3/4 inch is too much). You can also take a small wedge out of your yard and check the depth of the thatch layer. It’s not something that needs to be done on a regular basis but as needed and usually in early spring before the weeds go to seed. It’s helpful but may still require aeration as well. We don’t offer dethatching because we feel it’s more beneficial to aerate.
Aeration or core aeration is the process of taking small plugs out of your lawn because you have soil compaction. Just like lawn debris, if the soil is compacted, it can’t absorb nutrients or water to help the grass grow. You need this done if you see thin or discolored grass, its growth is stunted, or you see puddles after a light rain. You can also do the Screwdriver Test - here’s a video to explain. Even if it’s only a section of your lawn that has a lot of foot traffic, it’s a good idea to do the whole lawn for the health of the grass. Aerations usually only need to be done about once a year; we typically recommend in the late summer or early fall to avoid weed seedlings from taking advantage of the holes. If your soil has a lot of clay in it, you see a lot of foot (or paw) traffic, or weren’t able to get it done in the fall, we do offer spring aerations for those reasons. If you have bare spots, fall is also a great time to oversee your lawn while the ground is still warm from winter and there’s no threat of weeds taking over.
Do I have to overseed when I aerate?
We recommend overseeding (spreading grass seed) when you have a core aeration done in the fall for a few reasons: the soil is still warm but there’s no weed seed to compete with, the grass seeds have the rest of fall and all winter to get established, and, with that, help crowd out the weeds in the spring. It’s not mandatory to overseed when aerating, but it’s really helpful for a healthier, lush lawn.
How do I know if I need to have a leaf removal service?
If you see more leaves than you do grass, or no grass at all, when the leaves fall, you’ll need to have your leaves taken care of. Excessive amounts of leaves can actually damage your lawn by not letting enough sunlight or airflow to the grass, causing dead spots. It can also cause disease when left wet over the winter. When our team visits during a leaf removal service, we remove excessive amounts of leaves using leaf blowers and lawn vacuums, then mulch the remaining back into your lawn to keep good nutrients for your soil.
Will you mulch leaves into my lawn?
After we’ve removed excessive amounts of leaves, yes. We mulchwhat is left of leaves back into your lawn. If you don’t have excessive amounts of leaves but still want help mulching, we can do that, too.
When will you come to remove the snow in my driveway?
We start our snow removal route once the snowfall has stopped and is more than 2 inches indepth. We work to get all customers completed within 12 hours of the snowfall stopping.
What if I call day of a snowstorm?
If we’re able to add you to our list, it will be at least 24 hours before we can arrive after the snow has stopped. Our contract snow customers are done first since they’ve prepaid for their service in advance.
Where do you take care of any ice or slick spots?
We focus on one emergency walkway, driveways, and city sidewalks. If you’re needing other areas done, there might be an extra cost depending on the size of the area.
Do you only take care of ice or slick spots when there is snow?
No - if you’ve added ice management to your snow removal contract, we will take care of ice and areas that tend to get slippery after freezing rain showers or anything else that causes walkways and driveways to become slick.