[David 'Duck' Clare]

Hello Group

Ive had a call today to quote for a country club, my meeting with the manager is tomorrow.

Doing the work isnt a problem (i went to have a quick look at the job today). However i dont want to price myself out of the job OR go in to cheap.

Basically i need to know what everyone would charge on average for the following:

60 x ground floor windows (10 are lead windows)

5 x ground floor french doors

35 x 1st floor windows (5 are lead windows)

3 x 1st floor french doors (accessable via a veranda/balcony)

8 x 2nd floor windows, these are all quite difficult to get to even via a pole - maybe only do-able via the inside)

Doing this job the traditional way would take a day in time.

I would appreciate prices for each type of window as listed above.

I'd really like to get this job as it would be my first big one!

ps Some of the windows look like they havent been done in about 3 or 4 months.

Thanks to all that reply

David

oh by the way i got a pair of sign written magnets last week that stick onto the car, instead of having the car actually written onto. Would anyone like to see any pictures? if you do ill post a new thred.

[MNWC]

David
you say" Basically i need to know what everyone would charge on average for the following:"
as you are aware us window cleaners are from all parts of uk and i have seen posts on here worldwide.

Its hard to give a price to a job if you havnt seen it and also if it isnt in your area.
Different parts of uk have different prices, i live in a very rural area which is populated with many retired folk alot have taken early retirement and moved up here from down south.
So they are fairly well off, hence a slightly higher price than if i was cleaning a single parents home if you get my drift

You said it could take you all day, so instead of pricing up per window what about if you priced it up on a day rate (for me that would be roughly £100 plus but thats up to you.

hope this helps and more to the point makes sence !!
marcus 

[windows_chepstow]

David,

It's a tough one.  The past four commercial quotes I've been asked to quote; I haven't got.

In each quote I acted as professional as possible (I'm a Geordie so this isn't easy) and sent the quote on posh paper with a risk and method statement attached.

I was just too expensive.

On the other hand, I once got a large Hilton Hotel and had to drop the account after six months as I grossly underpriced it.

How about just charging your normal daily target; if it takes a day to clean?

Remembering you'll only be dealing with one point of contact to get paid; rather than many people for smaller accounts; and you'll be to clean this place in inclement weather without any worries.

[David 'Duck' Clare]

Thanks Tosh and Marcus.

I think your both right - ill ask for my target daily rate + 10% because I think the job needs to be done right and i think as its a membership organisation they can afford that.

Ive designed a spreed sheet for quoting and it chucks out a figure just under my daily rate for the amount of windows on this job, so i guess thats a good place to start.

The spreed sheet is really cool and once ive entered the figures i can print it off and it looks like a full quote - it has terms on it, the client address, validity time (30 days) and my logo and address etc.

Well ill give it a go tomorrow and ill keep you all updated.

I really hope i get this job as it will make a really nice set of photos for my upcoming website!

David

[MNWC]

Dont be too disapointed if you dont get it.

If i was to get all jobs i quoted for id be a very rich man 

But all the best 

Let us all know.

[Paul Coleman]

Hello Group

Ive had a call today to quote for a country club, my meeting with the manager is tomorrow.

Doing the work isnt a problem (i went to have a quick look at the job today). However i dont want to price myself out of the job OR go in to cheap.

Basically i need to know what everyone would charge on average for the following:

60 x ground floor windows (10 are lead windows)

5 x ground floor french doors

35 x 1st floor windows (5 are lead windows)

3 x 1st floor french doors (accessable via a veranda/balcony)

8 x 2nd floor windows, these are all quite difficult to get to even via a pole - maybe only do-able via the inside)

Doing this job the traditional way would take a day in time.

I would appreciate prices for each type of window as listed above.

I'd really like to get this job as it would be my first big one!

ps Some of the windows look like they havent been done in about 3 or 4 months.

Thanks to all that reply

David

oh by the way i got a pair of sign written magnets last week that stick onto the car, instead of having the car actually written onto. Would anyone like to see any pictures? if you do ill post a new thred.

David.
It's very hard to say without being there but I would imagine somewhere in the region of £140 - £190 maybe.  Please don't rely on that as there are many possible permutations.  You have to bear in mind that there may be access issues for some of the windows and whether there would be a problem either getting the key or arranging for someone to be there to allow you access.  I do know that when I have quoted such a job in the past, it was easy to undersell myself.  After a few years, I quoted a bit higher than I thought I ought to and, at the end of the job, I was usually faitrly relieved that I had.  Fiddly jobs with access issues usually take a bit longer than I thought they would.
Of course, if you are window cleaning to earn a decent income then you quote one way.  If you are thinking ahead about eventually employing people and need a profit margin, then the quote should be highish.  It depends what you want to get out of it.

[Chris Cottrell]

The price I came up with was £130 but that's this area nd repeated regularly

Chris

[geoffreyspecht]

try £150 u can always reduce the price

[craig jwc]

I came up with between £130 - £150 but like people have said it's difficult without seeing it.

[Chris Cottrell]

the only problem with going in high and being prepared to come down says one thing to your customer and that is that your prices are negotiable and that doesn't help in the future when you need to increase prices. or when youre trying to convince them your price is justified.

Chris

[Ian_Giles]

For me, were it to be a days work if done trad (say 8:30am till 3.30pm) then I would be up around £200.00 minimum, particularly on a posh club.
For a full days work on one account there ain't no way I'd go in lower than that.

But of course it really does all depend on the kind of area you are in.

As I use WFP, and providing access wasn't too big an issue then you are talking about a mornings work, less on repeat cleans, or rather an easy mornings work.

By and large I charge approx £1.00 per standard window and make an allowance for things such as access.

My above price is only based on the fact that you say it is a days work.

My price would be the same for WFP, I don't price cheaper just because it is quicker!

Were I you I would go in roughly 25% higher than you would normally charge, if you don't get it at that price then it isn't worth having...honestly!

I personally view these kind of jobs as the cream on the top and for me they are by far and away my best payers.

But it is tough if it is a job you really want to get

Ian

[geoffreyspecht]

with me chris prices r always negotiable even trees have to bend with the wind

[stevekennedy]

Remember that rates per window for commercial are well below that of domestic these days. The reasons are that it is far easier to employ people for commercial work as the premises are usually occupied all day. Also, the jobs tend to be bigger which makes them easy to manage your team. Finally, there is a myth going around that commercial is a good earner so everyone is competing for the same work. As you will appreciate, competition drives down prices. Unless you plan to start employing a team and are go for volume work, you will make more money from domestic. There is a MASSIVE demand for it an shortage of cleaners. As you will also appreciate, this scenario drives prices UP!

Happy hunting!

[callum macleod]

hi i really struggle to get these quotes right i have quoted twice now for a commecial job still not quite worked out the daily rate right yet can anyone advise what is the going rate for one day's work on a commercial buliding

[stevekennedy]

Bit like asking how long a piece of string is unfortunately.

A large cleaning firm would work on margin:

Average pay of employee                              £8/Hour + Empl. National Insurance
Average cost of van/equipment etc          £5.50/hour
Liabilty Insurance                                     £0.54/hour
Misc expenses                                               £1/hour
Management/Accounts/Training                £1.20/hour
TOTAL                                                      £16.24/hour

Add to this a profit margin say 10%     £1.62

Final charge                                           £17.86/hour

........Not much is it?

Sometimes for these companies, profit on an individual job is a secondary consideration. For instance, the biggest demand and hence highest profit stuff is often in the early morning between 5.30am and 8:30am esp for retail. However, these big cleaning firms need to keep their staff busy all day to retain them. SO if job is say, a hotel, or office they might reduce the charge to minimum just to keep their guys busy through the day.
They are working on margin to make an OVERALL profit. They work on the basis that as long as you are making a profit, no matter how small, you will do ok. All you need to do is keep getting more work.

This is the philosophy of most of the bigger companies and this keeps the prices very low.

This is one reason why there is sometimes not much money in commercial window cleaning.

[rscleaningservices]

Hi,
    I find the best and easy way to price jobs up is to price on the hour rate.So walk around the building and work out how long in sections of the building on about an hour which we charge £30.00 PER HOUR THEN HALF THE HOUR RATE TO £15.00  PER HOUR FOR INSIDES hope this will help you cheers richard.

[callum macleod]

the last quote i did a few days ago was two fairly large hotel buildings about 70 windows on each building nearly all of them georgean or sash windows two flat roofs on one building other is fairly straight forward has not been cleaned in two years!! and some windows have egg baked on them if i do get it that will be fun!!

[supernova77]

stevekennedy,

There is more money in commercial work than deomestic work - Well, there is for me anyway.

I don't touch shops... Just offices, pubs, hotels etc... And I earn much much much more doing them than domestic!

Andy

[Jago]

David can you mail me that spread sheet please that seems handy.
Sorry to be cheeky but hey thats life.
Hope you get your Club.

by the way £125 - £150

Regards J

[stevekennedy]

stevekennedy,

There is more money in commercial work than deomestic work - Well, there is for me anyway.

I don't touch shops... Just offices, pubs, hotels etc... And I earn much much much more doing them than domestic!

Andy

Hi Andy

Perhaps you have not come accross the same competition that we have. The pole has made it even worse. Instead of making more money, the local firms have put in lower quotes just to get the work. It is absolutely maddening.

We do a mix at the moment as the commercial is more reliable weather wise etc. We were doing domestic today though and the two of us made £420 in 5 hours. Quite respectable. Especially for Scotland where our rates are much lower than South of England.

One of these cheap companies has just gone out of business fortunately. They also do a terrible job but many clients are not prepared to pay for quality. Those that are are the only ones that we take on.