One side house washes?

[plainpainter 217]

Do you guys get these calls asking for just one side of a home pressure washed? I find these requests highly annoying - it's the side that is really green - but the rest of the house is still mildewed. It seems as if the homeowner has forgotten how truly white their house can become. So what do you guys do? I have been telling them that I don't do partial house washes. But it has gotten so annoying - I am thinking of quoting an estimate for the entire home and then giving them that quote for the one side. Do these people think I will haul a trailer 17 miles and wash one side of a home for $50 bucks?!?!?! I just don't get the general rudeness and inability homeowners to recognize how costly it is to run a business. Don't they ever just think for 2 seconds that perhaps it's costly equipment, costly advertizing, costly insurance - what gives? I remember a financial officer telling me that when I was an engineer making 52k. That their accountants billed me at 200k a year operating expense. And at the end of the year - they were only left with 5-7% ebit with those estimation guidelines!

[John Doherty 126]

I use a minimum charge, I can do that wall for 300 or the whole house for 425.

[Aaron Sullivan 14]

we have a minimum of $150 for any job. so it is usually $150 for that side, or $225 for the whole house. (pending those are the real numbers) or i will take the amount for that side and add $100 for trip and time.

more often then not, we get the entire job. i believe most people think washing a house involves ladders, brushes, etc... which translates into a lot of labor which equalls a lot of $$$. they think one side will cost a couple of hundred dollars plus, so when they hear the actual price they are pleased.

i have learned not to get aggravated with anyone because they typically just don't know or are trying to save money. it's the ones that hire us and tell us what to do and how to do our job that gripe me!

[PressurePros 248]

I do the same thing as Aaron and John. Job minium is $______. The whole house including gutters will cost you 20% more.

[plainpainter 217]

you have a point Aaron. I love the customers that stand next to me while I am washing - one guy, as I was rinsing his bushes and rinsing the area of chemical on the ground to dilute it - was telling me not to rinse into the shrubbery - as he didn't want the chemical to get there. Can you believe it, either they want the mildew off or not, the chemical is going to go into the ground no matter what - and I can dilute it so it's not a problem, but that's it.

[Barry M 73]

We also have a minimum charge for house washing as well as our other services.

[newlook 265]

Had a customer request that we do one wall...yes it is annoying.

Also had a customer request that we tape and plastic the windows because she did not want the glass wet....I asked her what she was going to do when it rained....she had this blank stare on her face as in ...oh I never thought of that...duh!!!! :)

I told her good luck!

[PPC 37]

I have had those reguest also annoying as it is its part of being in business but have never done just one wall have allways done the hole house thats why we do estimates, and some poeple dont really know how dirty there house is.

[PPC 37]

Also had a customer request that we tape and plastic the windows because she did not want the glass wet....I asked her what she was going to do when it rained....she had this blank stare on her face as in ...oh I never thought of that...duh!!!! :)

I told her good luck!

Carlos,

same thing happened to me once I said the samething what do u do when it rains they laughed and told me to get started

[plainpainter 217]

I think if a homeowner asked me not to get the windows wet, I'd be the one with the blank stare. Wow! And I thought my last interior paint job where the client commented on how the walls had a ripply effect from rolling on the paint - was super annoying.

[tinsley 14]

I charge a min. price and i have only had 1 customer just want the one wall done. She paid the min. i did 1 wall and left.

[jeffex11 121]

Midwest pro wash , NICE WEBSITE!!! Yeah! ditto to the minimum price for one side I just told a client thurs $250 for one side and $450 for the whole house . he went for the whole house for next spring.

[Beth n Rod 1,278]

Inquiries into a single sided house wash are a bit of a time waster because one spends a great deal of time on one person who has more questions to ask and wants to spend very little money with you, in my experience. Yeah, there are some that could only use a one side cleaning but it is not really worth my time to go there unless they are willing to make my minimum which is 2/3's of the whole cost to begin with. It takes the same amount of time to set up and break down so might as well take advantage of having me there to do the whole house.

my .02

Rod!~

[FCPWLLC 233]

I had that request recently... Asked how much for entire exterior (1 story vinyl) $217..... Asked how much for just 1 side... $217. Doing the whole thing Monday.

[jakeman 14]

I have had quite a few people ask me to wash one side of their house. I used to just say no but now I will quote the one wall at 75% of the whole house wash and give them the price for the whole house. Most people get the whole house done. I would not drive too far out of my way to do a quote like this since the homeowners in cases like this are usually trying to get it done as cheap as possible.

[Mike Williamson 198]

I don't know why some of you get so annoyed and angry at customer requests. All you gotta say is no...What's so annoying about that?

[Tmrrptr 164]

It seems like most of the calls I get most recently are cost conscious in the extreme... and work is very slow.

Seems like the general consensus is somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 for a partial job...

I'm considering a flat rate for the service call that will give the client an hour, and going to a half day and full day rate, from there.

...Just had a silly situation pop up over price per sq ft...

Potential client is simply not considering hazards of ladder work, fuel and transport costs, expendible incidentals, and repeat trips required for the project.

r

[A and J POWERWASHING 64]

had one today gave prices for side small house 1200 sqft one side 90 dollars or whole house 150.00 will do it tuesday in a hr .

[smb181 64]

Minimum of $150 - $1/mile over ten miles.

[Rick2 42]

I get the request often. I personally don't have a problem doing a small job. Most people have a minimum price they charge. Think about it for a second, where else can you work for 20 minutes and make a hundred dollars. Almost a full tank of gas in the truck.