[JackieW]

One of my residential customers is a headmaster and has asked me to quote for his school. I haven't quoted anything like this before.

I currently charge him £12 for his home and takes about 20 minutes.

He has already said the windows haven't been cleaned in at least several years and he thinks it's about a days work.

I don't think it'll take a day but am happy to quote for one.

Now, question is, do you still go in at, for example, £200, which is probably what I would like?

Customers don't seem to mind paying £10-£15 to have their windows cleaned and maybe can't be bothered to try and estimate how much you make in a day.

But when you are quoting for a day's work, the maths is quite easy for them.

If a large commercial company was quoting then I think the customer would reason they must have large overheads but I'm a one man band.

[LBWCS]

Quote what its worth. He was no idea how long it will take you. When your done,just leave, working hard should be rewarded with finishing earlier (or earning more)

[R.C Property]

If it helps, I quoted a job for 3blocks of 78 flats, price was £400.
First time took a day, now got it to 4hours, with 2guys on it!

[groundhog]

quote £350 to make it worth your while, as its unlikely that it wil be a very regular job, so you need to quote as if it is a one off job, I have quoted for schools before, and it always seems to be a one off or once a year clean, so only worth doing for a good price IMO. 

[Smudger]

if it has not been done for years and your not very experienced in this area then a day may not be enough.
quote for a full day but at a higher rate p/h than reg cleaning in case it overruns.

the headmaster will have no idea how long it will take ( or care! ) just talk it up lots and lots of windows + access and build up of grime all help get a good price.

do it out of term time as well, you will only see the caretaker and these usually unlock - bugger off then return to lock up

Darran

[PurefectWindowCleaning]

I echo what Rhine said... how is he to know how long it would take?!

You should def go and have a look first, then make you own mind up how long it will take.

Be warned tho, I cleaned a school inside and outside before, and it was a nightmare, took hours longer than I thought. This was due to posters, kids drawings etc all over the inside windows that I had to remove, clean then put back. Blue tac marks, celotape etc.


Good luck

[Halfadaylee]

Stop thinking what he is going think. He trusts you to do the job well.
You could always ask if he has a budget and if its not the sort of figure that is what you want, upsell it.
Im sure you have a mate in another part of the uk that does many schools starting from.........
Good luck with it.
Art
Ps. if it helps i do an infants and juniors at £750 the two twice a year
 

[Total shine cleaning services]

hi we do a school once a year, I always before I price ask if they will be taking down posters, drawings etc, I tell them if they clear the windows they will get a better price, mine is a medium size infant school and I charge £280, we wfp outside and pole/wagtail the inside, takes me a day, don't equate it to the headmasters house as thats his own money he pays you with, he won't personally be paying for the school so charge accordingly, if your unsure how to price go and test clean a window and time it then do the maths, hope this helps

graham

[gewindows]

Go and half a look first. You might be surprised once you've done that. It might only an hours work.

Stop second guessing too.

[Nathanael Jones]

I find its great to count the windows first & say "That's a LOT of glass - the same as in 75 houses the size of yours",.. THEN, when he's expecting 75 *£12 to be your quote, go in with the "Its quicker when all the windows are close together, so I'll give you a bit of a discount" line.

Don't discount too much though,.. you'll find it slow going if they haven't been cleaned in years!

[groundhog]

Go and half a look first. 

I would have a full look if I was you!! 

[gewindows]

The wonders of mobile phone technology. 

[groundhog]

The wonders of mobile phone technology. 

Sorry buddy, I couldn't resist! 

[Johnny B]

I echo what Rhine said... how is he to know how long it would take?!

You should def go and have a look first, then make you own mind up how long it will take.

Be warned tho, I cleaned a school inside and outside before, and it was a nightmare, took hours longer than I thought. This was due to posters, kids drawings etc all over the inside windows that I had to remove, clean then put back. Blue tac marks, celotape etc.


Good luck

I had one last year, which I did for a good friend who was on holiday. I was told it was a day and a half's work. It hadn't been done for years, and took 35 hours in all (working over a weekend, day and night). The most exhausting job I have ever done on the glass.   

Best wishes,
John

[Ian Lancaster]

Definitely need to look first!!  A few years ago I helped out a mate on a large college which hadn't been done in years.  It was covered in seagull droppings, some of them years old and well baked on.  I quoted him my price for the section he wanted me to do - it was a nightmare!  Soak with WFP, scrape with scraper on a pole, scrub with WFP - still didn't get all the 'ghosts' off.  Just about made it pay at my quote - my mate lost out big time - he'd taken the college principal's estimate on good faith as he was a friend but they still made him get all the bird mess off at his original price

[poleman]

if not done in 7 years then its going to take twice as long as a normal clean so you need to factor within your price or your going to regret doing the job

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

I echo what Rhine said... how is he to know how long it would take?!

You should def go and have a look first, then make you own mind up how long it will take.

Be warned tho, I cleaned a school inside and outside before, and it was a nightmare, took hours longer than I thought. This was due to posters, kids drawings etc all over the inside windows that I had to remove, clean then put back. Blue tac marks, celotape etc.


Good luck

I had one last year, which I did for a good friend who was on holiday. I was told it was a day and a half's work. It hadn't been done for years, and took 35 hours in all (working over a weekend, day and night). The most exhausting job I have ever done on the glass.   

Best wishes,
John

35 hrs nearly a week !!!!!
Steve Mannock fr Stoke would have sacked you lad
 

[Johnny B]

I echo what Rhine said... how is he to know how long it would take?!

You should def go and have a look first, then make you own mind up how long it will take.

Be warned tho, I cleaned a school inside and outside before, and it was a nightmare, took hours longer than I thought. This was due to posters, kids drawings etc all over the inside windows that I had to remove, clean then put back. Blue tac marks, celotape etc.


Good luck

I had one last year, which I did for a good friend who was on holiday. I was told it was a day and a half's work. It hadn't been done for years, and took 35 hours in all (working over a weekend, day and night). The most exhausting job I have ever done on the glass.   

Best wishes,
John

35 hrs nearly a week !!!!!
Steve Mannock fr Stoke would have sacked you lad
 

Yup. 35 hours, all crammed into a weekend, from Saturday morning to Monday morning, working overnight with a few hours break in between. It was a first clean, awkward and absolutely minging! 

What I love about being self employed is that I cannot be sacked for being too slow!

John 

[northstar161]

I have a headmaster whose house I clean and he asked me to clean his school (on a yearly basis). I charged £367.50 for the first clean (med to large junior school.) It had previously been tradded - many, many moons ago.

It took me about 40 hours and was difficult work -  left me very tired.

He wanted a quote for the insides (covered in decades worth of blu tac, sellotape, sticker etc)/ and I can't remember the exact figure I quoted but it was in the region of £750. He didn't ask me to do the internal work and in the future I would avoid work on schools.