[Craig 72]

One of my existing domestic custies is a site manager for a primary school who's asked me to quote for this school,inside and out plus all the interior doors and windows.It would be my biggest job by a country mile and don't want to lose out but I'm seriously struggling to get the quote right.It's the biggest primary school in the county by all accounts and it was pretty daunting to be fair considering I work on my own.He told me that there would be no time restraints as I would do them over the holidays but this could be a job which could seriously bite me on the arse if I come in with a quote too low.I would very roughly estimate that I would be 3/4 to a full day doing the outsides with wfp.A full day being 8-5.The inside is where things could seriously slow me down though.I would very roughly guess 1.5-2 days doing them trad.I'm considering these interior window kits you can get for 60-70 quid where you spray lightly on a microfibre rather than mop and blade.Does anyone rate these kits or a waste of dosh?I know its difficult but if anybody could give me a rough idea what they would quote for the amount of work I've described I'd be very greatful indeed.

[Scrimble]

by the sounds of it you dont know how to use traditional window cleaning tools? lol

the finish of the insides will be poor if cleaned with a microfibre cloth and spray, you really need to be able to clean windows to a standard with a mop and blade before you can call yourself a window cleaner,

why not ask them how much there previous windy charged? if your in with the manager then there is a good chance they will tell you, at least then you will have a ball park figure then negociate with them

[richywilts]

ive done a few schools prob about ten different ones for a large one insides and out i think somewhere between 600-800, i did a pretty big one think it was 700quid.

go in with a day rate of 250 quid and try n get it done in 3 days

[Craig 72]

I'm not lightning quick with trad but I do a good job!The reason I mentioned the microfibre with spray system is that there are windows that go up 20 odd feet in places and it struck me that it would be quicker than constantly moving ladders/step ladders etc.Have you used that system out of interest?(not being funny just interested on reviews of it)
I think I will ask what the previous cleaners asked.I was going to today when i was with him but thought better of it at the time.
Richy,cheers that sounds reasonable,thanks for that.

[bobplum]

walk away

[Craig 72]

Whys that Bob?

[TomCrowther]

Just ask him what his budget is.

[jmb]

craig my advise would be go pratice and bit more with a mop and blade and get up to a decent speed,
as it will be alot quicker than using a spray and micro fibre cloth and a do better job on that size of window,
also consider getting someone to foot you for the higher internal windows.

Like Richy says go for 3 days if you think the outsides will take you a day

[Craig 72]

Ok thanks for the advice fellas.I think the first thing I'll do next is try to find out what the previous people charged and see if thats something I'm prepared to work for.What's in my favour is that I know the guy already and it's not like it's coming out of his pocket.
I seem to have given the impression I'm crap at trad,lol!I'm not bad or slow by any means,was just interested in possible quicker alternatives for a job of this scale.

[bobplum]

Whys that Bob?

it could just be too much for you,way up how much you may loose from your other work by being involved in this one
if your going to do it on your own you may struggle,i know chasing the big jobs seems great but sometimes people over stretch.
I had a chance of doing a big school in Chester it would have meant getting two other crews in etc the guy who got it made aright mess,it stretched him too much and he had to go back and re correct the work and all because he was the cheapest.
good luck in getting it and i hope it works out well

[Craig 72]

Thanks Bob,appreciate the advice.I know totally what you're saying,there is a small part of me that thinks I could be taking on a bit much.I've just e-mailed the guy as it happens to see if he will disclose what the previous cleaners charged.I'm fully prepared to walk away if its not reasonable.

[richywilts]

im sure u can get a decent traditional guy in from your local area to help you off here that what i did i use gav lam to begin with and watched how he worked and learnt from him go in with a decent price that you would be happy earning over four days say 150 a day but try and smash it out in 3 with help of other guy. use it for the experience to build your confidence of taking on larger projects, even if it does turn in to a ballache and take longer than you expect at least you have something to guage against in future its all about trial and error and finding happy medium

[Smudger]

good adice Bob - be careful of what you wish for - it seems quite rare to get a decent price for schools and remember
they only get cleaned annually or at most twice - and IME badly

700 for a large school sounds great until you've spent the 3 days grafting on site ( or longer ) only to find you could have earned more on domestic work in the same amount of hours worked ( and get 4 or 8 wk repeats ).  if you have time in your schedule then go for it!

the internal cleaning kits do work but for schools and 1st cleans you need to clean the glass twice and use more than pure water. i personally use white vinegar - when doing regular cleans they can be very fast and only need the 1 clean

Darran

[richywilts]

that 700 for that large school was done in a day n half i think with myself and two lads, what im saying if he had time in his schedule and even if it took him 4 days 175 a day aint bad

[Blue Frog Systems]

if you reckon it will take three then price it for five that way your covered if it takes longer and a nice proffit if it takes three

[andrew hamshare]

If youre in Kent I'll help you do it,  £100 a day. Bring my own gear. I'm free week after next wed & thurs. I'll do outsides you concentrate on ins.

Can't say fairer than that.

[g.brookes]

i dont get what the problem is here and why people are saying walk away.  it sounds like youre talking 3 full days maximum.  so unless you are flat out with other work then of course you should take it on.  put in your day price for three days.  do whatever you can to clean all the windows inside trad, and let them know which ones you will have to use a micro fibre on.  as long as you price as per your day rate, you should be more than 50 quid out, and it'll be an invaluable experience.
you will be vastly more prepared for future jobs like this and you will gain in confidence.  The advice you can get on here is limited, its better for you to go and learn from your mistakes if you do make any.  just go for it mate, i see no reason not to

[g.brookes]

*shouldnt

[easy clean]

Craig, call me
07956 539078
Jon

[William McCafferty]

Craig

This job is no different than the first job you quoted for, yes it is bigger and hopefully it will lead to other bigger jobs in the near future.

But I am afraid that you need to get burnt at times in this game, we all learn from this site and others, on cleaning equipment, jobs and pricing but at times the best information we learn is from doing the job.

When I first started, I looked at the big jobs and went with my gut feeling, if I thought it would take 3 days, then I would quote for 2 days work, because I know that in the future I will get faster and thereby my pricing should reflect this.

If I lost the quote I always ask for feedback from the companies concerned including the final price they went with, this is a good to fine tune your quoting abilitys, also if I got the job, I can still learn if my prices are too low or right for the work involved.