pricing advice needed

[Jennifer]

I have a question: I have been doing new home post-construction/final cleans for builders. Builders out here in Michigan always seem to want the price per square footage price to include the windows. I am only 5 feet short and I am not comfortable cleaning these grand 2 story windows. I contract out for the windows. Problem, is that I work for a builder that will only pay .20 cents per square foot and this includes window cleaning. I can't find any window cleaning company that charges less than aprox. $175 for 1800 sq ft-2100 sq foot ranches, and at least $200 for 2600 to 3200 square foot colonials. Which, I think these are good prices.....BUT, after subtracting that out of my pay, I don't think I am making enough money to make it worth it. This builder's homes are a mess by the time I get in to clean. Saw dust everywhere, inside outside cabinets are a mess....tons of vacuuming and wiping. Paint drips/glue to scrape off tile floors you name it. I clean everything. These windows are cleaned by a window subcontractor, but I still have to vacuum and clean all the window tracks and clean drywall mud off of window frames. .....basically can anyone tell me what the average price per square foot is to do these type of homes (price per square foot including and NOT including window cleaning)? Anyone from Michigan?
I am trying to get this builder to let me charge my price per square foot and stop subtracting from my pay what he is charged for window cleaning.
Help???
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[Pages Personal Cleaning]

I may be mistaken but I think the going rate is:
Post: .20 sq.ft. Final: .15 sq.ft. Re-clean: .10 sq.ft.
Patti

[Jennifer]

Thank you for your quick reply. Does the .20 cent per sq foot going rate include window cleaning?

[Suzanne @ Cleaning Diva]

I would truly appreciate your advice regarding pricing an office that is approximately 3,000 sf, 2 bathrooms, 10' x 10' kitchen, 2 private offices and 6-8 work station (cubicle) areas. They've just moved into new premises, all their computers and desks look dirty and messy. The place could use a spring cleaning. The walls are in good shape as it was painted for them. A bank of floor to ceiling windows would require inside & outside cleaning on a regular basis.

This is my former employer who's offering me the chance to bid on their cleaning contract. We have all the equipment and supplies necessary. I imagine we would be replenishing their bathroom & kitchen supplies.

I'm meeting with them tomorrow. Any ideas? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Suzanne Clark

[Kevin]

Sounds similar to one we do, need more specifications .. but roughly $85 per visit. You will want to right up the personal hygeine products (soaps toliet papers, hand towels, etc.. seperately for what they use in a month.

Best of luck to you on the new contract

[Suzanne @ Cleaning Diva]

Thanks Kevin. I'm surprised with the amount you quoted.......................I was thinking of charging about $150.00 for a 5 hour initial clean and $120.00 for once a week. Is this far fetched? We do detailed cleaning every time, all the time. Does the commercial market not want that type of cleaning? Suzanne Clark

[Kevin]

Well roughly a 10 dollar difference in conversion. US $85.00 your $95.00 I have never charged a commercial account an initial clean fee. There has been times where they opened a new office and we were transfered to that location, or they perform additions. Then we would charge a flat labor and supply cost over the contract per visit price. We have performed construction cleaning that lead into a commercial contract but that was seperate, also discounted for the inital first year contract. I would say customers want the best detailed cleaning all the time, but I believe they look at the price more than the cleaning (sad but true) . This being a friend of yours you might have an open ticket to write it up any way you choose, but hopefully being a friend he/she will tell you if you came in too high. Let us kniow what the final price was, and good luck to you on your new job

[Jennifer]

Does anyone out there know if the going rate of .20cents a square foot for final (new built homes) inside construction cleanups includes the cost for window cleaning or is that extra?

A builder and I are trying to agree on a fair price. He wants to pay me .15 cents a square foot for the final clean (final clean after all trades are complete). This would not include windows. Is this fair? I charge other builders .18cents a square foot and that does not include windows.
Thank you in advanced!! Builders out here in Michigan seem to want more and more done, but for cheaper and cheaper.

[Grizzly]

Jennifer:

I can't give you any definitive pricing info as I do business in Ontario and the market is different. Try to get away from negotiating on a price per sq. ft. basis. I have harped on this before and I'll say it again, pricing per sq. ft. does not include all the variables you may have to deal with to make a profit. Of course the builder wants a price per sq. ft., he knows that is a way for him to save money. If you feel you must price per sq. ft. then take work you have done, for example a 3000 sq. ft. home , with a standard clean up specs, price it out so you make a profit and then work it back to price per sq. ft. However, you must understand that you need to build in a way to add a premium if the new house is destroyed, "@#$% in the bathtub, drywall compound still all over the tile, wet drywall dust on the bathroom ceramics etc. so you don't end up doing the work for nothing. Be warned, the builder will say, so and so does it for x per sq. ft. and you are more. Be prepared to walk away if you are not going to make money.

Bill

[Jennifer]

Thank you for the advice Bill. That is exactly what the builder is doing to me. He is saying, "I have always paid .18 to .20 cents per square foot and that included windows." I don't think I should have to be the one to subtract out the window cost from my pay especially since it is another company doing it, plus if the builders painters are extra messy, I am the one paying for the extra window cleaning cost! Builders are sneaky out here in Michigan! Unfortunately, builders always want a set square footage price. I have though, in the past, charges "extra" for excessive glue on tiles, excessive drywall mud on window frames etc. Builders don't like it, but they are happy with my work so they don't have much choice. Ugh

[shawnd]

I have a new potential contract to clean 97 newly constructed townhomes, 1 to 4 bedroom townhomes. I'm new to the business but not the industry and I'm not sure how to quote. Should I quote a lump sum price, sq footage, hourly? This will be my first accout in starting our business of cleaning new real estate and commercial property. Is my assumption of each unit taking at least 10-12 hours accurate?

PLEASE HELP!!

[quality]

In vancouver, wa

you charge .09 per sq foot and $6.50per window $10.00 for any thing higher then 10feet

In side new homes you charge about .20 to 25
and custom homs like lots of detail would be about 30to35

I hope that that this helps some one but priced are diffrent from state to state but yo can get the right idea.
Quality

[Linda]

Hey everyone,

I did a walk thru Friday on another construction clean and I am not sure of what to do with this one. I dont mean the cleanup itself, but the job itself. This one is almost 100,000 sq. ft.
The independant area has 48 - 2 bedroom units and 20 - 1 bedroom units. There are around 300 windows and it is a senior citizen facility. I think there were 4 elevators. Here is a list of areas I wrote down...

Library - Theater - Ice Cream Parlor - Mechanical Room - A couple breakrooms - Pool Hall - Pub - Beauty Salon - Wellness Center - 2 boiler rooms - 4 Laundry rooms - 3 Nurses Stations - TV Lounge - Soil utility room - Chapel - Garden Cafe - Private dining - Fireside Lounge - 2 more dining areas - Activity Room - 2 offices - and I am sure I missed a few things

They want a final clean and a re-clean. I am coming up with a price of $25,000.00 for a final clean and $15,000.00 for a re-clean including windows. I am thinking it will take almost 2 months to do the job 5 days a week for 8 hours a day. Right now I am including the 6 ppl I have. The drive is 2 1/2 hours away one way. Would you suggest pricing this by the sq.ft. for both cleans and do you think it will take this amount of time to do the job with 6 ppl? I can give you their expectations if that will help. They do have ceramic and vct tile, but just a sweep and mop. No stripping, no finish or sealer. They also have vinyl flooring. Can anyone help? I think we would have to stay there to do the job. Just too far to travel every day. That is 5 hours of drive time Oh also, I dont think the construction crew works on the weekend, at least not at this time. They normally work 4 - 10 hour days and take Friday and the weekend off. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Linda

[Grizzly]

Linda:
First, do you have the specs on the job? E-mail them to me if you don't want to post. Second to give you an idea, we do an 80,000 sq. ft. office building nightly , team of 4 people 4 hours per person. Set your team up so you have one bathroom, kitchen specialist, a couple of light duty cleaners to do all the dusting , counter wiping etc., and a heavy duty cleaner to do the vacuuming and floor cleaning. In this case, probably go with 2 heavy duty cleaners . Set the team in motion with the bathroom specialist and the light duty people going through first, then follow with the heavy duty cleaners. have to run now, but you get the idea. Staying in the area, will undoubtedly make the job go easier and may very well be worthwhile. This scenario will work even with it being a post construction clean up.

Bill

[Linda]

Hey everyone,

I was asked to give a quote for a custom built home of 13000 sq.ft. They are wanting a post, a rough, and a final clean. They also want inside/outside windows cleaned. Some are second story and a ladder will be needed. If I do the job I will probably sub out the windows. Maybe. I normally charge $8.00 per window so do you think .20, .15, and .10 plus the cost of windows would be fair? This is a rather large home so am I going over on the price a bit?

Thanks,
Linda