How far do ya go?

I cleaned a home today with lots of vinyl siding. It was for a relative so I couldnt charge much anyway and it was a learning experience to me. There is some things I noticed while cleaning the house and wanted to ask you guys your opinions. While I was cleaning I noticed the gutters all the way around the house were full of debris and also the carports (2 of them) cement was dirty. I went ahead and cleaned the gutters and the concrete because I am pretty particular. Do you guys charge extra for these things or are they included in the house washing? This took time because I had to get out my ladder and the gutters were pretty long. I know the concrete would be extra $$$ but if I would have left the gutters it would take away from the appearance of my job. I also had to pick up the crap that blew out of the gutters because the yard was nicely trimmed and you could really see the trash. Guys I really need help on this one so I wont lose $$$ on houses! So how extreme do you go for the $$$$? Thanks!

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When I clean a house I always clean the exterior part of the gutters and also any shutters on the house. Anything else I charge because time is money. When I first started out 5 yrs ago I use to do some things for free but I stopped real fast because people will take advantage of you. Anything can be cleaned and what ever it is it should be priced accordingly. As far as cleaning for family and friends thats another story.

Kevin,

You have to charge for everything. If you are donating time doing free stuff, then next year they are going to have a cow when you charge them for the same extras you did for free this year. They are going to say, wow, he really went up on his prices. When you do your walkaround when giving your estimate, you have to notice that the gutters are full and offer to clean them, inside and out. If they opt not to pay the extra fee's, then your job wont look half done, because they will know you did everything you were paid to do. As for carport/driveways, we group driveways, walkways and curbs into a package. In our area, we will do the package for 99 bucks and up. If your spending time doing stuff for free, that could be time you could be making some real cash. Try to get away from all the free time/labor and just do what your paid to do. My opinion, everyone has one.

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Craig Knight
Power Wash Unlimited
www.powerwashunlimited.com

Kevin,

I too did things for free when I first started out.....a good way to learn. However, like Craig said, that will/should stop real soon.

I always try to sell extras when bidding a job.....the more money I can make in one place the better! Good luck.



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Mike Hughes
Everclear
Souderton, PA

I agree with Mike. We also did the freebies but learned in a hurry that when you do your profits go down due to time. Then you feel bad having to charge them the next time. So, no free cleanings. You do the walk around and explain everything. We always say would you like me to give you an estimate on EVERYTHING and you can pick and choose what you want done. 9 times out of 10 they just say do it ALL! So, your time is worth something...you need to charge accordingly. My penny's worth :

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Dennis A. Cormier and Gloria A. Wagner
North Georgia Spray Masters, Inc.
spraymasters@hotmail.com

Good point guys, I do alot of itemizing. It shows the customer that you are there to help. Your willing to handle all or what they can afford.

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Dan Flynn
Flynn Service Pro
www.powerwash.net
708/715-4206

I also itemize. Basically, I set the bids up ala carte - the client can choose the level of service (most pick all).

Kevin Foust / Clean Wonder H.P. Washing

Of course you could do like I had to do today. The lady said I will get my home power washed at that price if you clean the gutters out for me also. So, I did it. It only took a few extra minutes because she did not have a lot of gutters. I always try to leave a little extra room in my estimates for those people who like to "wheel and deal". Whether they wheel around or not, I always do a little extra any way.

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John May

We do alot of freebee's, little things that will make our work stand out, BUT, our price is "high" this makes repeate business, everone wants something free. But, what you did was additional work which should be charged for, not what I would concider freebee's.
We try to address all possible additional work before submitting a bid proposal, if it's a small item we just add 20 or 30 to the total and do it anyway, they think it's a freebee.
J Prewitt

Hi All,
I too like to give the customer something extra, something free. Sometimes I will clean the sidewalk, or rinse off a small deck. Lately, to help advertise and leave something for the customer other than the service, I give them a Can cooler (Huggie), Hat, or T-Shirt with my business name and phone number on it. I figure next year long after they have forgot me and lost my card they can pull out one of these freebies and theres my number. Not to mention the advertisement I get when they are wearing them. What's a $5.00 hat to a $350.00 job? Anybody else doing this?
Glenn