Quoting Residential Exteriors

Dave B

Dave B

New member
Those of you who do residential exterior cleanings, how do you quote?

I've always quoted based on the linear ft of the exterior, with one rate/lin ft for a single story, and another rate/lin ft for a two story. For instance, if the house is single story 35ftx50ft, I would quote 170 linear ft times my single story home rate. It's nice because I can get a very precise quote. The downfall is that I can't provide this quote without going to the home, taking out my wheel, and taking measurements.

I've heard some folks quote based on the square footage of the home. This makes quoting over the phone simple, but it adds a few challenges. First, square footage is NOT a direct correlation to perimeter length on anything but a perfectly square home. In theory, you can have two homes with the same square footage, but the exterior walls on one could be twice that of the other. Second, the square footage of a two story home compounds the first problem, because you don't know how much square footage is on the second floor, which could drastically change the amount of wall space you will be cleaning.

So, what methods do you use to quote a residential exterior wash?
 
I used to do linear foot pricing but I've been in the game for a few years now and got a pretty good feel for the local market and so I know which houses can get which price. A lot of guys try to guess how many hours it will take them and give a price based on how much they want to make per hour
 
When we first started we used to figure pricing per linear foot x stories. Say 200 ft around the home two stories would be 200 x 2.25=$450
 
I quote .10/sqft under the roof for single story homes. I get the data from the county property appraisers website before I go on-site. Googling the address will also give you some insight as what to expect when you get there.
 
We quote by square footage under roof. i dont care if its one or 2 stories. If its a 2 story brick house and the brick on the upper level is dirty it is a little more challenging. It is too time consuming to see each home in person. If you are occasionally $25-$50 low on a house you will have more than made up for that in all the homes that you did not have to go see. It probably cost that much to go see a few houses.

This time of year we probably quote 15-25 house each week. My wife takes the call, pulls up the sq ft and adds 500 sq ft for a 2 car garage. She figures the price adds a little for porches calls the customer and books the job. Most of the time this happens within a couple hours and she books the job before the customer has time to get pricing from any one else.

With all the info on line and google earth you can do it. As you grow it will be a must
 
Mark 8262 said:
We quote by square footage under roof. i dont care if its one or 2 stories. If its a 2 story brick house and the brick on the upper level is dirty it is a little more challenging. It is too time consuming to see each home in person. If you are occasionally $25-$50 low on a house you will have more than made up for that in all the homes that you did not have to go see. It probably cost that much to go see a few houses.

This time of year we probably quote 15-25 house each week. My wife takes the call, pulls up the sq ft and adds 500 sq ft for a 2 car garage. She figures the price adds a little for porches calls the customer and books the job. Most of the time this happens within a couple hours and she books the job before the customer has time to get pricing from any one else.

With all the info on line and google earth you can do it. As you grow it will be a must
Click to expand...
Exactly the same here.



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Dave B said:
Those of you who do residential exterior cleanings, how do you quote?

I've always quoted based on the linear ft of the exterior, with one rate/lin ft for a single story, and another rate/lin ft for a two story. For instance, if the house is single story 35ftx50ft, I would quote 170 linear ft times my single story home rate. It's nice because I can get a very precise quote. The downfall is that I can't provide this quote without going to the home, taking out my wheel, and taking measurements.

I've heard some folks quote based on the square footage of the home. This makes quoting over the phone simple, but it adds a few challenges. First, square footage is NOT a direct correlation to perimeter length on anything but a perfectly square home. In theory, you can have two homes with the same square footage, but the exterior walls on one could be twice that of the other. Second, the square footage of a two story home compounds the first problem, because you don't know how much square footage is on the second floor, which could drastically change the amount of wall space you will be cleaning.

So, what methods do you use to quote a residential exterior wash?
Click to expand...

Dave, I go by the square footage. No confusion or problems here. A 2500 sqft house is the same to me no matter what style. If one ends up being 100 sqft larger I'm not really losing money. Plus once you get more familiar with the different subdivisions you'll know what they look like when they call anyway. But in the grand scheme of things they're all the same.
I see your point. But a lot of guys over think the measuring thing. Just keep it simple and roll on. If you lose a little on one you'll make it up on another.
 
Don't quote sight unseen. Go to the job.. eye ball it...figure how long it will take and add an hour. If it's two storey then it's two houses one on top of the other so twice the price. Square feet square metres blah blah blah way to complicated.
When you have finished the job drive off and work out how well you did if you didn't make 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 times your desired hourly rate you got it wrong. If you did then laugh all the way to the bank.
 
Size is obviously the the first thing I look at. But then access, obstacles like fish ponds, attached pergolas etc all add to the cost. I couldn't price with a set square footage price. As mentioned above,.. I also go look at the work,..not just to look at the job with my eyes and note any issues such as rust, broken siding or windows the presence of artillery fungus,..which doesn't come off the the customer may be expecting it to, I want to see what kind of shape the gutters are in and if they'll handle a cleaning,..or a painted aluminum house,..etc, etc,.. Alot of variables that can't be seen without physically looking.
Apparently works for many of you,..just wouldn't be for me.

But,..I think it is very important in this fast paced World we live in to take the time and go meet the customer and let them meet their contractor,.. have a talk about hunting, fishing, gardening, pets,. etc,..
Start a relationship,...and they won't ever call anyone else.

Jeff
 
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