I am working on giving a quote to a 15-building apartment complex. It’s my first commercial job.
Originally they said they need a quote for the walls, to get rid of the green stuff and black stuff. “We just want them cleaned up.”
The complex is about 50/50 brick and vinyl siding. I’ll add some photos for reference.
After I walked around and spoke with the manager. I had a lot of questions and she did a pretty good job answering them. She noted they had some sticker shock from other companies that have already given them quotes.
So, what they really want is for the siding to not look ugly. The brick has some black spots where the gutters are clogged and water drips over after rain. And several north facing walls have green algae on them.
They don’t want the tenant porches washed (they don’t need it) and they don’t want the breezeway done. So, I’ll save some SH there. Just walls on the exterior.
I did measurements in Google earth and walked the property a second time with their map of the complex. I noted the walls that needed attention and I’m writing up two different quotes. One for the whole place including all walls. Another for just the walls that need them.
My thought is that if I just do the walls that have green/black on them, then it could significantly reduce the price for the complex which is a lower budget type complex. That’s all they really want, the green/black stuff gone.
Total surface area is about 120K sqft for the whole job. Just the walls that really need it, about 65% of that.
On the walls that don’t really need it, there are those cuts into the building where I can see a little green on the windows and trim. The areas mostly protected from the sun.
My question is, can I “spot treat” those areas without it being obvious that they were hit with SH? Or will it leave a noticeable color difference and I should just charge for the whole wall? I did the finger test on some of the vinyl, and it does have powdery oxidation. Will SH cause color change?
If you can’t figure it out from the last couple of sentences. I have never soft washed a house or building before. I’ve only been doing surface cleaning. Hence, posting in the newbie section.
I’m trying to listen to my customer, provide exactly what they want, not over-charge for the service, and get the job. If I can spot treat, it’ll save them money, and I think I’ll get the job.
I’m guessing the other guys just gave a quote for the whole thing not asking too many questions.
Also, pricing. I’m in North Houston and not sure what to charge for commercial work.
For all walls, I calculate 5-7 days of work with a 2-man crew, me being one of them. 1500 gallons of SH, a scissor lift, and a proportioner 12v system. And 4GPM rig to rinse with.
Running my numbers I’m right at about $14K for the job. That’s all 120K sqft.
And about $8K for just the walls that need it.
That puts my calculated profit around $6K and $3K respectively or roughly $50 an hour after paying my helper for a weeks worth of work. I know that’s low, but I’m happy with that rate. And, this property management company handles several other communities in the area and I would love more work, gradually increasing my prices over time.
Any thing else I should think about or consider before sending out my proposal?
