I was recently approached by a customer who wanted me to give him a quote on washing his daughter’s home that he would be paying for. He also stated that he needs rust removal on his personal driveway but wants to see the results on his daughter’s home first. This is my first official quote to give and, admittedly, I am somewhat “intimidated” on how to price such a large home with this much work involved. I would have certainly preferred to get my feet wet on something smaller but I have never been one to turn away a chance to earn money.
The home is listed on realty websites as 2500sqft and an approximate value of roughly $450,000. There is obvious algae and other growth on nearly every vinyl surface and smaller amounts of growth on the brick surfaces. The father also mentioned that he wants the mailbox and outdoor fireplace cleaned and that they will be replacing all of the flagstone in the backyard very soon and will have me do the driveway once that is complete. I have attached pictures below to help anyone who may be willing to offer sound advice. As it stands now, I am in the $700-800 range for the house wash including the mailbox and outdoor fireplace. I am also figuring about $200 for the driveway, sidewalk, and front porch area. I am figuring about 4 hours for myself and the wife as my ground-lady. My equipment is an 8 @ 3500 Pressure Pro and I do have 12.5% SH and ball valve, DS injector, etc. Any help is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.
Every market is different for pricing. That’s about 1.5 hours with one machine. For me, it’s a $250 housewash that takes 30 or 40 minutes for 2 guys. For others up North it might be a $750 job.
DS won’t do anything to the brick. Get a pump up sprayer or roof pump to apply a stronger mix. As far as price goes it’s exactly what IBS said. Different for every market.
I do have a pump sprayer and intend to use it where necessary, however, the brick is actually the least concerning for the customer. The vinyl siding is his main concern. Thanks for your input!
It’s always better to be over than under. They dont have to say yes. Go with your gut on pricing. You will get a firm grip on estimating with experience.
I found the square footage from Zillow and Realtor.com. I agree it seems much larger than what is stated. I believe that is due to the large patio/porch areas and the large staircase. I also think this house has a finished basement that may not be included in the footprint. I think it is 5 bed and 3.5 bath.
My thoughts exactly! I still would feel very guilty if I overcharged someone for a service so I want to get as close as possible while still maintaining a healthy profit.
Theres no law against charging less at the end of a job if you feel you over priced it. I’ve done it a few times. As long as you dont up the price after the work your doing right by them. I’ve heard of people around me trying to pull that bs and it makes me sick. Be a pro and treat customers with respect and the possibilities are endless!
I usually take off some $$ when doing work for associations or property managers (especially the first job with them) it automatically builds that trust.
There use to someone adding money st the end not taking it off like you said
Thanks for the input, Rick! Your advice is always nice to have. I’m thinking of putting it in the $600 range but I am calling him tomorrow to feel him out a bit more about what he’s really desiring. I think I’ve got it handled now I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t insane on my quote but I don’t think I will be. Heck, a competitor quoted my tiny single story all vinyl house at $200 and it’s nowhere near as complex as this one is.
UPDATE: I got the job and will be doing it in the next few days. I will post some after pictures when complete. I will not elaborate on the final price but I feel very confident that it will be worth my time. Just making my presence known in this particular neighborhood and the opportunity for some excellent before and after pictures will be worth it to me along with a very nice compensation for a few hours of work. Thanks a ton to everyone who chimed in! It was nice to hear some feedback from more experienced folk than I.
Perfect attitude to feel good about the job all the way around. I’ve done some cheaper than I wanted just to get the before/after pics their house will provide.
