[ian davison]

Just wondering what everyones minimum charges are for window cleaning and other services.

I charge 7 pound min for an average size 3 bed semi.
Cheap i know but the folk round here are as tight as a mouses earhole.
That being combined with w/c's charging 4 pound for the same house.
I charge 25 pound (each side) for gutter cleaning and 40 pound min for conservertary roof clean.
        Ewen

[jb1975]

How many windows in a 3 bed semi that you clean?

[rosskesava]

Our minimum charge is £15 for a house but a few years back when we started we charged whatever we could get. I remember one 2 bedroom town house being £4.

A 3 bedroom semi is usually around the £20 pound mark.

We don't have a minimum for conservatories or gutters but we tend to go for a higher charge than a lower one.

Generally though, a conservatory roof is at least twice the cost of the windows and the gutters 3 times.

I think that being on the South Coast where the cost of living is very high, we are fortunate that people expect to pay higher prices but there are some serious tightwads though.

Cheers

[Sir Squeaky]

A 3 bedroom semi is usually around the £20 pound mark.

Blimey Ross, it's almost worth me commuting!

It's only 300 miles round trip.
I could get a hotel for a few days and still be quids in.

Rog.

[AuRavelling79]

There's three-bed semi's and three bed semi's.

On the local authority estates charge between £7.50 and £10 for a basic house with no bays.
On bottom end private rabbit hutches its about the same,

But a double bayed semi is gonna be £12 - £ 15.

Add more for porches, extensions, conservatories, lead or georgian or "every other time" cleans.

Minimum charge? £5-£7.50 for "fronts only"

[Ian_Giles]

Phew!
There are some serious prices out there!
A standard 3 bed semi with approx 10/12 windows including doors, all UPVC I will be charging £8.00 and take no more than 10 minutes to clean.
I would really love to be able to clean one for £20

I generally try to charge a minimum of £8.00 on domestic work, but I do have 3 fronts at £5.00 per clean, only 3 windows on each one, just about next door to one another and all 3 only take about 15 minutes all told, just don't think I could charge more (well maybe a quid more!)

Have learned my lesson on conservatory roofs though, even a small one will be around 20 quid now, up to double that for a big one. (Yes, yes, I know, it depends on just HOW big!)

Time I was in bed

Ian

[mark dew]

Generally though, a conservatory roof is at least twice the cost of the windows and the gutters 3 times.

Is this rate typical for a conservatory roof? I have 1 to do next week though i haven't seen it yet. I have only done 6 or 7 conservatory roofs since i started and 5 of them were underpriced. ( though i think most of that is due to there being a way to do it and i ain't found it.)
Always took longer than it looks.. even the simple lean-to type.
I have used so far only applicator and pole with their garden hose to rinse afterwards.

I haven't got wfp yet. Is there a better way that is cheaper. Something good enough for conservatory roofs only. Just to get me through this winter?

mark


 

[rosskesava]

Hi Mark

I have used so far only applicator and pole with their garden hose to rinse afterwards.

We've only been using wfp for a short while and we're in our 6th week but before that, that is exactly how we done it.

Rates seem to vary up and down the country and from w/c to w/c in the same area.

I think decide on the price you think your time is worth and quote that. To start with we under priced ourselves. Now I'm not worried if some one says it's too expensive. We have 2 say no to one saying yes. A few short years back when we decided to up our charges it seemed that to start with everyone said no.

Under pricing is the problem because we are scared to ask what we want and scared to upset the customer and scared of the big big 'NO'.

Don't worry about the winter. Just keep trying to get new work. If I can do it anyone can. Our first year was a hang on by your finger tips year but I didn't have the advantage of this forum.

Hi Squeaky Clean

Blimey Ross, it's almost worth me commuting!

I don't think it's the people here being richer so much. 2 years back we got fed up working and working for bug*er all. We all decided to up the prices and give it 3 months or we'd all get paid employement. Having nothing to loose we quoted some daft prices and some people agreed to the price.

A lot said 'no' but some said 'yes'. It's those that said 'yes ok'  that changed everything.

Cheers

[mark dew]

hiya ross
yeah thanks for the encouragement. I try to price up on time (between 15 - 20 quid/ph for the roofs) but it always takes longer. My last roof was a tenner for 30 mins work but even that looked like 20 minutes at most. (by far my best quote yet. the other four, 6-10 quid p/h)
I am still learning with things like conservatory roofs and don't feel i could charge much more until i've acquired the ability that i don't have at the moment.
You're right about the forums as well. Your ratio has appears to have answered alot of the questions i had about where to start the price.
Nice one.

 

[rosskesava]

Hi Mark again

I don't know how you view things or how secure you feel that you can make a living at w/c or what your confidence level is.

As a bench mark when you are working always go hell for leather to get the minimum you need each week to get by on even if that means underpricing to begin with.

After you get that minimum, when the chance arises, instead of quoting what you feel comfortable with, go outside that feeling and quote higher.

Bit by bit, it will produce some good priced jobs.

Stepping outside comfort zones no matter how it feels is good. I try everyday to feel uncomfortable. Over time it builds real confidence.

Cheers

[AuRavelling79]

Conservatory roofs.

My customers don't ask me to clean them that often and so there is usually lots of green algae and lumps of moss on them. Also they need the framework cleaned and often those finials, gutters and decorative stuff. If you do a roof you'll end up doing the sides too (infill panels and bottom cills sometimes) cuz of the muck and overspray etc.

So... when it's a roof that hasn't been done for months or a year or so I reckon:-

Whole conservatory (If I've been regularly cleaning the glass in the sides with the monthly clean)

Lean to                          1st time £60 subsequent  within one year £45/50
Edwardian/Victorian      1st time  £90 subsequent  within one year £60/65

[Moderator David@stives]

Ross

I take it most of your houses are the old victorian type with 9` ceilings with 12 -15 windows bay at top and bottom.correct me if i am wrong if so £15 is about the right price for me on that type of house

Dave

[richie_tracey]

When I first started wc my cousin who has his own tucker system told me never charge under £10 no matter how small the property is.
To this day which has only been about 6 months i have never charged less the £10 even for a ground floor flat i quoted £10 and got the job!!!
Now i quote very high and if i dont get the job i just think well i never had it in the first place.
I am getting my wfp trolley sYstem at the start of nov thanks to matt and any of my customers that dont like the wfp idea will be dropped and the customers who do not like me increasing the price due to the 'state of the art equipment' i have invested in will also be dropped.
There are loads of people trying to get a regular good wc and by quoting high you can ensure every one of your customers will be loyal to you as long as you turn up on time and do the best job you possibly can.
But hery thats just my thoughts

[David_Harris]

Like Ross I also live and work on the south coast I earn £25per hour cleaning windows the trad way.  A lot of my work is nursing homes and large properties on private estates.

Ross I have been trying to get in touch with you to go for a drink again.

[Chris Cottrell]

any of my customers that dont like the wfp idea will be dropped and the customers who do not like me increasing the price due to the 'state of the art equipment' i have invested in will also be dropped.

good luck with the canvasing mate, with that attitude you are going to need it.

[rosskesava]

Hi Dave

I take it most of your houses are the old victorian type with 9` ceilings with 12 -15 windows bay at top and bottom.correct me if i am wrong if so £15 is about the right price for me on that type of house

We do a number of them but we charge a fair amount more than £15 because they take so long. Usually, if it's a basement, 1st and 2nd floors it's £15 fronts, £15 backs and £40 for the insides if at all. Those huge Victorian windows are a pig to do and never seem to look properly cleaned.

£15 is our minimum charge. There's 3 of us and anything lower than that and it's just not worth it but it wasn't always like that.

Hi David_Harris

My missus has just told me she kept your phone number which I'd lost. I'll give you a call.

Cheers

[roundbuilder]

Joey look at what people were charging as there min charge 8-10 years ago!.

[Llaaww]

Joey look at what people were charging as there min charge 8-10 years ago!.

before the credit crunch and belt tightening

[Joey Eastwood]

Jeeeesus. The only bit i agree on is the bay window houses, i hate em and Il only do them for a ridiculous price or id rather not do em lol. I think my  conny roof prices are higher than most. i do a few yearly ones for £90 never any less. And im not cleanin anyone's gutters out for less than £100  !! Haha.

[mlscontractcleaner]

When I first started wc my cousin who has his own tucker system told me never charge under £10 no matter how small the property is.
To this day which has only been about 6 months i have never charged less the £10 even for a ground floor flat i quoted £10 and got the job!!!
Now i quote very high and if i dont get the job i just think well i never had it in the first place.
I am getting my wfp trolley sYstem at the start of nov thanks to matt and any of my customers that dont like the wfp idea will be dropped and the customers who do not like me increasing the price due to the 'state of the art equipment' i have invested in will also be dropped.
There are loads of people trying to get a regular good wc and by quoting high you can ensure every one of your customers will be loyal to you as long as you turn up on time and do the best job you possibly can.
But hery thats just my thoughts

Why would you increase your prices simply as a result of switching over to WFP?
It's just a tool mate, a tool in the same way the squeegee is a tool. It'll clean the windows a lot quicker too so why would you need to raise those prices???