Bidding wall washing

[Ed Reedy 14]

I have a customer who wants me to give a bid on wall washing in their condo stairway. How much a hour should I be charging or per sq. ft. I clean their windows every year. thanks! Ed Reedy

[erovegno 14]

Hey Ed Reedy,

Well for starters is it vinyl, wood, stucco etc. On a house wash, I would charge about $0.10 per sqft on a single story and $0.20 for a two. Then I would add the cost for whatever chem. you use. Hope this helps.

_________________--

Eric Rovegno

A.D.E Residential Pressure Washing

Pueblo, Colorado

719-251-0588

[Beth n Rod 1,278]

Breezeway type washes are sweet money. We charge a flat rate. As the number of the increases, we will drop the price per breezeway accordingly. Similar to peice work.

if its small, the minimum price should carry. We consider travel time, set up and break down time in our pricing to cover the incidental costs that it takes just to get the job started.

sample: 1 - 3 breezeways=39@

4-6 breezeways=35@ etc.

These prices are examples only, your costs may be different depending upon size and nature of the cleaning.

Most breezeways are just dusty and will be easy to clean.

You may want to factor in the cost of burms for the doors to keep water from getting into the unit if you dont have them already.

Rod~

[Degraffreed 21]

Beth,

What kind of berms do you utilize? I am currently looking at some Flexible berms and the cost is $600.00 for 10'. I think that is a little costly. I read post where some where using Pool hose and sand. My thinking is this. Since the pool hose is rounded and does not sit flush on the ground wouldn't this let water " seep " through?

Wally World have a 30" section for $26.00. I think this would be a cheap tryout and would save ton of money.

Is anyone else using the pool hose method and how is it working for you?

I would like to try this by the weekend. So a quick response is needed.

[squirtgun 122]

Degraffreed,

Get the blue flat hose from tractor supply.

Check out what Alan uses this is what I'm referring to.

http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1608

[Tronman 14]

Unfortunately I think our friend is talking about cleaning interior walls in each of the homes rather than exterior walls or breezways.

The basic method would be to figure how much time it takes to clean say a 8x10 section of wall with no major marks etc. If it takes you an hour and you work at $15 per hour then you just need to know how many 8x10 sections you have to clean.

As in any labor, you need to know what you would charge a customer per hour that has built into it your costs (Insurance, Workers Comp., Wages for the worker, etc.) and profit margin. $15 is a customary charge for a semi-skilled laborer.

You can also charge by the square foot and then add your costs to that number. These costs per sq ft should be standard in your area. For example .08 - .10 for carpet extraction per sq ft. or .25 per sq ft for strip, seal & buff, etc.

In Texas you would charge about .21 cents per sq ft. for wall washing. Exterior pressure washing of walls would be about .10-.11 per sq ft.

If you have any other questions feel free to call any time.

[tidyjet 14]

As in any labor, you need to know what you would charge a customer per hour that has built into it your costs (Insurance, Workers Comp., Wages for the worker, etc.) and profit margin. $15 is a customary charge for a semi-skilled laborer.

You can also charge by the square foot and then add your costs to that number. These costs per sq ft should be standard in your area. For example .08 - .10 for carpet extraction per sq ft. or .25 per sq ft for strip, seal & buff, etc.

In Texas you would charge about .21 cents per sq ft. for wall washing. Exterior pressure washing of walls would be about .10-.11 per sq ft.

If you have any other questions feel free to call any time.

What about the cost of one's equipment? I like to pay my machine/equipment at least what I'm paying myself which covers the cost of acquistion and upkeep.

[Tronman 14]

Equipment costs are considered capital expenditures that are depreciated over time. Equipment is considered part of your start-up costs. Recouping your equipment cost is usually done straight from your bottom line profit. If you spend $1,000.00 on equipment you are not really making any profit until you make the $1,000.00.

When bidding Janitorial contracts we usually include $100 for home office space & 6% of your total labor cost for depreciation and maintenance of equipment.

Bottom line... Stay busy, charge what the market will bare, always give the customer something they were not expecting for free, and let your customers bend your ear talking about themselves a little. You won't have to worry too much about equipment cost or maintenance bills - you will be too busy trying to figure out who you can get to take all of the checks to the bank for you.