so why not build an app that goes directly into excel or google spread sheet there are free app making apps for this. yes an app for making an app.
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A window track is what the moveable portion of the window fits into that collects dirt and dead lizards; a window sill is the ledge or flat portion that is the bottom portion of the window, it either outside juts out or inside that many people put knick-knacks on that you have to move to clean the dad-gum thing.
You can simply have a line on your āfor-your-eyes-only-estimate-sheetā to make additional notes of paint scraping, extra heavy dirt, and move the washer and dryer in order to reach.
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Good question. On my spreadsheet i have an additional line called āsurchargeā where i can plug in whatever additional amount i feel is warranted for the job. Hereās a pic:
It then calculates the ācostā of my time and effort. The calculations are based on the average times it takes me to do each item and what i would like to make in that time. I chose to include a $30 base cost already to account for interacting with the customer, unloading the truck, and cleaning up. I can then add any discount i want, such as when Iām doing free screen cleaning. Estimating this way has really boosted my confidence when giving a price because i know itās pretty accurate and pays my time fairly.
I like that it then automatically spits out the price for both out and in, and out only along with the taxes.
There are two more lines for notes including pets and general comments.
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Ken, i think thatās a great idea, actually. Iāve always wanted to get into making apps and have some experience with programming from highschool and studying computer engineering in college. But i learned a lesson from making my website from scratch (and learning web programming from nothing), and thatās that Iād rather focus on window cleaning, specifically getting better at the actual techniques and also improving my skills as a business person. Whipping up a basic spreadsheet wasnāt a big deal, and i did make all my own forms and marketing materials (which was really fun), but Iām at the point now where i just need to focus as much time as possible with getting new business.
Anyway, that said, do you recommend any app-making apps? Maybe the Iāll get the itch one day to go for it.
this looks an app already, how have you done that screen??
and no i started looking at app making software last winter but never got going enough to recommend one. but itās like everything else now many have free versions for personal and paid for more advanced or for reselling the apps you create
Itās actually just a Google Sheets spreadsheet. I like using the Google apps because they sync across all my devices, which is very convenient for me now, and i think will be great if i ever have employees.
yeah but it doesnāt look like a spreadsheet how did you get that appearance?
I set it to not show the grid lines, and then i just added borders and shading to the cells and merged some of the cells.
This is great.
Im really terrible at estimating time on the job.
I usually think hourly, that should be done by this time to make a decent hourly. But i think that that mentality actually slows me down when it goes well.
Plus when you are stacking jobs in one day gives you a better idea when you will be at the next house.
Do you guys have in your mind a minimum amount of money you want per hour?
In my country itās very common to charge residentialās per hour. Itās not unusual the customers ask: What do you charge per hour?
A lot of people here in the USA shoot for around $50-70 or more per hour.
Thatās really good.
"ā¦ But Diamonds are a window cleaners best friend" 
I am very interested in making a similar estimating spreadsheet. Can you elaborate ? Is this difficult to do ?
Thanks for any help !
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
I suppose it depends on how comfortable you are with spreadsheets, but yes, itās fairly basic as far as spreadsheets go. The formulas are just basic math (e.g. ā=B1*2.5ā or ā=SUM(C1:C6)ā) and some simple formatting like merging cells and changing the fill color. Since Iām rusty with spreadsheets, I figured out most of what i needed to know with the help feature.
Iām really happy with the results. Itās made the process so simple and repeatable. Also, i think i have it set up in such a way that it would be very easy to teach to employees if i get any one day.
Iād be happy to answer any other questions you have if you need more specifics.
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Thank you ( ?? ) (Sorry donāt know your first name ). I actually have an estimating grid that I have used for years that assigns a price per unit ( Unit being anything we touch or clean - IE Screen, L2 window, In or out, etc ) I would really like to transfer all of that over to a format such as yours so it is mobile and automatic.
I will first spend some time with the Google SS and familiarize myself and tinker with it. If I have any specific questions, I might ask you then ok ? Thanks again for your quick response. Have a profitable and safe day out there.
Jeff
Sounds good, Jeff. I wish you success!
Daniel
Everyone has their own system for pricing its crazy!
Keep track of how long your jobs take and the number of panes - divide it to find your per pane time. Ours is about 4-5min/pane for in/out/screens. About 2min/pane for ext only for 1 good window cleaner. So then you can figure out what to charge per pane based on what you need to make per hour.
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What a great idea! Is there any way you could send me the excel file for your estimates? That would be a life saver. No pressure 
