So I have a few estimates out there and I’ve been getting rejected quite a bit. Granted, I am the newbie around here, so maybe it is just people being wary.
On commercial jobs, I am quoting $4/pane. I get an extra $1 for inside also, and another extra $1 if I have scrape off paint or tape. Am I overcharging? Example: I quoted a business (see Google maps photo) $39 plus taxes for 7 panes, in/out, 4 of them needing paint scraped. Google photo doesn’t show paint they had put on for a promotion.
Maybe I am overcharging then. Yeah, looks like a 15 minutes job, maybe a newbie longer. And my goal is $40-$50 per hour. So, I probably need to drop my rates.
I disagree. As long as you can fan a window and have basic pole skills, 40 should be your floor. At 15 minimum, a new cleaner should be at 40 per hour. An experienced cleaner could get it up to 50. With a 20 minimum an experienced cleaner should be at 60-70.
The paint scraping is a one time thing . $20 inside and out and a one time fee of an extra $40 to remove paint .
I think it’s just the way you present the bid that matters
Wow, I like the dialogue here. It seems that rates are all over the place. I know it might also be dependent on your market area. I based mine “in the middle” of the extremes.
To clarify my earlier estimate, I estimated $4 per pane (x7 makes $28), plus a $1 for inside (another +$7 = $35), and $1 per pane for scraping 4 panes (+$4 = $39). This kind of paint looks like “shoe polish” paint, so once it is wet down, I expect it will scrape right off.
But, I’m glad to hear that shooting for $40/hr is not unreasonable. I’m slowly building clientele in an effort to quit my day job. It is going to be quite the uphill job, and I’ll have to work hard to get there.
I thought in your original post you mentioned “if you had to scrape paint”, turns out you are saying that it “will” be part of the job.
I feel the inside and outside price should be the same rate unless one has more difficult obstacles than the other. As far as paint scraping goes, it rarely goes quick and smoothly. As mentioned you should probably do a minimum of $40/$50 one time for that.
Lick your finger and see if the paint comes off easy. If it’s shoe polish, it’ll come right off. If it’s air brushed or window paint, then get some sprayaway and soak it before scraping. If each window was covered in window paint, I’d probably add $10. If it’s just a little shoe polish, I’d just take care of it and get them on a 2 week schedule. 4 week at the longest.
I charge the same for inside panes as I do for outside. They usually aren’t as dirty but access can be time consuming (furniture, crates, taking care not to get water on the sills or floor, cords like octopus hook gear, etc.).
You might try Magic Eraser vs. scraping as a low risk alternative. I have been very impressed with Magic Eraser since I switched to it.
I’m assuming this is a one time bid? Are you planning on cleaning this biz weekly or bi-weekly in future? Personally I would be at the $20-$25 rate but shooting for weekly with a one time interior. So 5x a month at $80-$100 monthly. I look at my customers like a member ship…what’s my average monthly take home versus time etc.
Only handful at moment. I just shoot for $20 min with weekly cleaning. I also stay away from mom n pops and focus on med-large biz that may have more than one location. Done haggling with people. I’m finding more and more people are fed up with the “bucket Bob” and willing to pay a bit more for reliable pro service
The pricing advice that you are getting on here is all over the place.
You should adjust, or not, by the amount of work you are getting and if it pays your bills.
That being said, $1.00 per surface - in my opinion - is too low, even if you sold the opposing surface higher. Find a way to present your prices in a consistent manner, and you DO NOT have to say what your per pane price is. Bid for the job based on what you need. If it just happens to turn out to $2/$3/$4 per window, then so be it.
Business owners understand pricing more than you may realize. 5 outside windows for $20 then 5 inside windows for $5…If you were the shop owner would you snap your neck and think “Say what?” This is what I mean by consistent. If you have a $20 minimum, be up front about that.
