[geefree]

Hi All,

Just wondered if anyone out there can tell me about pricing up, i understand each area is different... i am in West Yorkshire, ... do you price a house by each window cleaned ? if so how do you price large and small windows... or is it just by the house size.. ie semi detached.. detached etc.....also how do you price offices and shops... i am asking because i need to know what i am talking about before canvassing.
Any advice would be great.

Cheers.

Gary.

[robbie14000]

GAZ - You can do it two ways either count the windows and times by either 50p or £1 using £1 for large 50 for small.
or you decide how long you think it will take you and put a price in that you want to work for .
You have got to take into consideration your travelling time, getting ladders on off and do you only have the one house there or do you have a load to clean at once.
We charge around £8 -£12 for 3 bed semi's £15-£18 if have a conservatory.
Large houses price what you want because they are all individual and it's how you sell it.
You will now if you are getting it right because you will be putting prices in and people will be accepting your quotes.
If you have a lot of misses drop your price slightly until you hit the bulls eye.
It also depends what areas you are working in, to know what you can get away with.
Good luck Robbie - Clearshine - Harrogate

[geefree]

Hi Robbie,
Thanks for that very useful and helpful advice, there are lots of things to learn but now at least i have an idea of how to price up,
many thanks.

Gary.

[geefree]

i have not got the gear yet as i dont know which is the best .... quality  etc , you also have names for things like scrim etc... lol. dont want to sound stupid but i am trying to gather all the info from you very helpful people...
some use waterless , some use wfp... lol thats the only thing i know what it stands for...also do i carry water in the van, or hope the customer is in, or use the outside tap... please help especially with what gear to buy to get me up and running
many many thanks guys.
gary.

[mark dew]

I find it best now to have a set price for a standard 3 pane window and compare
bigger windows against this in terms of overall area of glass and how many individual panes of glass that it has. Especially when doing traditional.
I started off charging 60p per window. I soon found that not all windows were equal and found it hard to bump prices up.
I now price up all standard windows at 80p, but if they are standard georgian i charge £1.50. Windows with lots of small panes are usually £1 upwards depending on size.
I'm in east suffolk. High(ish) property prices but low incomes.
One thing i used to do that worked against me was when doing bigger houses, i generally rounded the price down and gave a flatter rate do to the volume of windows.
I recommend not to do this as it worked out once i'd got upto speed a bit,
that i was better off per hour doing clusters of £5 jobs and moving between houses than doing one large place.
That seemed back to front. Premium properties should pay a premium price. (if you are going to do a premium job)
These suppliers are a few amongst many that would cover any specific traditional and wfp equipment you would need.

http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.com/

http://www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/

http://www.freedomwfp.co.uk/

or

http://d.co.uk/

[Mike George]

I started off trying to price per window, but now I use robbie's second method - just work out how long I think it will take (after the first few cleans) and price it at 40p per minute.

That way I take account of access problems etc and similar houses can have different prices.

[geefree]

hi all
once again thanks for all the help, really looking forward to it, i was going to build it slowly and part time, but i have now lost my sales job of 8 years so am in a hurry now(and a panic)... people close to me think i am losing it wanting to clean windows, i know it will be very hard work, but i thrive on challenges, not to mention the fact i love working outdoors, also to have contacts with such a great bunch of guys such as you all...is a great help, and i read that most of you would not have it any other way,... most saying to them, ...it is the best job in the world.... i just hope i can satisfy her indoors moneywise..??..i know i have my work cut out in front of me to build ... i could make ends meet with £300 per week, will i get to that mark?.. how long on average did it take you guys... just having a mild panic attack guys.. lol !.... oh and thanks for the threads mark, very helpful.

regards,
gary.

[robbie14000]

Gaz - As long as you are dedicated to building a substantial round and being professional at all times you will be earning that in a day.
I started off over two years ago after being a leisure manager for 10 years(H&S)
I started with very small houses at £5 a clean then worked my way up.
Talk to window cleaners in your area as a lot are very good and will give you advice and may throw you the odd house or business your way.
There is plenty out there for all.
Then work your way up the ladder until you get to the point you can employ someone to help you with your round.
I found my first winter tough as some customers are a bit fussy with cleaning in the rain.
So started to go into contract cleaning, gutter cleaning etc.
I can honestly say it's the best job I,ve done since being a pro footballer 20 years ago.
Start and finish at what time you like, no stress if you do a good job and are organised.
Good luck you will get there.
Robbie - Clearshine - Harrogate

P.S do not price cheap cos you will be chasing your arse all day to make a decent living - People will pay for QUALITY

[geefree]

thanks robbie , a load of great advice there, i think i am just panicking as my venture was meant to be just that, only part time to begin with, now in a real hurry and no time to lose , now its about building a real business and full on. as lost my full time job.
cant thank you enough for the help you have given,.. just one more little thing... do you have certain collect days/evenings.. or collect as you clean or both.... and is it hard to get your money from domestic cleans, (in the wrong areas so to speak) .. thats the only real concern i have, dont like the thought of money coming in ...in fits and starts from all directions on different days...but again, its part and parcel of any business , i suppose, chasing accounts etc, i will have to have to use account ledgers and poss spread sheets to keep a tab of it. that side of it is not such a prob.... its getting the cash in regular that i will be concerned about .lol..

[Mike George]

I try to avoid collecting, but I do it once a week on a Thursday evening for the odd few. I'm still home by 7 though, having stopped at the takeaway on the way home!

[geefree]

HI
thanks to all of you for your help
you are amazing !

just one thing.. when canvassing do i have to run round and count the customers windows for a quote, just seems a little strange trying to add up in price the small windows and large.. tot it up and tell the customer a price... is that what all you guys do.?

cheers

[Mike George]

I think most people only work out a quote if the customer says they're interested.

Some people price so much per window, I price based on how many minutes I think it will take me (after the first couple of cleans and when I've developed my technique so I can work at a reasonable speed).

However you do it, you need to see all the windows and check you'll be able to reach them, check the ground to see if it's level etc, check access to the back - is there a 5-minute walk to a back lane, will you have to take the ladder through the house, etc. Some of the more experienced guys will no doubt give you more pointers.

I put a price on my flyers and I sometimes get it wrong because I can't see the back of the house, although now I'm getting to know the area I know what to watch out for. Most of my customers are happy with this.

[geefree]

cheers mike . please look at my other post