[NeonLadee]

The building is 37,000 sq. ft I will be cleaning 3 bathrooms, one of the three includes a shower. A break roomwitha refrigerator, microwave and a large table, sink and counter (Long), I will be cleaning a tractor and trailer warehouse that has machinery and tires and I have all the walls and all the windows to clean and the floor is like the school floor. This is the very first cleaning ever sone and its going to take me for the first itme 5 days to get I done inside this huge office. I have 5 people working with me and it's a job. I am supplying all the cleaning material and buffer, stripper and a waxer is required. I have gloves that are needed and major cleaning supplies has to be bought. This a building where men are not neat at all. The walls and Windows,are filthy. In the actual warehouse where the tires are, I need large sweeping brooms and the floors have to be cleaned due to the forklift and tire changing machine inside. Please give me an idea what to charge, What do I charge? I was estimating $.10 per square foot plus the cost of cleaning supplies and labor at about $5,000.00 to (high huh? ) and after that cheaning would be done every two weeks and then what do I charge?

[joypulv]

High? No, much too low.
Stripping, waxing, and buffing a 37,000' filthy floor alone is worth thousands.
And how high are the walls and windows?
I can see this taking 5 people more like 10 days or more the first time and maybe 30% of that afterwards.
Don't sell yourself short.
You don't need them to accept your bid and then refuse to pay you because it isn't clean enough.
Make a list that breaks each part of the job down so that they see why you have to charge a lot.
It isn't always the lowest bid that gets a job.

[NeonLadee]

Thank you,being I am tall I will not need a very tall ladder (Im 6'1). This place has never had a cleaning, I want to make sure its right. I do have the estimate form and I do have everything listed that needs to be done. I just wanted to give them the price. I know this will take more than 10 days I see that, the walls are about 2 ft taller than me, cleaning windows from outside is 4 ft taller than me. I have tables, chairs, ac/vents also... Help me to give a precise price.. and again thank you

[Stringer]

When do you have to give the price to them?

Is the actually 37,000 sq ft 'cleanable space'? Are there two floors in this 37,000 sq ft?

What type of floors: VCT, wood, concrete, sheet vinyl, etc or a combination of all?

Will you be doing the complete building each time you clean it, all 37,000 sq ft or just parts? If parts... what parts, how much sq ft?

And Joy is correct, you do not want to under price either, it can turn into a job from h3ll...

Are you bidding against other bidders? If so, how many?

Stringer

[joypulv]

We can't. Too many variables. If you aren't confident in estimating, don't bid.

The pros will be padding their bids.

Again, better to lose a bid than work for 2 cents an hour or be not paid for it not being clean enough.

And your height is not meaningful.

[NeonLadee]

I should have given them a price since January 2011... All the space are "cleanable space", No its one floor, the floors vinyl type tile like in the schools hallway. I will need to do a deep, deep, deep cleaning.. touching everything, leaving out nothing. But for the every two week cleaning, I will clean the whole building each time. No I am not bidding against anyone, I have this entire job already just need an idea price for the job. This bldg is getting a complete face lift of looking great. Thank you

[Stringer]

The detailed cleaning each time should take approximately 16 to 18 hours at 2,200 sq ft per hour.

If you have to strip and refinish the VCT tile floors get the total sq ft of these floor and figure that you can strip, clean and refinish with 2 to 3 coats of wax at 250 sq ft per hour to do this properly. This should be priced separately as an additional price, possibility around $0.16 to $0.20 per sq ft.

Pricing is always in the end your own responsibility, however I will suggest using $0.05 to $0.06 per sq ft for this detailed cleaning. If there are things that I am not aware of please advise me and we can make adjustments to this pricing.

Stringer

[NeonLadee]

I have the following to clean that are huge floor the two offices, conference room and Breakroom those are the large room w/tile that will need the buffing, stripping and waxing. The Bathroom 2 halves and one full . This building is for truck drivers coming in to deliver or pick up tractor trailer tire or have them changed. Lot of machinery that we have to clean around, but the entire building is 37,000 sq. ft with 18,000 of it for the tire and repair section the rest is office, and bathrooms and breakroom and conference room, all the windows and all the walls and all the doors and door frames have to be cleaned. This building consist of men that tough everything like a little child. Can you als orecommend a great company that sells industrial strength scleaning supplies that have a great reputation. I am searching around, here in Charleston, SC I have Lowe's and Home Depot. I am still searching around for good one. Thank you and Hope to hear from you soon.

[Stringer]

I would seek a janitorial supply company such as Amsan, or look in your yellow pages or go on line in your area for this.

Stringer

[joypulv]

It's isn't a question of being lazy.
And negatives are not for opinion but for incorrect FACTS.
You are clearly a novice for such a big job and I was afraid that you will lose your shirt (by not getting paid, or by working for too little).
Just the fact that you keep repeating yourself, and don't know where to get wholesale supplies, suggests that this is too big a job.
Don't negative me. Just answer back in a month when you succeed or not.

[NeonLadee]

I have supplies but it does not hurt to want to buy it at a wholesale price, I am using industrial strength products but does it hurt to ask for alternatives. I did not lose the job. I have the job, I was referred to this job and have no problem performing it. I am a person that wants to be sure and that is all I just wanted to make sure I was not too low compared to what I should be paid. I do have a right to my opinion and I feel that you are not giving me great suggestions. But I will close this with a thank you for the little that you gave and move on. Have a nice day, and again thank you.

[NeonLadee]

Thank you very much, you are very helpful

[joypulv]

I'm back to give numbers, even though none of us can see the place, and I think it's a mistake to do so.
Floors $5400
Walls and exterior windows $1000
(labor based on 320 man-hours @ 20) (4 workers for 10 days)
Supplies $1200
Equipment and equip rental $2000
Extra profit cushion $3000

TOTAL 12,600
DIVIDED BY 37,000 = .34 sq ft

Naturally you factor in the profit cushion to the line items. I would say that you will quote the future cleaning based on how the first cleaning goes. I'd be adamant about that. You need to see how it turns out, how happy they are, how much you make or lose.

[NeonLadee]

Thank you, but the company accepted and have signed the contract, for 15, 000.00, As you stated you cannot see the building but I would not give you any sq. ft if I had not seen it would I ? I gave you all that I have to do. Thank you, PS I will let you see all the pictures very soon and that way you will have a picture of exactly what I cleaned.

[joypulv]

When I said none of us can see the place, I meant US not YOU!
So PLEASE, enough, good bye, good luck, I don't want to see any pictures, not after that.

[Stringer]

I would, please post them Neon thanks.