Should I listen to my friend who said my estimate is twice the price it should be?

[Phil Rogers 14]

I priced a house wash (80 linear feet), gutter clean (40 linear), and a deck clean (458 sq ft + 8 steps).

I priced the house at:

$150.00

Gutter Clean:

$80.00

Deck Clean (no seal):

$435

Total: $665

My friend who used to be in the pressure washing business said I should charge no more than $325.00

Am I that far off? He also said I should not use chemicals on the deck or house wash because the house or deck doesn't really need it. I feel that my price may have been a bit high for the area, but I don't think I was 100% too high!

Any thoughts?

[Phil Rogers 14]

The porch in the photo is not the deck I was referring to, that was my parents house that they were nice enough to let me "practice" on!

The deck I was referring to was over 400 sq ft.. I am starting to feel like Guy B.... Decks are a ton of work, and they seem to take me forever!

[c4org 14]

whats a good sq ft price to clean a deck? and whats a good price to clean and strip a deck

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

C4ORG -

You need to add your signature. Go to your SETTINGS to do this.

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

whats a good sq ft price to clean a deck? and whats a good price to clean and strip a deck

A good price for either is one that covers your costs to do it PLUS the costs of doing business.

All joking and ribbing from the veteran business owners aside, this is a good thread for those who have not learned how to price their services.

http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/business-topics-tips/18253-building-your-own-price.html

This link answers some of those questions.

I have heard that people set their prices similar to others in order to stay in business and remain competitive.

Problem is, how many of those business fail because they do not produce the revenue to sustain them beyond their individual cost structures!?!?

Learn any thing if nothing else...your cost is YOUR cost, not your competitors.

You should factor in for all your expenses because by trying to stay in line with a competitor, you are not being true to your businesses needs.

Those who price low and take the jobs so often will price with labor and materials only. This is the biggest mistake.

This pricing model is amateur and does not factor in for:

-fuel

-insurances for: vehicles, business liability, employee (mandatory workman's comp), health [can't do without this one. What happens if you become ill or injured to the point of not being able to work and you are a one man show?].

-phone bills (cell phone and/or office), internet access which may include fees for site hosting.

-advertisement (phone book, web site, mailers (reminders and new client), publications ads etc)

-office expenditures (paper, staples, computers, software, pens, stamps, envelopes, printers or printing fees, ink, toner, etc)

-business growth (profit) and business longevity in the form of savings or investment in upgrades

-maintenance in the form of parts/replacements or repair of existing equipment.

Did you just say "I don't worry about those"? or did you just say "I didn't think about that"?

If your response was the first one, well, join the long list of failed companies who crashed and died.

If yours was more to the second one, then there is still hope for you

In business, ignorance is not bliss. You are building your life around something that is supposed to sustain you and your financial obligations beyond the businesses.

For those who 'had' a business, don't listen to that, listen to one who still 'has' one and is successful.

Good for you to check that information.

Rod!~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Phil,

We are in MD too. I don't think you prices are out of whack. We have been around since 1999. Here's the thing, you need to be profitable.

Is this a two sided or three sided town house or a single family home? How many stories from ground level? How many square feet is the deck and rails and steps?

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Am I that far off? He also said I should not use chemicals on the deck or house wash because the house or deck doesn't really need it. I feel that my price may have been a bit high for the area, but I don't think I was 100% too high!

Yeah, don't listen to him!

Do you wash your clothes without detergent? How do you get the stains out?

Do you wash your dishes without soap? How well does that bacon grease come off the plate with out it?

finally, do you take shower without soap or shampoo for that matter?

Seems like some pretty stupid questions but then again, I am not the one who told you not to use chems to clean a house or deck. Water alone will not do.

I know the area you live in and the house wash price is low. Townhouses in that area get that price and that is dirt cheap even then.

I could care less what company your friend had before cause if he was worth his salt,, he would still have it.

Rod!~

[Phil Rogers 14]

Hi Beth,

This home is a duplex with 3 sides, maybe 1,200 sq ft. The customer wanted the house washed, gutters and soffits cleaned, and the deck cleaned. The deck, from memory, as I am on vacation, was approximately 400 sq. ft, not including the railing and steps.

From what I have found, most people jump when I quote them on cleaning and sealing a deck. One lady last week asked for a quote, she lived in a townhouse in Columbia, MD, had a 300 sq. foot, 2nd story deck, no steps. She wanted the house washed, gutters cleaned, and the deck cleaned and resealed... I quoted approximately $1,200 for this including materials and threw in a walkway cleaning for free.. She replied and said she was hoping to have everything done for $400 to $500. In MD, have you found that a lot of people just don't understand the amount of work that goes in to properly cleaning and sealing a deck?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I don't worry so much about the ones looking for a bargain, I look for the ones who appreciate our quality. I won't touch a 300 sq ft deck for $400, much less with a house wash attached. Stick to your guns.

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Phil,

Soon you will learn there are those who haggle in different ways.

That could be the 'poor pitiful me' haggle which is a lame attempt to get you to drop your price.

Although there are other companies who will do it for that price range you can see what that does to the market.

It becomes no money.

When I get those types of responses, I will ask them why they thought that they could get that price. The amount of insight provided by the answer(s) can help you to understand what you are dealing with.

Sometimes it is a haggle, other times it was a wayward contractor or friend of a friend...you get the idea.

I like one experience where long story short, the customer told me "if you do it for this price, I'll give you the job". My response was "Actually, this is my price, agree to it and we move forward" with that, I closed my portfolio and excused myself from the property.

People don't often understand that we as consumers don't have the luxury of getting a better price on what we buy for the purposes of doing business anymore than we can haggle the price of groceries at your local store.

Often, we (businesses) get the least amount of insurance(s) to cover our projected needs and find out later it doesn't cover certain aspects of our business.

Take being on ladders for an example. Do you know how much that raises your liability insurance rates? Yet, if you don't have that coverage and someone damages the property by using one, you are out of pocket for it.

Workman's compensation insurance is another that can go up if an employee has a claim. If it is a big claim, bet your bottom dollar they will hike your rates to recoup it in the form of your experience calculator which determines how much you pay based upon eligible employee wages.

Haggling for price is becoming an extinct habit among our customers as we have educated them to understand that with a legitimate business, comes legitimate costs and those costs must be accounted for and covered in the pricing structure in order for our business to be around when it comes time to take care of their property again.

If your price covers your costs and provides a small percentage of profit, hold your ground. If it doesn't, raise it to do so.

Rod!~