Doing it wrong….

[Yogi1872]

I've been going 18 months now so perhaps still a little inexperienced but I've got a van & delivery system.
What I can't fathom is how anyone can do 25 houses in a day. Perhaps if they were all lined up in a row but that's a round that's gonna take some getting. On top of which, I'd be knackered.
I'm lucky prices are decent (I think) where I am. £15 upwards 2 bed semi, that sort of thing.
I'm happy if I can clear £200-£250 a day (with the variety of size houses that doesn't need to be 10 @ £20 etc) - 8:30/9:00 ish start (once dog walked & kids in school) till around 4.
I appreciate there are ups and downs in the year in terms of ability to work/unexpected costs but that figure keeps me under the 40% bracket.
If I did 25 houses a day I'd be well above (well, when the book is full).

The local window cleaning company where I live have a quota of 43 houses per day. All ladder work though. On some runs people have done the 43 for half 11 or 12. Then they can either go home or work on bonus, where they get half the value of anymore work that they do that day. Depending on which part of the run it is, I've seen people do 86 houses by thereself in a day.

 

[Yogi1872]

Tbh, I can see where there coming from a bit with some of the replies he gives at times, I think that's just how he is though and doesn't mean to offend, he's just blunt when giving his opinion, I can see how some take it the wrong way though though.

What he's saying is 100% correct though. Even having 1 person working with you, if all done the right way, it's going to push you over the vat limit.

If I had someone working with me and they came back with 15 houses done for that day, they would be getting asked wtf have they been doing all day. Unless it was houses all over £20. It wouldn't be worth your while having them there if they were doing £150 a day's worth if work.

 

[Scrubsy]

The local window cleaning company where I live have a quota of 43 houses per day. All ladder work though. On some runs people have done the 43 for half 11 or 12. Then they can either go home or work on bonus, where they get half the value of anymore work that they do that day. Depending on which part of the run it is, I've seen people do 86 houses by thereself in a day.

There's a local company to me who clean a large portion of a big housing estate, all traditional. They are mostly standard 2 and 3 bed terrace / semi-detached type houses. The work in a trio and one goes up the ladder, one does downstairs, one does the small windows plus collects the money. Every 4 or 5 houses they rotate who's doing what. Sounds old fashioned but they are really, really slick and can absolutely rattle off loads and loads of houses really quickly. Ladder work isn't for everyone but they must make a good profit for their overheads. One of them is always washing and drying scrims in the launderette because his wife won't let him wash them at home because it looks like an old washerwoman's house with them hanging up drying all over the place .

 

[Yogi1872]

There's a local company to me who clean a large portion of a big housing estate, all traditional. They are mostly standard 2 and 3 bed terrace / semi-detached type houses. The work in a trio and one goes up the ladder, one does downstairs, one does the small windows plus collects the money. Every 4 or 5 houses they rotate who's doing what. Sounds old fashioned but they are really, really slick and can absolutely rattle off loads and loads of houses really quickly. Ladder work isn't for everyone but they must make a good profit for their overheads. One of them is always washing and drying scrims in the launderette because his wife won't let him wash them at home because it looks like an old washerwoman's house with them hanging up drying all over the place .

They end up making your washing machine all dirty, it's better going to the laundrette. The company near me if they work in pairs it's a big ladder each with the one collecting the money doing the fronts and the other doing the backs. Then whoever is finished first starts any sode windows. They have to do 86 if in a pair though. He had 19 guys the last time I was speaking to someone, not sure how many houses they clean monthly now, a few years ago it was around the 14k a month mark though. I'd imagine it won't have went up or down to drastically since then.

 

[DansClearView]

Seems to have spiralled a bit from what the thread was started about. Everyone's work and work rate will probably differ quite wildly. I couldn't do 20 houses a day because I'd be too knackered, but I do know someone that does around 18 (I think) a couple of days of his week and seems be ok. Compact and well organised. For the supermarkets I think it's because they don't really offer full time contracts any more, so you end up with a 5 hour shift, so £60 would be right in that instance. 5 hours is great if you only want 5 hours a day, but also messes you up if you wanted longer hours, or worse if you have a second job to juggle with it just makes the day really long winded just to make a full time wage (have done that before). I'd take 9-3 or whatever hours you do on windows over that any day.

Yea, think the spiralling thing was my fault .

I'm quite happy toddling on. Did the rushing around working for the supermarket, got to stressed out doing that. £123 for a 10 hour shift at the time (half hour break unpaid) as a shift manager. Took £121 in less than 4 hours today (6 jobs). Would have done more but decided the kids harvest festival was more important.

I was lucky being on a 35 hour contract from the start. Most of the staff are on a maximum 20 hours basic contract so a 4/5 hour shift very likely.

With my arthritis diagnosis last year there's no way I'll be hitting 25 houses and as for 43, I might be able to wave the pole in their general direction but that'll do .

 

[THL4KEL]

You can always improve your efficiency by investing in himod poles, electric reel, hot water system.

 

[spruce]

Yea, think the spiralling thing was my fault .

I'm quite happy toddling on. Did the rushing around working for the supermarket, got to stressed out doing that. £123 for a 10 hour shift at the time (half hour break unpaid) as a shift manager. Took £121 in less than 4 hours today (6 jobs). Would have done more but decided the kids harvest festival was more important.

I was lucky being on a 35 hour contract from the start. Most of the staff are on a maximum 20 hours basic contract so a 4/5 hour shift very likely.

With my arthritis diagnosis last year there's no way I'll be hitting 25 houses and as for 43, I might be able to wave the pole in their general direction but that'll do .

And this is the reason why we shouldn't get hung up on others achievements. Every one of us is different.

We have to look at our circumstances and work accordingly. As long as I'm able to pay the monthly bills, I'm happy. We have paid off our mortgage, so what I need is much less than what someone else who has a mortgage needs. We run an old car and have no outstanding finance. I paid cash for my van.

 

[Part Timer]

bs & you know it

Fairly certain there's only one person on this thread talking bs. I'm very happy for you that you've managed to talk 100 customers into buying your service which isn't needed and vastly overpriced.
So please let those that have large, very established rounds, do what they do.
You obviously have to do other work as you can't grow your round bigger than it is as most potential customers see right through your sales pitch. At the end of the day clean is clean and having to apply chemicals every time either means you're doing a bad job or don't really know what you're doing.
In the mean time the people you call cowboys will keep doing what they're doing whilst you continue to over sell your services.

 

[Stuart S]

So I did 10 houses today by 10:30. All are happy, most have already paid and I've been cleaning them for over 5 years. I don't have the stones to charge £30 for a 5 window bungalow, but if you do then more power to you.

 

[Dave B]

New pin is now banned
Please everyone sort out the insulting comments as it’s not on
This especially not after a warning for behaviour lol

 

[Iron Giant]

Seems to have spiralled a bit from what the thread was started about. Everyone's work and work rate will probably differ quite wildly. I couldn't do 20 houses a day because I'd be too knackered, but I do know someone that does around 18 (I think) a couple of days of his week and seems be ok. Compact and well organised. For the supermarkets I think it's because they don't really offer full time contracts any more, so you end up with a 5 hour shift, so £60 would be right in that instance. 5 hours is great if you only want 5 hours a day, but also messes you up if you wanted longer hours, or worse if you have a second job to juggle with it just makes the day really long winded just to make a full time wage (have done that before). I'd take 9-3 or whatever hours you do on windows over that any day.

I'll hold my hand up for kicking off, I do have a habit of biting.

Efficiency comes with time, you are using backpacks so that will slow you down going back and forth from your car or van, I was the same for 3 years or so using a trolley and a car, my work rate increased when I upgraded to 400ltr tank and 100m of hose,

Also, a big estate I work on which started being built 12 years ago only had one road going into it and all the site traffic went to the compound using that road until around 4 years ago the amount of dust was unreal lots of houses were affected those jobs were like first cleans every time this was worse in drier weather the top of the frames, sills and trickle vents were covered in dust this went on for years even houses streets away I had to be really thorough and as fast as I could be as I was always losing money on these jobs because of the time I had to put in to ensure they were up to standard, I really refined how I worked on these job's this was repeated on other new build estates as well,

I have just kept at it and always ensure I'm as thorough as I can be whilst being very efficient also over the years switching to an electric reel and having rollers fitted on the underside of the van, listening to dance music all day as well keeps my mood and energy up and I just flow.

 

[Iron Giant]

New pin is now banned
Please everyone sort out the insulting comments as it’s not on
This especially not after a warning for behaviour lol

I'll be on my best behavior.

If you fetch that bottle of wine

 

[Jaygti]

A daily rate, is made up of a number of factors, not just quality of work.
Just off the top of my head, and in no particular order-

1/ Pricing
2/ compactness of work
3/ Length of work day
4/ time spent on tea and lunch breaks
5/ time spent gassing to customers about the weather.
6/ Experience
7/ Age / fitness level
8 / Efficiency / speed of working
9/ Flow rate

There’s probably more, which I might add if I think of them

 

[Part Timer]

A daily rate, is made up of a number of factors, not just quality of work.
Just off the top of my head, and in no particular order-

1/ Pricing
2/ compactness of work
3/ Length of work day
4/ time spent on tea and lunch breaks
5/ time spent gassing to customers about the weather.
6/ Experience
7/ Age / fitness level
8 / Efficiency / speed of working
9/ Flow rate

There’s probably more, which I might add if I think of them

You'll have to excuse me on number 7

 

[Pjj]

Fairly certain there's only one person on this thread talking bs. I'm very happy for you that you've managed to talk 100 customers into buying your service which isn't needed and vastly overpriced.
So please let those that have large, very established rounds, do what they do.
You obviously have to do other work as you can't grow your round bigger than it is as most potential customers see right through your sales pitch. At the end of the day clean is clean and having to apply chemicals every time either means you're doing a bad job or don't really know what you're doing.
In the mean time the people you call cowboys will keep doing what they're doing whilst you continue to over sell your services.

Well said that man

 

[Scrubsy]

With my arthritis diagnosis last year there's no way I'll be hitting 25 houses and as for 43, I might be able to wave the pole in their general direction but that'll do .

@DansClearView Sorry about the arthritis diagnosis mate. Wow that's rough at 43. You are doing the right thing and your home life will benefit for you being there at more regular times, rather than all over the place with shifts here, there and everywhere (been there and done that too mate, to say it's disheartening is an understatement).

 

[DansClearView]

@DansClearView Sorry about the arthritis diagnosis mate. Wow that's rough at 43. You are doing the right thing and your home life will benefit for you being there at more regular times, rather than all over the place with shifts here, there and everywhere (been there and done that too mate, to say it's disheartening is an understatement).

Cheers Scrubsy. 43 was actually the number of houses mentioned in one of the earlier comments although I hit the big 4-0 next year so not far out anyway

 

[Scrubsy]

Cheers Scrubsy. 43 was actually the number of houses mentioned in one of the earlier comments although I hit the big 4-0 next year so not far out anyway

Sorry mate, my misreading. 39 is even tougher mate. Hopefully you are keeping going ok and it's not affecting you too much .

 

[Dave B]

I'll be on my best behavior.

If you fetch that bottle of wine

That wine will be ready by about may and totally aged and drinkable
With the hydrometer it’s working out about 12.9%

 

[Iron Giant]

That wine will be ready by about may and totally aged and drinkable
With the hydrometer it’s working out about 12.9%

Thanks for the update, it's a long wait but it will be worth it

 

[dazmond]

These things have helped me drastically over the last few years....

Decent sign written van with diesel hot water system,electric reel and xtreme poles

Cleaner planner for organising work effectively

Price rises across the whole round...

Your in a very fortunate position in that you have a large,well established round. All you need to do is go fully WFP and put all your prices up....

You should be able to earn more than you earn now(working 6 days a week)in 4 short days per week after 6 months of fully WFP.

Less work,more money,better work/life balance

What's not to like?

You also won't get too fed up with window cleaning when you have a 3 day weekend to look forward too EVERY weekend!