Pricing a vinyl home?

[n4rb 14]

Hey everybody,

Just curious to see what you would bid on this house, and how far I am off (I haven't been in this industry very long).

It is a 2100 sq. ft. home, with ~80 linear feet around the whole house.

I have attached some pictures of the house which I took with my Phones Camera, thats why it's not the best resolution, but I hope it helps, what I came up with is roughly $300. What do you think?

Thanks for any input!!

[dpaull 80]

I go by linear foot...anything that comes up under $250 automatically gets adjusted to $250...so I'd charge $250 for that house. Of course your area may be different.

[PressurePros 249]

$450 for silver plan soap on/soap off.

$585 for Gold plan which would include a wax/polymer and manual gutter brushing via extension pole.

Anywhere up to $850 to include walkways, driveways, anything that can be washed.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

2100 X .10=$210 x.5 for 2nd story=$315 ...that might work

[PressurePros 249]

New siding for that house would be $15,000. I'll never understand why guys are charging $150-$300 for a housewash. But, thats another 100 threads........

[wesley 15]

$450 for silver plan soap on/soap off.

Ken, I love your post and I tend to agree with you on most everything. With that being said you would not get $450 for that house in my area.

I dont care how good of a salesman you may be, you would not get that house down here.

Clean is clean. If you did that house for $450 and the nieghbor got theirs done for $275 and it looked the same as your customer the $275 guy would make $550 next year and never move his trailer.

I'll never understand why guys are charging $150-$300 for a housewash.

Ken you have to remember that house in my area would only cost about $200k. I am not trying to start a lowball debate or anything like that I just wanted to let others know that demo plays a huge roll in pricing.

That house in your area would go for what $400k?

[n4rb 14]

I quoted him $298.75

Here is what I did:

$200 base price for a 2 story house + 79 steps around the house * $1.25

so ....

$200 + 79(1.25) = $298.75

I guess thats a reasonable price and I got the job ;)

[MMI Enterprises 289]

question..were you just guessing the base sq. ft.? You got to get a measure wheel to walk around with friend..

[plainpainter 217]

My feet with shoes on, are exactly a foot long - so you can imagine what my method is - lol. Homes usually come in stock sizes - so the side of the home will be either 24 feet 26 or 28 - and by using my feet, I will know which one - and usually can tell beforehand just by looking. On the gable ends - where you don't have a 'full' floor at the top I will add either 0.25$ to $0.50 per linear foot - depending on roof pitch. This colonial I will clean tomorrow, has a base price of $400 to clean - vinyl siding. Ken I charge under $200 for basic washes for these real easy 1 floor ranches - one house had a 210 linear feet. So I charged them $200 for the basic wash before add-ons.

[dpaull 80]

New siding for that house would be $15,000. I'll never understand why guys are charging $150-$300 for a housewash. But, thats another 100 threads........

The house is 80 linear feet all the way around...at 3 dollars a linear foot for 2-story, that's $240...that's pretty much maxed out around here. It's the going rate as I've shopped the competition...actually a bit on the high end.

Around here, depending which neighborhood, that house would probably cost 130k and be considered a lower income neighborhood. I don't advertise directly to low-end clients, just get them through the papers.

[Jeff 232]

$450 for silver plan soap on/soap off.

$585 for Gold plan which would include a wax/polymer and manual gutter brushing via extension pole.

Anywhere up to $850 to include walkways, driveways, anything that can be washed.

Man I got to move to your area. I would never pay that much. an extra $145 for wax? I didnt see any gutters. Im not starting a low ball thing either

Ken how many houses do you do a year about, whats your closing rate, just wondering

2100 sq ft no gutters and no ladder work about $200- $250, you might get up to $350 if your lucky, but you wouldnt get many

$850? it probably has a little 2 car drive a small walk and a 10X 10 patio. Im not trying to start with you dude. what do you get in PA for sq ft rate on concrete

You would never get $850 around here

[Jeff 232]

I quoted him $298.75

Here is what I did:

$200 base price for a 2 story house + 79 steps around the house * $1.25

so ....

$200 + 79(1.25) = $298.75

I guess thats a reasonable price and I got the job ;)

You did fine

[DustinC 64]

How long would that house take you Ken?

[plainpainter 217]

I think Ken's point, Jeff, is that if we all raise our prices - we will still get the same amount of work - and get compensated better. If a homeowner get 4 estimates for house cleaning, $210, $145, $235, $275, $585 - of course, you will get yourself ruled out everytime at $585 - but if those numbers are now instead $510, $445, $535, $575, $585 - voila, now if you have great sales, you can get your price. I use to get alot more money pressure washing, when I was a painter - but the work was very incidental - it's only by coming here to these sites - that I have been made to feel guilty for my pricing - but that is ok - since I have also learned how to make a 7 hour job a 1 hour job. So all is good. I think for now the buck a foot per floor way of pricing is going to be the bottom price - and only for vinyl - if it is wood siding I will be upping those prices considerably - and there will be minimums, especially for work further away then 15 miles - once the work becomes too much to handle.

Don't feel badly about charging! If you start feeling guilty and then rationalize with thoughts of the competition does it for so and so - so no way you can get that price - then pretty soon, you will be in the same boat I am in with painting - working for people charging as little as $24/man-hour. Yeah that's right! I did a 10K paint job - and after materials, my company effectively billed out $24/man-hour. Imagine that! You keep up with the attitude - oh I can't charge that much - pretty soon, you will be doing $25 house washes - heck it only takes an hour of your time right? And what makes you so special, more so than a painter - with their tons of equipment, ladders, scaffolding, liability, comp, trucks, etc. People are scary - and if they can get away with only paying $25 to have their homes cleaned - they'll jump - never mind you will starve, your kids won't have shoes, they will still do it - and don't care the reason it's so cheap is because some scab, illegal immigrant, who is totally illegal, is willing to work for pennies on the dollar.

[Jeff 232]

I think Ken's point, Jeff, is that if we all raise our prices - we will still get the same amount of work - and get compensated better. If a homeowner get 4 estimates for house cleaning, $210, $145, $235, $275, $585 - of course, you will get yourself ruled out everytime at $585 - but if those numbers are now instead $510, $445, $535, $575, $585 - voila, now if you have great sales, you can get your price. I use to get alot more money pressure washing, when I was a painter - but the work was very incidental - it's only by coming here to these sites - that I have been made to feel guilty for my pricing - but that is ok - since I have also learned how to make a 7 hour job a 1 hour job. So all is good. I think for now the buck a foot per floor way of pricing is going to be the bottom price - and only for vinyl - if it is wood siding I will be upping those prices considerably - and there will be minimums, especially for work further away then 15 miles - once the work becomes too much to handle.

Don't feel badly about charging! If you start feeling guilty and then rationalize with thoughts of the competition does it for so and so - so no way you can get that price - then pretty soon, you will be in the same boat I am in with painting - working for people charging as little as $24/man-hour. Yeah that's right! I did a 10K paint job - and after materials, my company effectively billed out $24/man-hour. Imagine that! You keep up with the attitude - oh I can't charge that much - pretty soon, you will be doing $25 house washes - heck it only takes an hour of your time right? And what makes you so special, more so than a painter - with their tons of equipment, ladders, scaffolding, liability, comp, trucks, etc. People are scary - and if they can get away with only paying $25 to have their homes cleaned - they'll jump - never mind you will starve, your kids won't have shoes, they will still do it - and don't care the reason it's so cheap is because some scab, illegal immigrant, who is totally illegal, is willing to work for pennies on the dollar.

Dan, i agree with you, for the most part. Im just saying thats an hour job for soap on and soap off. I could never get that here in my area of SC. I'm from Mass, 23 years ago i could get the same for a house in Ma that I get now in SC. I was a painter in the union in Boston for many years and did some side painting and got good money. I know now painters arent making what they used to just a decade ago, its a shame and its because of a lot of immigrant cheap labor

I wont do painting here because they dont want to pay and i just dont like painting at all anymore. i was guestioning Ken, just because that seems high and you know it probaly isnt that high at all for his area. 20 plus years ago in Randolph Ma I would have gotten $250- $300, so $450 isnt really that much 20 years later. The $450 isnt high, but the $800+ does seem high.

Cost of living is a lot different up north than here in my area too

To bad about the paint biz dan, I wish I could say it would change someday, but the way we just let the immigrants roll in, it will probably only get worse, thats why when people say the economy is great, I have to say....not that great if you cant even make a living wage. Every generation for decades the wages/prices went up, now they have actually gone down, its wrong

[John Orr 206]

This house represents my "bread and butter" customer. I was these all-day long (some days 4 or 5!) at $.10/sq ft or $210. My price includes: wash house, wash exterior of gutters (if they have them) and a "hot wax rinse". This house should take no more than 60 to 90 minutes - from pulling to rolling hose.

I am in no way a low-baller, but the reality is that many people can't tell the difference in service. What they can tell is the difference in price. In my area, I am at the top end of pricing.

[James 625]

The prices for house washing have come down or have stayed the same for the last 10 years. I had less competetion 10 years ago? Mr Orr is in line with what I see or less. Two many Part timer's working for 40 bucks an hour even in my state CT. People are willing to shell out a thousand more to do a deck but not 50 dollars to do a wash? I see less competition with the 600 to 800 house wash ( they want experience).

[Don M. 14]

My feet with shoes on, are exactly a foot long - so you can imagine what my method is - lol. Homes usually come in stock sizes - so the side of the home will be either 24 feet 26 or 28 - and by using my feet, I will know which one - and usually can tell beforehand just by looking. On the gable ends - where you don't have a 'full' floor at the top I will add either 0.25$ to $0.50 per linear foot - depending on roof pitch. This colonial I will clean tomorrow, has a base price of $400 to clean - vinyl siding. Ken I charge under $200 for basic washes for these real easy 1 floor ranches - one house had a 210 linear feet. So I charged them $200 for the basic wash before add-ons.

Maybe thats why you had to jury rig your hose instead of being able to buy a new one.

[Jeff 232]

Maybe thats why you had to jury rig your hose instead of being able to buy a new one.

Ouch, Don you funny

[n4rb 14]

ha ha, jury rig the hose .... I guess I might just be fortunate that there are not really any other competitors in the area.

[Doug Dahlke 114]

For a 2100 sf vinyl house I would be charging between $275 to $300. That would include brushing the gutter exteriors. I don't know everyone's pricing in this area but I believe I am at the higher end of the scale. The house I am doing tomorrow is in that SF range, maybe slightly smaller, and for the house, sidewalk, driveway and pool deck I am getting about $575. I really don't think people will pay much more than that here.

[Jeff 232]

North & South are two different worlds when it comes to many things and pricing is no different

I have a buddy in Ma who is a mason and he makes $41 an hour and great bennies. I know a guy here in SC that is a good mason as good as my freind up north, has been doing it for over 15 years and he makes $18 and no bennies.

So I bet my buddy up north would expect to pay more than the buddy here in SC for a house wash

It all has to do with, what the market bear

I would like to get $500 plus for a house of 2100 sq ft, but I wouldnt make enough to support a family, because i wouldnt be getting any work

North & South are just different

[PressurePros 249]

Man I got to move to your area. I would never pay that much. an extra $145 for wax? I didnt see any gutters. Im not starting a low ball thing either

Ken how many houses do you do a year about, whats your closing rate, just wondering

2100 sq ft no gutters and no ladder work about $200- $250, you might get up to $350 if your lucky, but you wouldnt get many

$850? it probably has a little 2 car drive a small walk and a 10X 10 patio. Im not trying to start with you dude. what do you get in PA for sq ft rate on concrete

You would never get $850 around here

Sorry about the delayed response was out of town for a couple nights. I'll break down my numbers. You probably won't believe it but I'll write the numbers anyway.

Let me preface by saying housewashing is not a commonality here. I have had to gear my marketing efforts and target campaigns for this arena. With that being said, I get maybe 15 calls per week for housewashes. My closing rate for housewashes is 80%. If I followed my own advice I would raise prices but the money is there and I do need the volume to keep payroll sustained. The key to housewash selling (like anything else but moreso) is to sell value and to upsell.

Also so you understand what $850 might entail that would be washing everyting that won't fall apart with a little pressure (not the roof though). That may include 1200 s/f of driveway, pool aprons. patios etc. It also includes using specialty cleaners on foundation rust stains and removing small areas of effloresence. The wax polymer application is not something we throw in the housewash. Its applied via separate process. The mid level plan also includes a separate chem downstreamed on windows to make them sparkle (please don't ask what this is or what wax I use.. I have to keep some secrets)

I won't get into a detailed analysis because a) I have already done it (on here) numerous times and b) well, I have already done it numerous times. If one understands numbers they will also understand that by charging triple what I see many guys charge I only have to land one fourth of the work (if all other expenses were equal)

The guys can do a housewash from the silver plan in about 1.5 hrs (our house are bigger and higher than many) to 5-6 hours for a larger job.

Do I feel guilty about charging $300/hr for a housewash? Nope.

• My payroll exceeds $75K (officer distributions not included)

• I replace anything that is damaged (its rare but it happens)

• It rains

• We can only work 7 months per year.

• Customers houses are worth $500K to $10,000,0000. Are they willing to play Russian Roulette with that investment.

I don't know what anyone would consider being rich but this is not the end of the business that will get me to what I would consider rich.

Sell VALUE. Stop selling what you think you are worth because for most they are too humble. One day one of you guys are going to call me to come show you everything I have learned over the years in business. Its going to cost you a good amount of moolah but you will then be here in my place talking about how you cannot believe guys sell service for what they do when there is so much more money to be had.

PS: I hope this forum is already private to non members.

[Jeff 232]

Sorry about the delayed response was out of town for a couple nights. I'll break down my numbers. You probably won't believe it but I'll write the numbers anyway.

Probably won't believe you???? Ken, I believe everything you say, you sure don't seem like one to lie about stuff

15 calls a week and 80% close thats nice!!!. I was just saying that house in that picture there isnt much to it at all.

Like I stated in another post, its a North & South thing, wages are at least double up north than they are here for most, so that plays a big factor in pricing here

I'd like you to come here for a few years and let you see how it is or florida. You would do well Im sure , How well Im not sure. Im sure you would change your rates some but still be at the high end

Im not trying to bust your B's it just surprised me at the rates for that house

have a good one

Jeff

[Deck Guy 14]

First, I doubt that house would even sell for $200,000 here. Understand also that many people work for $10-$12 an hour and are happy to have that here. Maybe it is about wages in differing areas. That homeowner and his wife might earn $50,000 annually combined, so $500 is a lot of money to them for about an hour of work.

In the paper here there are usually 5-6 guys with ads in the pressure washing section plus another couple jack-of-all-trades who list pressure washing in their ads in the home improvement section. I will be bidding against these guys.

I think I could get the job at about $250 with the right customer if I was the first to bid. I would then try to upsell that fence or concrete flatwork.

On higher value properties, I can sell on value. Those customers understand that and want it. This example is a very middle-class property here, and other guys would be washing it for $150 with the same results, and maybe the same chems and equipment.

[PressurePros 249]

First, I doubt that house would even sell for $200,000 here. Understand also that many people work for $10-$12 an hour and are happy to have that here. Maybe it is about wages in differing areas. That homeowner and his wife might earn $50,000 annually combined, so $500 is a lot of money to them for about an hour of work.

No way, Larry. You know I don't let you off that easy. You guys are assuming no one advertises in my area for $250 housewashes and that everyone makes $40 per hour being a working stiff. Look up Philadelphia demographics and compare them to your metropolis. Look up townships like Upper Providence, Haverford and Newtown Square and compare those to your more affluent 'burbs. A McDonald's manager makes $30K-$35 here just like he/she does anywhere else. I don't live in some magical area where everyone gets dreamy when I walk in the door and says "whatever you want to charge us is fine".

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From Wikipedia when Google'ing Philadelphia median income:

The median income for a household in the city was $30,746, and the median income for a family was $37,036. Males had a median income of $34,199 versus $28,477 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,509. About 18.4% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

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Doesn't sound like a wealth center to me.

Here is Myrtle Beach:

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The median income for a household in the city was $38,787, and the median income for a family was $46,052. Males had a median income of $30,189 versus $22,119 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,006. About 5.1% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

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Looked up some homes in Myrtle Beach:

MYRTLE BEACH Real Estate , Myrtle Beach 29th Ave N to 48th Ave N Property Listings - Presented By Weichert, Realtors - Southern Coast - Plantation Point - MB

all the way up to:

MYRTLE BEACH Real Estate , Myrtle Beach 79th Ave N to Dunes Cove Property Listings - Presented By Weichert, Realtors - Southern Coast - Grande Dunes

Jeff, you are not marketing to the right people. You are not selling the value of your service. Period. Lets put together a wager. I'll come down and spend a week with you. If, out of ten sales calls I don't sell at least one housewash at triple what you normally charge and two houses at double, I'll incur all my own charges. If I do succeed, you pay all of my travel expenses and give me my fee for the week of training ($3000) Since you are relatively certain that you cannot charge much more for a housewash and I am a yankee selling in a southern market, it should be a sure thing.

Larry this line tells me a lot:

That homeowner and his wife might earn $50,000 annually combined, so $500 is a lot of money to them for about an hour of work

That's your guilt talking. Thats you selling with your wallet not the value of the service. Just because you wouldn't spend that much for a house wash (a car, a new set of speakers, a dress shirt) doesn't mean there aren't people that will. You wanna be around in five years to be able to wash their house for them right? It costs a ton of money to stay in business that long (if you don't wanna stay just owner/operator) You owe it to your customers to make this profitable enough not only to stay afloat but to be able to raise your family in the same type of comfort those that are hiring you do.

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