Hey guys, i just joined and look forward to the wealth of information here. Some of which i have already seen. I am looking to get a contract on a apartment complex but i have no idea how to bid it and what the ball park figure would even look like. I am going to upload a photo of the apartment grounds and hopefully someone can help me with a ball park figure.
The complex is over 30 years old I’d say.
Two story only.
18 apartment unit buildings total with an additional office building
Lots of trees
Any other info needed please ask.
Should i price by unit?
I will be doing it all myself with a 14" rotator. About how long would this take assuming I’m not doing parking spaces. Do they normally want parking spaces done or just sidewalks?
Any help, advice or criticism is appreciated. Be nice. Very new!
OK i spoke with the complex manager today and they want sidewalks, buildings(brick and wood siding), landings, pool and dumpster areas cleaned.Also i found out there is 24 unit buildings and 1 office building. 320 units, 329 landings 2 dumpster areas.
He thought it might be around $2,000 to $3,000. This seems low to me.
I’d say that’s low too. Maybe do some more research in how others price things before giving the estimate. Don’t want to short yourself, nor devalue the industry.
Well that is why i came here to ask and didn’t get many replies till too late it would seem. Yes, I would write up a contract of what he wants done, the price, and perhaps a time frame and expectations etc. He doesn’t seem super picky about it or a stickler. I asked about doing the parking spaces and he said, “Do people really do that?” lol
I saw it but figured it was a waste of time lol. 5 grand bid on a 20 grand job and no equipment. Anything I could say wouldn’t dissuade him. I lost my shirt on the first one I did also.
I’m a little more open minded than you might think. I really had no way of figuring out how much this would be. I read in another post about a 3 story vinyl apartment building and someone suggested 275 a building or 75 a side. The guy was thinking 2 to 3k so i thought my offer was fair. I’ll take yalls advice for sure. This guy is probably going to get quotes and see how cheap i am if it really is more than i bid. So i could have bidded more if someone told me its a 20K job! lol
This isn’t my full time job. Bills will get paid but lesson learned. I can buy some new equipment now and put some in my pocket.
It’s one thing if you bid a small job too low. Bidding a big one too low is expontial. I would pull your bid & wouldn’t feel bad about. If the manager said he thought it was 2 to 3 K job, he’s trying to take advantage of you.
The thing is I’m not doing too well with getting pressure washing jobs at the moment. I could use the money. I doubt he would accept 20k or maybe even 10k. I didn’t get the feeling he was trying to take advantage. He said they’ve never had it done there or maybe since he’s been there. He said they have their maintenance people do it but their pressure washer broke and got behind.
You only posted about this job less than 24 hours ago, yet you say you didn’t get many replies yet you only just posted the actual scope of work 6 hours ago. And you’ve already given him a bid. Pull the bid if you’ve given it in writing.
I wouldn’t do the concrete on this job for $5K and I’ve got the equipment. If the project hasn’t been done in forever, it’s probably because it’s got crappy owners because good owners will keep their properties in good condition.
You’re going to be on this job forever. And then you’re going to wait at least 30 days to get paid, if you’re lucky. You’re equipment is worn out, you’ve got chemical costs, maintainence on equipment, fuel, insurance, etc. not to mention any labor you bring in to help. By yourself may take you several weeks full time depending on equipment you have, which you haven’t told us about other than a 14" surface cleaner.
Why the rush to get bid in if he’s just now taking bids? One idea, which they may like is tell them you’ll work with them to do in phases, like say 2 buildings per month whereas most big companies coming in to bid probably wouldn’t. That helps their cash flow and will help you out so you don’t get in over over head and let’s you make sure you’re going to get paid in a timely manner.
We’re double what you are per house (most smaller than 2800 sq feet) and that’s if I don’t upsell anything at all. 70% of the time I get gutters or driveway or something on top of it. Our average residential ticket is $916. I calculate it weekly and that includes a couple $1 mil+ houses, but it normally it hovers around $600.
Then again, like I’ve mentioned in other posts, we’re the most expensive in Kansas City and I tell people that upfront.
Every contract should help you get paid. Email me at and I’ll send you a recent estimate where the guy only wanted a house wash. I sent an estimate for the house wash and 4 other things. He chose 3 of the 5 and that’s not a rare occurrence. It’ll have contract language in it too that might be helpful.
One of those things is a mechanics lien clause that I just had to exercise for only the 2nd time. Long story short, I got paid when he received the intent to file.
I’d like to help you put more money in your pocket if I can. You’ll have to wait until Sunday for it though as I’ve been on Bourbon Street for 5 hours and just hope I spelled everything correctly. Lol
