Hi Folks, I’ve just moved from Ireland to the U.S.A I’ve been cleaning windows at a local bar on a monthly basis and hoping to launch a company fairly soon. My cousin lives an hour away and needs a conference room and reception area cleaned tomorrow. The conference room has medium sized windows about four of them if I recall correctly but the Reception has 15 windows that measure 6 feet wide by 8ft tall. I’m trying to make something off this job but want to be fair in price so that I can get it again. I’m trying to do it in such a way that I’m not undercutting any of the locals so that we can all in the end earn a living. Any suggestions would be helpful
Don’t forget that you will have 2 hours travel time. Make sure you charge enough to make it worth it.
Are you a card carrying US Citizen or just trying to make a buck so you can eat?
What difference does it make? He is an up and coming window cleaner asking for help.
I think maybe it makes a difference in how he charges. Legit with tax or under the table. If he gets a business license and insurance then he needs to charge higher prices. Also, he can only hire employees if he is legit. If he is not legal then he will only get under the table jobs and run the very real risk of arrest or being sued for damage and then he has no insurance to cover it.
Thankfully I am a U.S citizen and intend to and will be required to do so on this particular job to pay taxes on income as I’ve got to fill in a company supplier form with my social security number so no worries there. Thanks for asking though because I do believe we should be “Paying to Caesar” what’s due to Caesar, So far I haven’t earned enough cleaning windows to be required to pay a tax return or at least so my accountant says I’ve got to earn $400 profit in order to have to file. The issue is to start of correctly and be charging what is a reasonable amount without affecting my “neighbours” as the last thing anyone needs is downward spiraling prices due to heavy competition or undercutting.
[B]So here’s the question once again. 15 eight foot tall by six foot wide windows should be charged at what price in your opinion?[/B]
I do understand that each market is different so the replies would be average. On another thread someone posted a six haircut model for residences but I’m only interested in commercial work at the moment as I work my way through College then I’ll move into WFP and so on and then seek to find workers who are willing to work hard and get paid accordingly but that will be much later right now I’m working on improving my skill in between classes and learning how to run my own business. I appreciate your replies as I’ll be going down to Chicago in the morning to do the job regardless and don’t want my cousin to be handing in a bill to his purchases department that is overpriced.
A dude fly’s in off the island, wants to travel 100 miles to do a 30 minute job, for a cousin…AND is worried about hurting a local guys feelings?
That’s hungry sir.
LOL I guess another guy off a ship landed at Jamestown Virginia in 1607 has influenced me more than I thought to quote Captain James Smith "He who does not work, neither shall he eat " That’s the spirit our great nation was founded on I guess I’m continuing the tradition.
I wasn’t trying to be mean or spiteful. Your original post can (easily) be interpreted with contradiction and it didn’t add up for me.
It takes a lot of courage and faith to start your own business and I truly wish you the best of luck.
So here’s what I did.
3 Conference window frames, glass inside and out 10.00 30.00
1 Executive Office Window Frames, glass outside 5.00 5.00
28 8ft Panes main Lobby east side, glass single side 5.50 154.00
6 Glass door single side 5.50 33.00
Deep clean surcharge of 10%
(includes sweeping frames of insect deposits along with removal of bird feces with hand scraper) 22.20
7
Heavy Dirt Removal surcharge @ $2.00 per window 2.00 14.00
SUBTOTAL 258.20
How’s that look to you guys?
How long with the drive time did the job last?
I’m not seeing the easily interpreted contradiction…
Is this guy in your local area and stepping on your toes?
John K Wyatt
All Washed Up Window Cleaning
awuwindowcleaning.com
What is the difference between the Deep Clean and the Heavy Dirt surcharges? I will usually charge more for a first clean if I see it is really dirty. Bottom line is I need to be making $40- $60 per hour for the job. With all the down time I have in this business right now, that’s the only way I can survive. Take your total hours and see how much you made per hour. Also, if it is a one-off clean then I charge more. And I don’t do One Time cleans unless it is WELL worth my effort!
I had to clean seven of the windows with a carwash washer and squeegee three times to remove caked on Sand on the first four feet of the glass it was that bad which is what the heavy dirt was. the 10% charge is for what their company requested as a “deep clean” removal of tape and paint spots, dried in milk stains from office employees starbucks cups e.c.t along with regular deposits on the remaining windows these windows hadn’t been cleaned in at least four years.
I recently had shoulder surgery (two weeks ago) so It took me about five hours which is around $40 an hour but I expect to get faster as I heal up. There’s more work there to complete and possibly a regular contract for more work in the future. The journey turned out to be only a half hour down there and back. The difference was avoiding rush hour traffic early on a Saturday morning.
$40 is on the low side of a good rate. $50+ is what to shoot for. Sounds like you may be making that the next time you clean there.
Car wash washer and squeegee?
John K Wyatt
All Washed Up Window Cleaning
awuwindowcleaning.com
I think and hope he meant car wash brush like they use for washing RV’s and the like…
