I’m trying to figure what I’d charge on a home like mine. I’ll be “re-entering” the WC biz next week, officially.
If I can get the details on a home like mine, it will help tremendously for pricing other homes in my area. I plan on offering all my neighbors steep discounts for referrals and to get jump-started.
If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate any help with the details - I’ve numbered them to (hopefully) make it easier. I know this is a bit of a “high maintenance” question, but hopefully it will help with other forum members as well.
Here are the details on my 1,750 sq. ft. home:
9 over-sized thermal DH’s on the ground level, each with one screen. Landscaping is easily stepped around (3 lower panes have hard water spots)
1 small thermal DH with a screen (bathroom).
1 over-sized thermal DH on a 2nd story loft. No obstructions for ladder.
2 French Doors (each is 3x5). Grids could be unscrewed, but bolts have been painted over, making that option difficult)
6 cut ups around the Front door (3 on either side of the door).
1 “production home” chandelier (about 30 small beveled panes - the cheap brass frame kind of chandelier! - no small parts)
1 brass foyer light with 12 small beveled panes (again, nothing fancy here)
8 small garage door panes
1 yard light - unscrews at the top
3 small door lights - open at the bottom
1 porch light - the kind above the porch that unscrews and has a years worth of dead bugs in it.
1 large bathroom mirror (covers a double vanity)
1 small bathroom mirror (single vanity)
1 pair of shower doors (with hard water spots)
My oversized DH’s are 9 sq. ft. per pane per side. chandelier and foyer light can be reached with an 8’ A-frame ladder. Windows were cleaned 6 months ago.
I’m thinking $88 for the DH’s, $44 for washing the 11 screens, $15 for the brass chandelier, $10 for the foyer, $36 for all the cut-ups, $10 minimum charge to get out the extension ladder, an extra $2 for the 2nd story outside double hung. $32 for the garage door panes. That comes to $240. Does that sound low, high, right-on?
I don’t know how to charge for the porch / yard lights, mirrors, bathroom doors, hard water removal, so I left those out of my quick estimate above.
Apologies for being so tedious - I appreciate the help!
Your bid seems okay when you add up the pc’s but assuming it is someone else’s house, you gotta put in some higher pricing for aggravation just in case all those little extras end up taking you more time than you thought.
Example: You know your own light and chandelier fixures but what happens when you start working on a customers fixtures and you start to find stripped screws, worn screw heads, broken parts, etc.
If one of my customers asked for all these little extra’s. I could see the bill being closer to $300, but that also accounts for my territory.
My price would be .10 cents a square foot, the 2 panes with the hard water are 15 bucks per pane, wouldnt do the chandelier. I would charge about 200 bucks without the chandelier. So I think your price is good.
Thanks Juggernaut… very concise. Also thanks to Dwight Rowe from Jencor - his website has good pricing info.
I had my first customer last week, averaged about $40/hour. I haven’t had a chance to do sales yet, but I got a referral call today (lady knows the first customer). I’m hoping I priced this one better. I found it a little difficult to quote it at $326, and fought a natural urge to lower my price when she didn’t commit over the phone (when I called her back at work later). So she has to talk to the hubby… blah blah, and I’m assuming that means she’ll be calling around and price shopping
I’ll list out the details here for posterity sake
All thermal windows, higher-end production home. Service includes glass cleaning, wiping sills and tracks, and scrubbing rinsing screens. Outside glass shows at least a few years of dirt collection.
Seems about high $200-$320. My pricing is a little different on the screens I usually charge $2.00/screen. $4/Lg screen for large windows and doors. The chandelier depends on the way you clean it. some people do a chandelier without taking it apart. I prefer taking it apart, the same with light fixtures. The chandelier I’d charge $35, entry light $20, yard lights $5 each, 3 other outside lights $3/each, 1 mirror $3, large mirror $4.50, and shower door $12. My estimate for windows would be $90 for downstairs, $12 for upstairs, and $32 for garage doors. My total is 295.70 plus hard water stains $10-15 per window. Any add on service I would charge more because you don’t know how long it could take.
After reading halfway down the list, I gave up. Too detailed and confusing to me. I would never write all that stuff on an invoice. Best advise I have (and others might agree) charge what you think you’re worth and sell it to your prospects. I know you may think you’re worth $1000.00 per hr. Heck, we all are right? Check around your area, see what your competitors are charging. Coupons, referral discounts have been great ideas since the invention of the wheel. Have a good marketing campaign ready to go, and they don’t have to be too expensive either.
