[Ben Walker]

new around here, just made couple of posts on 'starting w/c business' which weren't very successful (please refer)
then i read thread http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=9857.0
mm...theres a connection!
well my point is not to be spiteful, (really  :) and get ahead of myself as newbie
But it does seem like this is about a rather sharp north/south divide here-
you would expect difference in prices obviosly, but seems like theres sharp supply/demand difference too. more labour force up here no doubt
makes a difference dont it!
you got it good down there, and the weather!

send some of your windows up!!
any comments? cheers, benchan

nother posting coming up if ya dont mind: have a good question bout blocks of flats. maybe someone has had experience with it?...

[Moderator David@stives]

BEN

i cant comment i am northern and moved south


Dave

[H h20]

BEN

i cant comment i am northern and moved south


Dave

Always new you were a bit of both Dave 

[williamx]

I'm confused because I'm in the middle and don't know what to do.

[Sir Squeaky]

I did wonder what Brummies would make of this.

Do you feel northern or southern?

You can be whatever you feel. (Be southern )

[rosskesava]

Sorry to go back to the topic....

North/South divide?

It's an age old arguement. I live down here in the sunny South (Brighton) and yes the weather is better. Apart from that I live in the second most expensive place to live outside of central London.

I think the prices charged for w/c'ing depend on the w/c.

There's a 'bloke' who does a number of houses around here on this tatty council estate who charges £4 - £5 a house. He does my windows - how's that for being lazy and tight fisted but if he charges that then that's his loss. I was prepared to pay what we charge but he said £5 so £5 it is.

We also do a small number of houses and we charge £12.50 - £15.00 for the same work. I think we do a lot less houses but at least they pay more and we have no hassle getting paid but this 'bloke' seems to always have problems.

Often we've had potential customers almost have kittens when we've said the cost but we now stick to our prices. We also tend to favour those area's that are prepared to pay for a quality service and every area in the uk has those to some extent or another.

Having said that, I have no experience of inner cities or of any other area other than the one I live in so I maybe wrong.

Cheers

[williamx]

I did wonder what Brummies would make of this.

Do you feel northern or southern?

You can be whatever you feel. (Be southern )

When I have to price a job, then I'm southern born and bred, but when I have to buy anything then its northern for me.

[rosskesava]

When I have to price a job, then I'm southern born and bred, but when I have to buy anything then its northern for me.

That is a pure 100% class comment. The best I've read for ages.

[Philip Hanson]

A while ago, there was a price survey here on CIU and it really highlighted the difference between the average prices in different areas of the UK.

From what I remember, London (of course) had the highest prices, but most areas of the South were similar.

The prices in the North of England were approximately 25%-30% lower than that of the South, and this revelation led to a flurry of topics (like THIS ONE).

You have to remember though, that the cost of living is very different from one area to another.  Having said that, I firmly believe that any window cleaner who doesn't earn at least £20 per hour (no matter where they live or the type of work done) is charging too little.

-Philip

[AuRavelling79]

Interesting thread - however there can also be divides a little more locally too. (rich/poor community divides.)

On Sunday I was over near Brecon chatting with an icecream vendor about self-employment and he asked what a window cleaner would charge for an "ex-council" semi. I said without bay windows about £7.50 to £10.

He said "You wouldn't get that over here, in the Rhondda valleys you could only charge a fiver."

Yet the Rhondda (old coal mining area of south Wales) is only fifty miles (by road) from Bristol and only forty from Chepstow/Monmouth (the hub of this site!).

BTW - I reckon that on some estates in South Bristol you'd struggle to get much more than a fiver if there is a "rag it and run merchant" floating around.

[dustycorner]

Hi

I live in  a norfolk town but i work mainly in a suffolk market town although only ten mile distance from home yet i can charge £2 more per house than where i live.

And most of the locals do have at least 6 fingers on each foot

Cheers Mark.