How do you guys charge for your gutter cleaning services? By the feet, and if so how much uh foot? , or do you charge by man hours. Im curious to know …
I do it per 1$/ft and 2$/ft for whitening. I don’t do allot of them yet. But its the only way I can imagine giving a price on the phone.
I charge $1 a foot with a $75.00 minimum.
Honestly, I fluctuate tremendously.
- I keep a close eye on the weather, and if it’s rained or is raining, I’m already raising my price before I even hear the situation.
(if they’re calling, they have overflow)
But prompt service is a competitive advantage, so I explain why they need it done immediately… and there’s not much reason for negotiations from there.
By type of house. Its either a Ranch or Colonial in my area.
How much do you charge and how?
A lot depends on accessibility and height.
I agree, I have to rent 32" ladders some times to service some homes and would charge a lot more
I charge by the square footage of the house and by the number of stories. I also look at the house from google earth to see how many obstructions they may have Some are easier than others but it all averages out.
There is such a wide range of factors one needs to consider when bidding gutters, I feel that by the ft could vary so much on time needed to complete the job. Going off projected man hours seems to work the best. Some factors include: Is the roof walk able? How many trees are surrounding the house? What type of trees(pesky helicopter seeds) are surrounding the house? Does the roof look new(rusty nails and other debris)? How high up are the gutters? Can you see overflow? Does it look like a small forest is growing in the gutter? Are there birds nests with babies in them? Is the debris wet or dry? DO I have to hand scoop or will my leaf blower work? Are my clothes going to be filthy from muck and have to change before doing windows at my next house?
Maybe I’m looking into it to much. But it beats walking around with a measuring wheel.
We look @ height and overall square footage of the house. Actual not living space.
You can pretty much decide when to mark up your prices by the time/situation…[INDENT]- Normal rate- If it’s November 1st, odds are people are calling because the calendar tells them to. Meaning, it’s fall and they see leaves falling. (There’s a good chance the gutters are almost empty, but it doesn’t matter because “it’s fall.”)
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Additional rates- like I said about the rain, urgency, and water damage… no negotiations!
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Knock their heads off- When the temps drop below freezing, and most others have hung it up for the year.
(If you allowed your gutter to overflow, and procrastinated to the point that they have now froze and are about to collapse… you pay what you deserve.)[/INDENT]
Also, there is that whole “while you’re up there could you…?”
- these I pretty much guestimate. But they are ALWAYS worth it.
Good look N
Clean Cut, I am a bit north of you and from what I have gathered over the years most are charging $.50 - $.75 a foot. We bid based on estimated time job will take, while looking at
type of roof
slope of roof
how much debris in the valleys
For the most part we fall into those number ranges, occasionally getting $1/ft
When all of you are talking that you bid $x per linear foot, is that just the gutters themselves? Or is that including the length of the downspouts?
I charge by linear gutter feet…downspouts are separate IF they’re clogged…if they’re not then no need to charge for them, youre not doing anything to them.
2 bucks per linear foot. Bag debris and flush comes with that. Rarely are there situations where the debris can be put around the bushes, but occasionally. Still same price.
I can’t speak for these voices from the past, but they are most likely talking about per foot of gutter. That’s what we look at.
You do want to flush the downspout, but most of the time that takes care of any debris in the downspout; quick, easy, and done. Your pricing should have enough of a buffer in it to allow you to include downspout flushing. It may get more complicated every once and awhile, but it should all even out (as in: most of the time it is in your favor, so the times it isn’t, you don’t sweat it). Occasionally (a few times a year) we will need to take a downspout apart because it’s too jammed up. For example, a couple weeks ago we ended up pulling 3 golf balls out of one downspout. That is unusual, though, so I don’t count work like that in my normal estimates. When that happens, shrug it off an move on to the next.
If you are starting out and want to buffer things, you could always do something like add a few bucks for each downspout you have to flush. Around here, a lot of companies (i.e. Landscapers) don’t flush the gutters. That could help you stand out.
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I also keep a tube of gutter caulk and gutter spikes in my “just stuff” box in case the need for little touch-ups. A few spots I don’t charge extra; several spots does get an up charge. Pricing should be fair for the job but cover your costs and time.
