[PorterCleanJ]

Probably a silly question but having never done a builders clean just wondered if any could help with what would be expected of me if i come across any work and how do i price. help appreciated thanks

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

to remove all builders dirt ie plaster cement paint
they take time an are labourious
charge high if you dont get em i wudnt worry
too much
also try get the builder or site agent to sign a glass
disclaimer incase you stratch or they say youve
strached the glass !! this is a must 

[Paul Coleman]

I'm about 60% - 70% through a builders clean at the moment.
A couple of years ago I vowed, never again.
I'm saying the same thing now.
If you must do them, when you estimate how long it will take, double it and maybe more.

[the bfg]

got my fingers burned about 3 years ago with a builders clean and have learned from it,   I now look at the job in question and quote 10 x the normal price,     I do this on the basis that I dont want to do the job which is true

so if I dont get the job I defo dont lose any sleep,   if they accept my quote then at least I know theres a small pot of gold at the end of the clean.

just remember the builders have made a very good profit so the window cleaner should thing along those lines.

I avoid builders cleans like the plague so if I have to do one then I make sure its worth my while

[Steve_c]

I'm told that a 60 room special care center for disable people that has recently opened cost £20k to do the builders clean. I recently was contacted by a builder who said "can you clean the windows on 3, 4bed detached houses mate, i had the builders clean done they just need a clean till they are sold. When i looked,the builders hadn't been done he was just trying to get it done on the cheap as he knew how expensive they are. I said  that the clean would be a builders clean as the windows frames are still covered in poop. I got to a price of around £350 per house and then put a charge on top of around £500 then thought still not enough.I knew no way was he going for it so i passed the job on to another window cleaner who had guys working for him. I briefed him on what price i was arriving at but just didn't need the hassle and getting a few guys in and pay them. To my astonishment the idiot quoted £150 per house and had 4 guys with him. He never got paid. Mate avoid.

[PorterCleanJ]

really appreciate the info been a help at least i know whats involved thanks

[the bfg]

just remember that if your WFP  it wont take cement of silicone of glass  so unless you use ladders then you would be needing a cherry picker

good luck with it.

[PorterCleanJ]

How long should it be takin me say for a 3 bed semi

[david watts]

read carefully your gambling on being paid;
look at all the back posts on this
for the record i never touch them

[g newton]

How long should it be takin me say for a 3 bed semi

houses 3 bed- a team of 3 should do 2 / day around £150 each plus 50% of price for sparkle
prices around
apartments 4 / day 1 or 2 bed --around £80 / £85 each plus 50% of price for sparkle

its a bit cut throat at the moment with the use of eastern euros for cheap labour common place £40 a day
theres still easy money to be made if you are clued up
but waiting for payments / retentions / mcds/ insurance all adds up
you will need deep pockets if looking at getting into this line of work

be prepared to wait a good 2 months before seeing a payment-some builders longer

[Dougaldum]

How long should it be takin me say for a 3 bed semi

leave a lone dont go down that road beleave you me

[PorterCleanJ]

Not something for my immediate future just researching well in advance get as much info as pos. Thanks for your time and advice

[Tom White]

houses 3 bed- a team of 3 should do 2 / day around £150 each plus 50% of price for sparkle
prices around

Are you saying it takes 3 people to do two houses per day?

I've not done a huge amount of this work, but I've done about 20 builder's cleans, and it never took us that long.  You pull all the window frame stickers off, soap up all the window, scrape it all with a four-inch scraper.  Squeegy, and repeat one-or-two times more.  Window clean, move to the next.

About two hours tops I'd say for inside and out for one person - and I still think that's stretching it.

Sometimes, if you can time it right, you can do it off their scaffolding; and on this particular estate I was paid within a week.

[g newton]

houses 3 bed- a team of 3 should do 2 / day around £150 each plus 50% of price for sparkle
prices around

Are you saying it takes 3 people to do two houses per day?

I've not done a huge amount of this work, but I've done about 20 builder's cleans, and it never took us that long.  You pull all the window frame stickers off, soap up all the window, scrape it all with a four-inch scraper.  Squeegy, and repeat one-or-two times more.  Window clean, move to the next.

About two hours tops I'd say for inside and out for one person - and I still think that's stretching it.

Sometimes, if you can time it right, you can do it off their scaffolding; and on this particular estate I was paid within a week.

your talkin just windows
internally as well kitchen bathrooms carpets  etc etc

[Tom White]

houses 3 bed- a team of 3 should do 2 / day around £150 each plus 50% of price for sparkle
prices around

Are you saying it takes 3 people to do two houses per day?

I've not done a huge amount of this work, but I've done about 20 builder's cleans, and it never took us that long.  You pull all the window frame stickers off, soap up all the window, scrape it all with a four-inch scraper.  Squeegy, and repeat one-or-two times more.  Window clean, move to the next.

About two hours tops I'd say for inside and out for one person - and I still think that's stretching it.

Sometimes, if you can time it right, you can do it off their scaffolding; and on this particular estate I was paid within a week.

your talkin just windows
internally as well kitchen bathrooms carpets  etc etc

Yeh, just windows; thanks for clearing that up. 

[Ian Rochester]

Just quoted for 240 properties for a building company, 1st fix cleans, green cleans and sparkle cleans

[Steve_c]

How long should it be takin me say for a 3 bed semi

houses 3 bed- a team of 3 should do 2 / day around £150 each plus 50% of price for sparkle
prices around
apartments 4 / day 1 or 2 bed --around £80 / £85 each plus 50% of price for sparkle

its a bit cut throat at the moment with the use of eastern euros for cheap labour common place £40 a day
theres still easy money to be made if you are clued up
but waiting for payments / retentions / mcds/ insurance all adds up
you will need deep pockets if looking at getting into this line of work

be prepared to wait a good 2 months before seeing a payment-some builders longer

Way to cheap.

[g newton]

How long should it be takin me say for a 3 bed semi

houses 3 bed- a team of 3 should do 2 / day around £150 each plus 50% of price for sparkle
prices around
apartments 4 / day 1 or 2 bed --around £80 / £85 each plus 50% of price for sparkle

its a bit cut throat at the moment with the use of eastern euros for cheap labour common place £40 a day
theres still easy money to be made if you are clued up
but waiting for payments / retentions / mcds/ insurance all adds up
you will need deep pockets if looking at getting into this line of work

be prepared to wait a good 2 months before seeing a payment-some builders longer

Way to cheap.
if his planning on playing with the big boys persimmons barretts berkleys etc you wont get the work if you go any higher

[g newton]

ive seen rates a low as 60 quid a unit for 1 bed flats mainly from essex based builders cleaners who take advantage of the large eastern euro community in east london

[Neil Gornall]

very easy to make a mistake pricing these but if you get it right and work for a decent builder it can be a good earner.

I have just finished 2 jobs which were around 950 man hours each. I got my prices right so am happy, but it could have very easily gone wrong.
Make sure you cover all bases and have all the right documentation, builders are a canny bunch and if they can trip you up they will.
The jobs I have just done are for a very large builder so they do everything by the book, that way as long as i play by the same rules my arse is covered.
2 down 98 to go over the next 10 years