I'm doing research on starting a construction clean up business? I have no clue what to charge.. I've read everything from .15 to 1.50 per sq ft... I have a great friend who owns a construction business who said she would sub ne out to clean and asked me what I would charge... HELP? I live in northern Michigan ( by BEAUTIFUL torch lake) if that helps to determine a price

I would check for pricing of the disposal of different types of debris(Construction garbage, Yard Debris?),

HI Queen,

Construction cleaning varies depending on what you have to do;

Broom clean- Final clean up, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, etc.

First clean- Removal of heavy debris, removal of paint stains, etc plus broom cleaning.

High cleaning- cleaning of ceiling pipes, vents, lighting, high windows, etc.

So as you can see your response should be 'exactly what type of construction cleaning?'

Pricing is always your decision in the end however, I will offer some suggestions:

1. Make sure that you have liability insurance and that you are incorporated. If you do not, mark my words Queen you will be sorry at some point. And most clients want you to have them.

Broom cleaning = $0.28 sq ft Chicago area suburbs.

First clean= $0.35 sq ft PLUS any other expenses such as a dumpster, etc and possible disposal of said debris to a dump.

High cleaning= $0.45 sq ft PLUS any expenses such as scissor lift, etc.

Each will include general cleaning such as the broom cleaning.

Add up all your expenses: insurance, labor, taxes, admin (over head), equipment, supplies, profit etc. and the break it down to the square foot to get a more accurate figure. Remember to cover everything.

Should you have more questions let me know...

Stringer

Hi Stringer,

Thank you very much for information. It helps a lot.

When I go to do a bid and get the specs. I may ask for your help o determine price if that is all right.

Hi Queen,

That would be fine.

Sometimes they don't have specs for construction clean ups... important ask exactly what they want and take copious notes.

Stringer

Construction cleaning can be bid at those prices and sometimes you may get someone to pay that high on small projects, residential housing...
Construction cleanup is not rocket science, but it does entail a lot of trial and error in pricing. The best way I have found is to walk through and detail each specific job that will need to be done... then calculate how long it would take one person to do each specific job, getting you a total man hours... Calculate cost of tools, material, insurance, hard hats, gas, administrative costs. Add these to your figure based on how long you will work on this project. Then divide total by how many square feet the project entails. This should give you an accurate measurement of cost... once that is determined then you need to figure out market rates in your local areas... (My experience calling other cleaning contractors does not give you an accurate assessment, contact building contractors)...
This is a good field, but experience is really the best way to bid construction cleanup jobs... stay focused on specific tasks, clean whole areas and work out a way to imedietely have a write off on that area... (many times other contractors will mess your clean rooms up... this can be very expensive... so communicate this with the builder)...

Not bad advice Micah.

Stringer