Price per square foot..what do you think!?

Residential
1

I saw this on craigslist today in an area near me and wanted to see what everybody thought about price per square foot pricing instead of pane, etc?

Residential Window Washing Service

• Professional seven-step cleaning of insides and outsides of all glass
• All screens hand washed with soap and water
• Frames, sills and tracks cleaned
• Drop cloth and slippers used inside of home
• Non-marking ladders used at all times

Size of Residence Cost
Less than 1,000 sq. ft. $95
1,001 – 1,500 sq. ft. $140
1,501 – 2,000 sq. ft. $195
2,001 – 2,500 sq. ft. $240
2,501 – 3,000 sq. ft. $280
3,001 – 3,500 sq. ft. $320
3,501 – 4,000 sq. ft. $360
4,001 – 4,500 sq. ft. $395
4,501 – 5,000 sq. ft. $430
5,001 – 5,500 sq. ft. $465
5,501 – 6,000 sq. ft. $495

2

I dont believe you can figure an accurate cost for window cleaning based on price per square foot of house.

The size of a house and total amount of windows are not comparable, unless it is like a community that has the same builder and all homes are identical even then it is a small percentage of jobs this formula will work on.

Too many variances with custom building styles.

I can think of many accounts of mine that have the same Sq. Footage home but # of windows and accessibility of each vary greatly.

3

I agree that square footage does not a quote make.

The Craigslist poster does, however, talk up the service level well…

4

i agree it would be impossible to have accurate pricing. You leave to many variables up to chance by charging by square foot.

5

It would be possible to grossly overcharge when judging by the sq. ft.

Would be real easy for a price shopper to never call you again.

6

Ditto. Bad idea, and an impractical guide.

Too complicated, too, in my opinion - should have been fewer pricing categories, to make it easier for the end user.

7

Thanks for all your input!

8

You see this stuff on the list all the time. I would not freak out about it.

5,501 – 6,000 sq. ft. $495
Good luck with that one… I dont think the person even knowsthe size of the house.

9

Square footage has nothing to do with a quote unless you’re are talking a rough estimate for gutter cleaning. I will say this though, we ran a few mailers last year with our 20 exterior windows for $79.00 deal. We got alot of responses on it. What im really trying to say here is that most people have no clue what window cleaning costs. If they have a ballpark price to compare it to, they just might give you a call. The 20 exterior window cleaning deal we ran last year was a huge hit because people could easily guage what it would cost to have the whole house done. We only did one house that wanted just 20 windows done. The rest wanted all of their windows done-for an extra charge of course.

Steve

10

I agree, quoting by square footage does not always work. I have been in sub-divisions that one builder did all the homes and the same 2,500 sq ft home on one street had at least 10 more windows than the house around the corner. You could lose out on some profit and lost time on the job

11

Square footage doesn’t make any distinction between types of windows. $95 sounds pretty good for a small house (figure maybe something like 10 windows). Then you get out there and discover nasty double track storms cover everything and the windows are painted shut. Suddenly that $95 starts to sound pretty thin.

The problem only gets worse as the size of the house increases.

With any sort of one-size fits all pricing structure you’re going to have to make a choice between sometimes working for waaaaay less than want to in order to honor your deal, or you go back on the customer and ask for more money (which any way you cut it makes you look like a low-baller and won’t do much for repeat business or all-important referrals.)

McDjr

12

Bugger you lost me at sq feet

I’m Australian we only work in metric! LOL

What if all the windows in the house where frenchies

Fiddly bloody things they are when I quote on these I charge them up @ 5x the price of normal windows & doors

We get alot of french doors in Queenslanders (a type of house unique to Queensland Australia)

13

I see many things that can go bad with that pricing. I won’t give pricing over the phone. I had a woman call last night and ask for a price to do 26 windows and screens over the phone. I told her I couldn’t give her a price. I was going by her neighborhood so I stopped by to take a look at the house. When I got to the house, I discovered that she failed to reveal that 15 of the windows were 2nd floor, did not tilt or come out, and had to be done from the outside. I won’t price anything I don’t see

14

$95 - great, let me know when you can fit me in?

15

I won’t give pricing over the phone.

I’ve become hooked on ONLY giving pricing over the phone. Saves HUGE time and money.

I recommend that everyone on here get some specific pricing guidelines up and running online, so that people can be directed to a webpage to walk them through a super-fast and reliable estimate process on the phone, on the spot.

Its changed the way I do things immensely. For the better.

16

The only homes I won’t quote over the phone are when there are storms involved. Even if I inflated the price to cover myself the job could still turn around and bite you on the ass. I’ve had many storms that are painted shut, damaged from past window cleaners or the home owners.

17

I nearly fell out of my chair… :smiley:

18

In Seattle, I know of one successful company that uses a formula like this. He swears by it. He tells me since the 70’s energy regulations how much window glass can be installed in a home on a square footage basis. I haven’t bothered to follow up on his claim but in general this system is workable. I can see losing a little sometimes and winning big sometimes. The trick would be analyzing the formula to get it as right as possible.

James
Jungle Jim’s
Seattle, WA

19

Enlighten me…I have never had a phone quote work out well

20

[B]Estimates can defiantly be done over the phone.

We do hundreds of homes per week and this is the only way we do it for residential. It requires about 10 - 15 minutes on the phone. You need to come up with a price per window for every imaginable type. [/B]

[B]Most customers will most likely book with the first company that gives them a price. People want things NOW, they don’t want to wait days to review several bids. [/B]

[B]With a cleverly crafted phone spiel you can have your potential customer figure out how many and what type of windows they have.[/B]

[I]Can I have your name / address / phone number / How did you here about us?[/I]

[B]If they wont give you this info it draws up a red flag in my mind at this point I would politely terminate the call. [/B]

[I]Do you know what type of windows do you have?[/I]

[I]Do they open from the bottom up, or do they crank out to the side? [/I]

[I]Does the screen cover the whole window or half the window?[/I]

[I]Are there any extra pieces of glass on the outside that move up and down or is there just the 2 interior panes?[/I]

[I] Touch the glass. Are there any divides or separators on the window? Can you tell if those grates are fixed or removable?[/I]

[I]Lets take a quick walk around your home and count up how many windows you have. Keep in mind our definition of a window is 2 panes of glass that touch. If they don’t touch or are of larger size like a sliding glass door they will be charged as a separate window. [/I]

[I]Do you have a day in mind for your appointment? We work 7 days a week so we can fit into what ever your schedule allows. [/I]

[I]Now keep in mind Miss Smith this is a rough price based on the information you have provided me with today. When we arrive on site we will do an official count for you. At that point we will give you our final price, and our fabricating debris waiver for you to sign. [/I]

[I]OK I think were just about wrapped up, what type of Credit Card would you like to put your deposit on? We accept Visa / Master Card / [/I]Amex[I] / and Discover. We will be charging your card our minimum for showing up $125. This deposit is 100% refundable you just need to give us 24 hrs notice of cancellation. If you choose to not have all the work we discussed done when we arrive we would be happy to do at least $125 worth of work for you so you don’t lose your deposit. [/I]

[I]OK thanks we will see you next week, and you will be hearing from me the day before your appointment when I give you your reminder call. [/I]

[I]Thanks for calling All County Window Cleaning ! Have a great day![/I]

[B]This is a very rough run down of how a typical sale goes. We have about an 85% close ratio using this method. I came up with this system my second week in business. I always thought it was weird to drive around bidding work when I could spend that time cleaning windows, making money.

If they choose not to book the appointment at this point at least you have all there info. You can through them on your mailing list or you can offer to give them a call back at slower time of year when you can afford to offer discount pricing. [/B]

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