Pressure Washing Guide

kapatrick · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 2

I live in a small town in NC. There are a lot of fly by night people around here who try to bid jobs ridiculously low. I need your help. I need to beat out my competitors and still turn out a profit. I have just been asked to bid on a 165,000 square foot high school and need to get a price that I feel comfortable with. Hopefully the fly by nights won't have a chance, since majority of them are not bonded and insured. With it being work from the state I am afraid to bid too high because as we all know the state can be rather cheap at times. I was wondering if you could give me an average price per square foot that I could apply to this school. Also I wanted to ask about cleaning moldy/mildewed brick, stucco with rust from lighting fixtures, and painted brick areas. (Painted brick: the art class has painted on the walls of the schools like murals.) Should I stick to the usual bleach with soap or should I think about using TSP? Or is there any other remedy you think I should try? I would appreciate any information that you could supply me and by the way your website has been very helpful to me.

Midwestpro · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:49 pm Post subject:

I think a large part of us here would say to do a test spot if you are not sure what to use. Personally I would stick with the regular house wash like you mentioned. If you are dealing with any efflorescence (calcium on brick) you would need different chemicals. Hot water would also help on the brick. I've never had much luck with getting iron type of rust off brick but maybe others here would have an opinion.

As far as pricing, it's always been my stand to NOT be the lowest bidder. With large commercial jobs like that there are always low ballers and if you try to beat them on price you won't make any money 9 times out of 10. You are better off showing proof of insurance, giving references, having a nice bid package, and being fair on your pricing. For most of us here, the trick is to learn other ways besides price to stand out from our competition. You also have to accept the fact that most of the time you just aren't going to get hired. Like you mentioned, most of the time the lowest number is all they look at.

kapatrick · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 2

I am fairly new to the pressure washing community. For the past 8 months I have been primarily cleaning residential properties and sidewalks at the local malls. This large high school would be a breeze to do, since I have hot water. (Thanks for that in your reply.) I just am finding it very hard to stick a price on this building due to its size. That's why I came to you for your professional help. 8 cent per square foot? Is that too high or too low? Just keep in mind that I do live in a rather rural town in NC.

Midwestpro · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 7:07 pm Post subject:

In my area that is too low but again it varies from area to area. I know in NC prices are much lower than they are here because of the competition. I do not have as many competitors but I have to deal with a super seasonal business way up north. In FL prices are generally lower than your area just because it seems there is a pressure washing company on every corner. So you can see how it would be almost wrong for me to tell you, even from one professional to another, how to price your jobs.

I do believe you are in the ballpark for your area but again, I am not down there and do not know your situation or your business model. I understand it is tough to price things out trust me, we've all been there. I would maybe try to contact someone from NC but maybe a few hours away that wouldn't be a direct competitor but would still have an idea. Ideally you want to charge as much as you can and still get the work. But with lowballers bidding on it as well, you are better off just pricing it what you feel it is worth and just try to submit a nice bid package.

Also, some large commercial jobs can add up. You do have to lower your unit number a little compared to smaller jobs or residential work just because of the amount of work it consists of. A small building may be x amount per square foot while a building 3 times as large may be 10 or more cents cheaper. You have to give them a little break just because there is so much footage there. In the same sense, don't get crazy and be super cheap. A huge bid can really freak you out and you'll think, man there is no way they are going to pay that much. But I'll tell you from experience, don't over think it. Just apply a fair unit price, measure the footage accurately, and come to the realization that that's how much it is, period! Don't second guess yourself, put together your bid, and submit it to them and move on.

Hope this helps!