Road Tractor Detailing:
$25.00 per unit to clean them out and prep for a new driver. Time spent 20 to 30 minutes, armour all everything, scrub floor, and remove trash.
Note about Environmental Power Washing: In many parts of the country where the washwater can be captured easily and discharged to sanitary sewer on site there is no extra charge for Environmental Power Washing. Examples are where the washwater flows to a common collection point and water can be picked up with "vacuboom" or drain blockers, portable dams and a sump pump then discharged on site to sanitary sewer. This takes only about an extra 15 minutes and most Contract Cleaners in Metropolitan area cannot charge extra for it because of competition. You need to read "Environmental Pressure Power Washing, Reality of Enforcement" at
Terms
Many small companies bite the cash flow bullet on bids for large corporations and the government. They do not have a clear understanding of how they are going to be paid. They are overwhelmed by the name of a Blue Chip Company and are embarrassed about discussing when they will be paid. The problem is that a lot of these customers regularly pay in 60, 90, and 120 days as a regular business practice and sometimes longer unless you ask for payment sooner.
You need to start your collections before you start the job. Find out whom is responsible for authorization of your invoice and who will actually process or write your check (it may be from another corporate office in another state). Ask when they normally pay their vendors. Be honest and tell them you are not a large contractor and cannot afford to wait 60 to 90 days for your payment. Find out what their procedures are. Sometime a 2% discount in 10 days will assure payment in a timely manner. For large corporations and the government find out who the Accounts Payable Clerk or Manager is. This information should be collected before you start the job and not after the payments are 90 to 120 days late. If you expect payment when the job is finished this should be stated along with the price. Do not assume that you will automatically receive payment when the job is finished!
On larger jobs that last over 30 days it is normal to receive draws against the total bid based on the percentage of the work completed. Sometime you can get a deposit before you start the job. On medium size jobs 25% down, 50% upon completion, and 25% net 30 days is common. In the construction industry is normal for the General Contractor to hold back a 10% retainer from all subcontractors until the entire job is completed. That means that you may not get the final 10% job payment until several months after you have finished your portion of the project.
Travel
Most contractors do not charge extra for travel within a 30-minute to a 1-hour drive of their shop. However, they have a minimum charge of $65.00 to $125.00 to make small unprofitable jobs profitable. This covers of the fixed costs required in dispatching a crew and wash rig. Some contractors charge a small fee of $25.00 to $40.00 for the time it takes to get a wash crew ready for travel and include it in the bid price.
Some travel rates are:
A. 50% to 100% of your normal hourly rate.
B. 50 cents to $1.00 per mile.
C. 30 cents per mile plus $35.00 per hour.
D. No charge on regular service jobs.
Water
Most Commercial Customers do not question the use of their water, but Residential Customer often complain about you using their water. This is often because they perceive 500 to 1,000 gallons of water being very expensive. You need to check the water rates for your area. In most areas of the U.S. water cost is about 50 cents to $3.00 per thousand gallons. As you can see this is a minor expense. However, if you have to haul water to the job site water can become a significant expense. Most contractors charge the regularly hourly rate to go get water and haul it to the job site. Some contractors doing residential work will add $45.00 for water if they do not use the customer's water. I would suggest that you explain to the customer the water is a job cost and the less you have to pay for water the cheaper you can do the job. If he increases the cost of water than the price will have to go up.
Minimum Charge
Most companies will have a minimum charge to cover the cost of showing up at a job location. It is not profitable to spend 30 minutes driving to $25.00 job.
Method 1:
$45.00 to $125.00
Method 2: $75.00 to $125.00 for the first hour then your regular hourly rate.
Method 3:
Minimum of charge of one or two hours at your regular hourly rate.
Bidding:
Hourly Rate:
Commercial Contractors with Insurance and Workmen's Compensation:
$45.00/hr to $95.00/hr, Average-$65.00 to $75.00/hr- non-environmental
$60.00/hr to $150.00/hr, average $75.00 to $85.00/hr- environmental
Part Timers without Insurance and Workmen's Compensation:
$35.00/hr to $65.00/hr, Average-$45.00 to $55.00/hr- non-environmental
$40.00/hr to $95.00/hr, average $50.00 to $70.00/hr- environmental
You should never be making less than $45.00/hr for a one man rig. $45.00 per hour is about break even for a one man rig and you are losing money if it is a two man rig. Some contractors will reduce the above hourly rates $5.00 to $10.00 per hour if heat is not required and for cold water washers.
Most Contract Cleaners will charge less when starting out until they gain experience. Once experience is acquired and reputation is established pricing goes up. Normally after you have been in business for over a year there will be jobs that you no longer consider profitable and will not except. But when you first started out you would have dearly loved to have had the job.
When you are bidding a work you are not familiar with you can always fall back on bidding by the hour with a "not to exceed" amount. Also you will find that when bidding by the hour the customer is not nearly as picky as when you are doing the job at a fixed price.
Sometimes it is difficult to decided whether to bid by the job or by the hour. Normally if you bid by the hour then your customer is taking the risk on how long the job will take. If you bid by the job then you are taking the risk for how long the job will take. Therefore, most contract cleaners will expect a higher hourly rate for bid jobs than for jobs by the hour to cover their risk for jobs they miss bid. In a perfect world there would not be a price difference between bid jobs and an hourly jobs
When estimating jobs it is best to figure the price several different ways. For example if you were bidding a parking lot figure the price based on a cost per square foot. Then figure the price based on a time estimate times your hourly rate. Again in perfect world these two figures would the same. If there is a large price difference then you had better study the situation some more. Often contractors post their jobs on XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX's BBS asking other contractors for their input or what they would bid.
If you are bidding by the job you should be aware of what hourly rate you are earning and adjust future pricing (bids) accordingly. Also during a job if your earnings are too low you should start adjusting your work accordingly and start looking for ways to speed the job up.
This sounds too simple but come contractors will ask the customer what they are willing to pay for a job. And if the price is one you can live with you have the job!
Be aware of the "perceived value" of Power Washing. Normally it is between $50.00 to $150.00 per hour. When doing bid jobs and your earnings substantially exceeded these figures expect problems from getting paid to the customer accepting the quality of your work. I had one instance where a trucking company was extremely satisfied with the quality of the work from a High School Student Mobile Power Wash Contractor Cleaner washing their trucks for over a year. The trucks were washed on the weekends and he employed other students to help with the work. They thought he was a shinning example of what all young men should be. The Student was abruptly fired when the Terminal Manager checked the time sheets from the Guard Shack and discovered that the Student was earning over $300.00 per hour! The quality of his work no longer mattered. His "perceived value" of a High School Student doing Truck Washing was not $300.00 per hour. Lots of Contract Cleaners have learned this lesson the hard way!
Quality of Work
One of the first things you will have to decide is what the quality of your work is going to be versus the price. When people first enter the Mobile Power Wash Business the are quite often very "idealistic" about providing a superior product for cheap or inexpensive price. Again you can not deliver a Cadillac for a Volkswagon Price. The problem is, not every customer wants to pay for a Cadillac but every customer wants a Cadillac for a Volkswagon Price. What makes this even more confusing is that there is no exact standard for what clean is. Is clean a swept parking lot or a power washed parking lot?
One of the best examples of this problem is one I encountered several years ago. I had two customers that were in the Truck Washing business. They were fierce competitors. One contractor typically charged about $5.00 for a Road Tractor wash while the other one typically charged about $15.00 per Tractor wash. Both Contract Cleaners were successful and both grossed about $90.00 to $125.00 per hour! (Notice that the hourly rate was about the same!) What the difference was the quality of the service each provided. The customers of each contractor were very satisfied with their service and the quality of their work. The trick here is determining what price and quality that the customers really wants. If you are not careful you will be defining Cadillac quality for a Volkswagon price for the customer. Generally if the customer is happy with your service you should be too even if you are not completely happy with the job. Do not point out your deficiencies.
Should you give notice of price increases?
If you are doing regular work on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis should you give notice of price increases? With a room full contract cleaners there is no agreement on this item. It is done both ways. Some will give notice and some will not. If you give notice it will draw the attention of your customers and may cause all of your work to be reviewed! On the other hand if you do not give notice the following will happen.
A. The Customer will not notice.
B. The Customer will notice but will not complain.
C. The Customer will notice and call. You have three options:
1. Tell them it was a clerical error.
2. Exclaim: You only got the price increase now!!!!!
3. Explain how your cost have gone up and a price increase was necessary.
4. Fire some customers if they are too hard to deal with.
Flat Work Pricing, Rules of Thumb
8 to 15 cents/Sq. Ft., If you want the job really bad, 6 cents/Sq. Ft. If the job is not being bid out, 10 cents/Sq. Ft.
25 to 30 cents/Sq. Ft. for grease and dumpster pads which require hot water.
15 to 30 cents/Sq. Ft. at drive through restaurants especially at the menu and pick up window depending on the severety and the quanity of the chewing gum.
10 to 15 cents/Sq. Ft. for grocery stores depending quanity of the chewing gum and distance between spots. First time cleaning is usually double what a regular monthly clening would be.
25 to 50 cents per running foot for concrete curbs and gutters. Generally have to clean 3 to 4 feet into the lot to look complete.
$1.00 per running foot for single story buildings.
$2.00 per running foor for double story buildings.
When bidding building washing by the job it is best to do a 10' x 10' or larger test section to determine the procedure, chemicals, and time required to do the job. This will establish what the bid should be and how clean the building will be when completed. (Note: the 4 sides of a building may take 4 different cleaning methods!)
Clean and Seal Concrete Driveway: $0.40 to $1.10/Sq. Ft.
New Concrete - Construction Clean-up (cold water rinse with a wands with concentrations on saw cuts and hot water clean-up of oil spots): $0.02 per sq. ft., $0.03 if a sweeper truck is required.
Bank Drive Thrus:
$8.00/Lane to $25.00/ Lane on a monthly or quarterly basis
Parking Lots, Garage Floors:
2 cents/Sq. Ft. to 20 cents/Sq. Ft. Average for 10,000/Sq. Ft and larger--4 to 5 cents/Sq. Ft.
Washing Single Story Buildings:
5 cents/Sq. Ft. to 20 cents/Sq. Ft.
Outside-Store Front & Restaurants - Monthly cleaning:
a) Drive Thrus
b) Dumpster Area
c) 20 ft. each side of entrances
Pricing: Pretend you are parking full size cars over the area being washed. Charge $8.00 to $20.00 per space, or 4 cents/SqFt to 10 cents/SqFt. When asked to clean an entire parking lot for a fast food facility suggest the above instead of a one time cleaning. This may get you a regular monthly customer.
Parking Spaces:
$8.00 to $20.00 per space. Grease spots only $4.00 to $6.00 each
Drive Ways and Side Walks:
5 cents to 15 cents per SqFt., 6 to 8 cents average
Double or triple the above prices for a one time cleaning.
Cedar Shake Roofs:
60 to 90 cents per SqFt., or $200.00 to $400.00 per roof.
Composition Roofs:
Average Pitch: 10 to 20 cents per square foot
Steep Pitch: 20 to 30 cents per square foot
Minunum Charge: $100.00 to $150.00.
Note: Lighter shingles usually require a stronger concentration of chemicals
Average 2,000 sq. ft. roof takes 2 hours. Minimum Charge $150.00
Manufactured Housing (Mobile Home) Roofs
Single Wide: $45.00 to $55.00
Double Wide: $55.00 to $65.00
Add on: Roof coating:
Method 1: Charge cost of the roof coating plus $10.00 per 5 gallons for the material and $35.00 per 5 gallons to apply.
Method 2: Add the width plus length plus $50.00 for working off the ground plus the materials. Example for a 12' x 65' trailer. $12.00+$65.00+$50.00=$127.00 plus materials. Note: Try to get customer to use "Kool Seal" (Elastomeric Roof Coating) as the aluminum roof coat will crack and peel after 8 months or so.
Gutters, Single Story Residential Homes
Option #1: $0.50 to $1.00 per linear foot
Option #2: Charge by the house: $35.00 to $160.00. Average: $95.00
Option #3: Freebie to create good will with your customers when roof cleaning
Option #4: Install "Elko Gutter Guards" for $3.00 per linear foot inculding labor and materials.
Note: Can be cleaned with a zero degree rotating nozzle and an extention wand.
Optiion #5: Remove ice from gutters: one or two time your hourly rate. Go to
Trash Dumspters:
$75.00 to $250.00
Trash Can Stalls:
3 Cents to 15 Cents per SqFt., 10 Cents average.
Paint Stripping:
Stripper will cover:
a) 100 square feet per gal. brushing
b) 200 square feet per gal. spraying.
Use a Tampico Brush for brushing, use an airless paint sprayer with stainless steel pickup parts and teflon packing for spraying.
Pricing range:
50 cents to $2.00 per square foot.
Trailer Houses (Mobile Homes):
Method #1. $1.00/ft. to $2.00 per linear foot.
Method #2. Trailers in a trailer park: $45 to $55.00 for a single wide, $75.00 to $95.00 for double wide.
Trailers on a lot by themselves: $50.00 to $100.00 each.
Hazard: Most retired people want you to spend an hour talking and eating milk and cookies.
House Washing:
Method #1. $95.00 to $295.00 or 10 cents/Sq. Ft. for single story and 20 cents/Sq. Ft. for double story. (Note: Vinyl Sided Homes go for as little as $39.95)
Method #2. $0.50 to $2.00 per linear foot for single story homes. About $1.00 average.
$2.00 per linear foot for double story homes.
Note: Pricing by the linear foot is a more accurate way of pricing than by the square foot.
Method #3. $70.00 for a single story and $100.00 for a double story house.
Method #4:
Single Story 1,500 to 2,000 sq. ft. - $150.00
2,000 to 2,500 sq. ft. - $200.00
Any two story - $250.00
Access around a double story house has to be taken into consideration. If you have unsual restrictions or need special equipment this cost will have to be added to the bid.
Dryvit Houses: $0.30 per square foot.
Be careful. You can force water under dryvit and pop it off the house. Use low pressure or bursh. See Dryvit cleaning procedures at
http://www.dryvit.com/cleaning.htm
In more expensive neighborhoods add 10% to 30% to the above prices.
Hazard: Most retired people want you to spend an hour visiting and eating milk and cookies.
Cleaning Mildew off Stucco
$0.10 to $0.15 per square foot
New Construction, removing mortar tags
$0.10 to $0.25 per square foot for single story
Vent-a-Hood:
$10.00 to $20.00 per hood linear foot plus $40.00 to $60.00 per fan.
Minimum charge: $100.00 to $250.00
Double the above prices for Oriental Restaurants. (Caution: Some restaurants personel lose their ablilty to speak Engilish when it gets time to collect the invoice!)
Access panels: $55.00 to $75.00 each
Give a discount for scheduling during the day as most work is done at night. Or a discount for scheduling during your off hours as most work is done from 10:00 pm until 4:00 am.
Charge extra for the first time cleaning.
Charge extra if they are being forced to clean (citation from the Health Department) as it is probably very bad.
Masonry Restoration Cleaning Single Story:
10 cents/Sq. Ft. to 30 cents/Sq. Ft.
Test patches required to determine restoration cleaner. If done for an Architect a 10' x 10' test area will be required. Caution: a lot of buildings will require a different cleaner and technique on each side of the building and onle one 10' x 10' test area is required. Murphy Law says the test panel is always in the easiest area to clean, even if it is in worst looking spot.
Grocery Cart Washing:
Method #1: Free to $2.00 per cart., $1.00 per cart average.
Method #2: 75 cents per cart for over 250 carts, $1.00 per cart for less than 250 carts.
Hint: 15 degree tips or turbo nozzles work well.
Car Lots-Washing Cars:
50 cents/car to $2.00/car, $1.00/car average.
One vehicle every 60 seconds
Pickups, Vans, Suburbans, Full Size SUV's ~ $2.00 to $3.00
One vehicle every 90 seconds.
Automotive Detailing
Wash and Wax Exterior: $45.00 to $100.00
Interior: $40.00 to $80.00
Hand Wash: $15.00 to $30.00
Aircraft Washing:
Single Engine- $20.00 to $75.00
Light Twin Engine- $35.00 to $95.00
Turbo Prop & light Twin Jets- $50.00 to $200.00
Helicopters, 2 place-$45.00 to $95.00
Helicopters, 4 to 6 place-$55.00 to $125.00
Yellow Page Advertising-Advertising:
a) Automobile Detail & Clean Up Service
b) Automobile Washing & Polishing
c) Building Cleaning-Exterior
d) Ventilating Systems Cleaning
e) Cleaning Roof, Patio, Sidewalks, etc.
f) Cleaning Serivce-Pressure, Chemicals, etc.
g) House Washing
h) Roof Cleaning
i) Steam Cleaning Automotive
j) Steam Cleaning Industrial
k) Truck Washing & Cleaning
l) Water Pressure Cleaning
m) Water-proofing
n) Pipe Cleaning
o) Building Restoration & Preservation
p) Washers Pressure
Boat Detailing:
Hull- $6.00 to $8.00 per foot
Deck- $7.00 to $9.00 per foot
Awning Cleaning, Quarterly Prices:
Example: Blockbuster, Dominoes, Subway:
$2.50 per linear Foot for 1 Story, or 35 to 45 cents/SqFt.
$3.50 per linear Foot for 2 Story, or 45 to 55 cents/SqFt.
Example: Benningan's, Chili's, TGI Friday, Boston Market
$1.50 per linear Foot for 1 Story
$2.50 per linear Foot for 2 Story
If Done: Monthly....................Less 10%
Bi-Annually...............Add 10%
Annually....................Add 20%
One Time Cleaning Add 25%
Decks, cleaning and sealing:
$0.75 to $2.00 per SqFt., $1.25-$1.50 per SqFt. for the average home.
Add $50.00 for stairways (or $10.00 per step) and 2nd story.
The Sq Footage is in the floor only, most contractors do not figure the railing separately.
Second Method: $1.50 per SqFt. for first story, $1.75 for second story. Clean only: $0.85 per SqFt. Seal only: $0.85 per SqFt.
Over 400 SqFt discount 20%, over 1,000 SqFt discount 30%, over 2,000 SqFt discount 40%.
Lattice: $0.75 to $0.90 cents per square foot.
Handrails: $2.50 to $3.30 per linear foot
Undersides: $1.40 per sq. ft. Be sure to include all the square footage, including joists and supports.
Sealers will generally cover 100 to 250 SqFt per gallon. Older surfaces may require two applications.
Deck Restoration (Stripping and Sealing)
$1.40 to $2.00 per sq. ft.
6' Privacy Fences: Clean and Seal:
Method 1: $3.00 to $6.00 per linear foot per side for the first 60 feet. Over 60 feet discount 20 %, over 160 feet discount 30%.
Method 2. $0.80 to $1.25 per square foot. Over 400 SqFt discount 20%, over 1,000 SqFt discount 30%, over 2,000 SqFt discount 40%.
Manufactured Housing, New
Single Wide: $75.00
Double Wide: $100.00
Triple Wide: $125 .00
Manufactured Housing, Used
Method #1. Single Wide: $150.00
Double Wide: $175.00
Triple Wide: $200.00
Method #2. $1.00 per linear foot for wash and wax.
Sewer Jetting:
$65.00 per hour with a 1 hour minumim.
Paint Prep--Concrete Block or Stucco--Rotating Nozzle:
$80.00 per hour with a 1 hour minumun.
Heavy Equipment Auction Make Ready
These prices are for washing the heavy equipment just before being sold at Auction. Depending on the condition of the paint they may be painted and decaled before the auction. This means these prices may also be "make ready" for painting. For regular washing of this equipment the prices will range from 25% to 50% of these prices.
Loader Backhoe.....................$75.00 to $150.00
Rock Drill...............................$75.00 to $150.00
Crawler Loaders.....................$100.00 to $225.00
Crawler Tractors.....................$100.00 to $225.00
Crawler Pipelayers..................$150.00 to 225.00
Ditchers..................................$50.00 to $100.00
Trenchers................................$50.00 to $100.00
Hydraulic Excavators...............$200.00 to $350.00
Integrated Tool Carriers...........$100.00 to $250.00
Fork Lift..................................$50.00 to $100.00
Manlift.....................................$50.00 to $100.00
Motor Grader..........................$150.00 to $250.00
Motor Scraper.........................$150.00 to $300.00
Rollers....................................$75.00 to $150.00
Compactors............................$75.00 to $200.00
Skid Steers.............................$50.00 to $125.00
Off Road Trucks.....................$150.00 to $300.00
Water Wagons........................$150.00 to $300.00
Wheel Loaders........................$100.00 to $250.00
Hourly: $45.00 to $75.00 for one man crew or $65.00 to $125.00 for a two man crew.
Window Washing:
Hourly Method: $25.00 to $45.00 per hour
Per Pane Price: $0.50 to $2.00 per pane per side for commerical accounts, $2.50 to $3.50 for residential.
As a rule of thumb you should be making no less that $25.00 per hour
Coal Mines
Daily: $800 to $900 per day for a two man crew
Hourly: $75.00 to $125.00 per hour including travel for a two man crew.
Parking Lot Striping (Painting)
Minimum Charge: $125.00 for re-striping, $250.00 for new parking lot
8 to 10 cents per foot for a 4 inch stripe (350' to 400' per gallon)
14 to 16 cents per foot for a 6 inch Fire Lane (275' to 300' per gallon)
$5.00 to $35.00 for handi-cap stenciles
Bank Drive-Thru Lanes: $10.00 per lane
6 to 15 cents per linear foot for restriping
Post Construction Clean-up. Homes
Interior ~ 12 to 20 cents per sq. ft. which includes cleaning: windows, cabinets, tubs, showers, sweeping floor, removing paint overspray & drywall mud. Exterior ~ see above.
Auto Detailing
Full Detail ~ $103.00 to $143.00
Express Interior ~ $35.00 to $45.00
Hand Wax ~ $29.00 to $39.00
Graffiti Removal
Pricing is very area specific. In Los Angles Graffiti Contractors are a dime a dozen and pricing is very competitive. This pricing is for areas where graffiti is not a major problem.
Method 1: Minumun charge: $200.00 to $400.00, Less than 100 sq. ft. ~ $4.00 per sq. ft.
Method 2: $50.00 per stop plus $1.75 per sq ft
Method 3: 3' x 4' tag ~ $50.00
Air Duct Cleaning
$10.00 per ourlet plus $39.00 per trunkline.
I found this guide for pricing and i was wondering is it close?
Linear Mode
