The service-by-smartphone Uber business model is spreading fast. And not necessarily just in Silicon Valley, either—Somers resident James Albis and his longtime friend Bill Ralph of White Plains launched a website and soon-to-be mobile app this month called YardHub, which seeks to do for the $75 billion outdoor home care market what Uber did for taxi rides.
YardHub will allow homeowners to schedule outdoor services for their home—including lawn care, pool service, and power washing—from the app (due out in June) and from the YardHub mobile website. YardHub, in turn, partners with pre-screened and insured contractors who execute the service.
“We’re on a mission to change the way America buys outdoor services for their home,” says Albis. “We provide a platform where homeowners can connect with great outdoor professionals [and] book and pay for services.”
Here’s how it works: YardHub users register, select the service they wish to order (there’s a drop-down menu with choices like mow grass, power wash, masonry, pool cleaning, etc.), take a picture of whatever it is that needs maintenance, and fill in some information about the job (for example, if you’re mowing your lawn, how much acreage you have, and the height of the grass). Then the request is sent off to nearby, pre-approved contractors.
On the other side, the landscaper or outdoor home care professional receives your order and submits to the user his or her price for the service. (The price is calculated by an algorithm that takes into account things like acreage, slope, trees, and the cost of service in your area.)
Co-Founder Bill Ralph says it’s an innovation long overdue: “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an industry that hasn’t used technology to push itself forward, and this is one industry that hasn’t.” He continues, “Dealing with landscapers has always been difficult. The whole collection philosophy is crazy; you have to pay cash, check, someone shows up at your house at 9 pm for money.”
“Homeowners are getting a clear, easy, transparent process,” he says. “They know [YardHub landscapers] are guaranteed and insured.” Meanwhile, “Landscapers are getting paid in 72 hours. So their lives aren’t turned upside down trying to collect their money—the customer is billed at time or service.”
You can find out more about the service by visiting goyardhub.com
