[Window Cleaning Services]

Some can earn £30+/hr because they do a good job fast. You have to charge what the job is worth, not how long it takes. When I started I was about 6 times slower than I am now. If I was charging £20/hr then I'd be getting £120/hr now.

 Good comment.If we bought our houses based on what it cost to build it labour time plus materials,and not what its "worth", there'd be no rich builder's/property developers, and we'd all be living in bigger houses. 

[AuRavelling79]

dig all you like guys. Im not on here to entertain snotty people. I dont remember saying I made £85.00 an hour at all. Im in business to make money not graft my arse of all day for the minimum wage.

Errrr... yes you did! Look at the post below.

I almost cant believe what im reading here!!!!!!!

How is it possible to only do £3 or £6 an hour?

one of my teams, which consist of 2 men in a reach and wash van average an hourly turnover of £85.00 across a 7 hour day every day.

When I started as a traditional window cleaner on my own I still turned over £20.00 an hour.

something must be wrong somewhere. I think i would have given up.

I guess you forgot in the intervening hour and a half between those posts ...

[jonisondell]

whats wrong with 6 pounds an hour

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

i was only joking about the 6 quid an hour, i meant to say 5.95 but i couldnt be bothered typing it in earlier, see what happens when you get lazy scrimman.

[Lee Pryor]

you guys realy should go back to school and lean to read more carefully. let me point out that i said TURN OVER!!!! per hour not make or earn. and I would like to know why that seems to suprise you. so to make it clear each of my 2 man teams TURNS OVER £600.00 a day in around 7 hours = £85.00 an hour get it. Its really nice of you to knock me for working damn hard to build a sucessfull business.

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

you guys realy should go back to school and lean to read more carefully. let me point out that i said TURN OVER!!!! per hour not make or earn. and I would like to know why that seems to suprise you. so to make it clear each of my 2 man teams TURNS OVER £600.00 a day in around 7 hours = £85.00 an hour get it. Its really nice of you to knock me for working damn hard to build a sucessfull business.

i got it right away, i turn over 40 quid an hour, but my profit after the taxman, the wife, the kids, the offsales, the holidays etc etc take their cut is only 5.95 per hour .

[seandyer2003]

HAHA i love these topics

[AuRavelling79]

you guys realy should go back to school and lean to read more carefully. let me point out that i said TURN OVER!!!! per hour not make or earn. and I would like to know why that seems to suprise you. so to make it clear each of my 2 man teams TURNS OVER £600.00 a day in around 7 hours = £85.00 an hour get it. Its really nice of you to knock me for working damn hard to build a sucessfull business.

Sorry lee. Didn't mean to offend. You've obviously done very well for yourself. Well done.

[Ian_Giles]

The original post of this thread was sensible, it was and is about how to price up work, but rep[ly after reply has been in sneering, condescending mode.
This isn't about how much you can or should earn, it's about how you should price.
please keep this a sensible debate.


Ian

[ftp]

Hourly rates are confusing sometimes. I have a four pound customer  

Takes five minutes .............. so that's erm, £48.00 an hour actual working time.

[gerard mcmanus]

I do a shop in and out that takes about five minutes which is £6 but that no reflection. I think this topic is going to have inaccurate results as water fed pole users will work quicker but have higher expenditure. However trad windies will have lower taking on average than they do.

I am trad and have seen me take £25/30 per hour when my work is all in the same spot but my average might be about £10 - £15 per hour, which is what I need and what I am happy with.

[sparklebright]

you guys realy should go back to school and lean to read more carefully. let me point out that i said TURN OVER!!!! per hour not make or earn. and I would like to know why that seems to suprise you. so to make it clear each of my 2 man teams TURNS OVER £600.00 a day in around 7 hours = £85.00 an hour get it. Its really nice of you to knock me for working damn hard to build a sucessfull business.

i got it right away, i turn over 40 quid an hour, but my profit after the taxman, the wife, the kids, the offsales, the holidays etc etc take their cut is only 5.95 per hour .

That's a good point, once you take your costs out your per hour goes dooowwwnn.
WFP is quick but costs more to run, even if you're a skinflint like me. 
It's healthy to know what you turnover per hour, but it's a not good idea to boast about it, as it gives a false impression to anyone reading, and bears little relation to the smaller amount of money that comes out the other end sadly. :

The truth is it's a good job if you work at it.

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

absolutely agree, the figure i gave is only an example of how silly these type of posts are, its nobodys business how much i make per hour except the taxman and maybe the wife .......set hourly rates cannot exist in our industry in my opinion, i can make the aforementioned 40 quid in a specific hour of the day if i am having a good stint, then the next hour i may only make 15 quid, its all a numbers game and also a game of averages. 

[DASERVICES]

I think it is a very good and valid post. As a newbie many years back I used the formula many old timers used 50p per window. Then rates have been going for many years and increments of 25p yearly.

That advise I would never give to a newbie now as I now it does not pay my bills. Too many people treat window cleaning as a job but it should run as a business. You have to pay yourself wages , cover sickness, holiday, van, insurance etc...

Which regards paying yourself a wage remember the cost of living etc.. price of mortgages but everyones needs it different. As a business myself I need to try and hit £30 / £50 per hour to be comfortable, not rich. This I am not hitting at present which is a problem as many of you in Scotland the weather is a big problem so now I have to factor this in pricing, x days I would lose a year through weather.

With WFP those prices are achieveable if you have a compact round and large properties.

In my personnel opion the pricing structure in the window cleaning industry has been stagnet many years and there has been little change. But on the other hand there are quite a lot of window cleaners that are now changing and prices are rising so it becomes more comfortable to price correctly if everyone else does. The only problem we have is when newbies price low but after having spoken to them in the area we operate they soon realise why price at £7 per hour wen you can get £30 per hour.

A little tip I give to a lot of guys is when you go give a new quote, have the price you would originally price in your head. Then add a couple of extra quid and stick to your guns. If the householders says no walk away. Quite a few times I have walked away and the householder has called me back and taken the price. Those of you who have loads of work will agree with this when you go and price a job , don't want it, quote a stupid price then get it.

You then end up with half of your work underpriced from when you first started and the other half well priced.

This is my advise as I run my round as a business not a job. I am not boasting on what you can earn but that is what I need to run as a business. Keep your head above water, price well, and you may have a smile on your face and not worrying about bills. Not in Scotland though with the weather but have to say this has been the best week for many months.

Now I'm going to spend my hard earnt money in Edinburgh watching the rugby. 

Cheers

Doug

[gerard mcmanus]

The only problem we have is when newbies price low but after having spoken to them in the area we operate they soon realise why price at £7 per hour wen you can get £30 per hour.

that could sound like price fixing doug.

[leapstallbuildings]

you guys realy should go back to school and lean to read more carefully. let me point out that i said TURN OVER!!!! per hour not make or earn. and I would like to know why that seems to suprise you. so to make it clear each of my 2 man teams TURNS OVER £600.00 a day in around 7 hours = £85.00 an hour get it. Its really nice of you to knock me for working damn hard to build a sucessfull business.

Lee.  They're just trying to wind you up mate.  Ignore it.  Respect to you for what you've achieved.
Seriously, my very best couple of jobs (and they aren't tiny jobs) can hit £90 an hour (one man operator).  However, I still have some pockets of work where it varies between £22 and £24.  Generally, the latter is much older work where I haven't increased the prices enough down the years.  However, I don't mind the occasional day to relax, just work at a gentle plod, and have cups of tea with the old dears.  It helps me get centred and gives my body a rest until the next bit of graft.
As you say, a minimum charge is a good idea.  Mine has been a tenner but I haven't quoted anything under £12 for a little while.  This is for newer work.  I do have a bit older work that is charged lower.
I hate discussing earnings on here these days but thought they seemed to be ganging up on you.

[sam peafield]

Lee

Not suggesting you are lying/exaggerating in any way but just based on your figures 2x2man teams @ £600 per day each team = £6000 turnover per week (5 day week) without getting into specific costs/overheads involved lets say you pay your guys £500 each per week = £2000 lets add other expenditure of £1000 per week for running costs employers tax & ni contributions maybe even premises as well, i think these are fairly generous in terms of expenditure but no doubt someone will correct me if i am wrong.

This leaves you Lee with £3000 per week income/wage before tax of course total £150,000.00 per year WOW !!

Please tell me your secret what is your make up of clients in term of domestic and commercial do you have minimum charges etc etc

If what you state is correct then great well done and keep it up people like you can only help raise the profile of our industry


Sam

[sam peafield]

Am i wrong everyone ?

or is it a fair assessment of what Lee must be earning £150k per year and if so are you shocked or not ?

[Lee Pryor]

Sam i think your maths has been a little off there mate.

It would only be £6000 a week if the week had 10 working days in it!

We work a 4 day week to allow space for a bit of rain and add-on services we provide gutters driveway jet washing and so on. each of my teams (3) which i am the driver for one of, turns over £2500.00 a week. give or take £200.00. does that help

[gerard mcmanus]

I read his post there and that’s about £40 per man per hour, WFP sure sound ok to me.

People seem to held up on earnings, what does it matter, you have people here who are just in the business a year or so comparing there earning to someone who has spent years building up compact rounds and well priced work compared to newbie’s who’s work wont be compact and unlikely full either and might not be up to speed, then if you are comparing an experienced windy who is water fed pole to a trad newbie there is going to be huge difference in earnings.

So my advice, don’t get to hung up on it, charge what you think is fare for you and your customer. Then if you want to make yourself a millionaire, go for it, expand take on employees, cover more areas, and so on.... but just do it, don’t worry about everybody else, they don’t mater, the only person your can fairly compare yourself to is yourself.