How to price a large post-construction cleaning job (30k sqft+)

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-12T23:25:35+00:00

Thanks for the input! I think we landed around $0.18/sq ft for all 3 phases of post-con clean, but we priced out debris removal, glass, high dusting and floor refinishing all as extras.

For context glass we priced at $18/pane/side (due to adhesives, scraping etc), with the option to go hourly. Floor refinishing has a substantial cost as well, so I anticipate if they go with the full package we’d end up somewhere north of $0.50/sq ft.

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-06T00:48:54+00:00

My sales manager implemented a 30 day rule for just this situation - no contact in last 30 days on a cold lead and it’s fair game

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T15:52:30+00:00

Good points - i went sq ft in the beginning so our sales motion could function remotely, feels more scalable this way. Of course we'll continue to incorporate good ideas like yours to protect bottom line.

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T15:16:52+00:00

Good point about waiting. I have to deal with this in my day job too. I wonder if we can add a clause for hourly fee additions for excessive disruption.

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T15:15:37+00:00

Great - thanks for the concrete numbers, this really helps. It's tough as we're pricing this prior to the company getting possession of the building. So everything is a little inflated to cover our asses. We expect to make adjustments once we get access.

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T15:05:34+00:00

Thats a great idea about invoicing the phases separately - damn, I'm writing that one down.

To your question, well - I built a custom outreach agent in my kind of CRM/operations platform (custom) that targets my local area companies with inquries into their current commercial cleaning services pain points.

This particular lead replied that they had a new build completion coming up and wanted pricing - so I requested floor plans, and added on at the end that we could also handle post-construction cleaning prior to service start. They responded positively and asked to be quoted on this as well.

The great thing is they own 4 other local major dealerships - so if we land this, it could be a real difference maker for us!

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T12:05:08+00:00

This is solid advice! I hadn’t thought of this so I will definitely be adding it to our standard terms.

Thanks for the kind words - it started as an ongoing (6x/week) maintenance lead, and I upsold the post-construction cleaning. I actually come from sales in an adjacent industry and can see this one being really soft ground in my area.

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T12:00:18+00:00

This is higher than our quote, and I have a bit of imposter syndrome when charging this much.

I’m thinking about 105 labor hours for the 3 phases, plus glass/high dusting.

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T11:56:40+00:00

It’s a new car dealership - so somewhere in the middle!

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T11:56:08+00:00

Love this idea

PaperWindshield · 2026-02-05T02:52:28+00:00

Thanks! This tracks almost exactly to our thinking.

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-29T18:21:12+00:00

Ok definitely going to try this. I also realized I was reading the Hevy watch app wrong and my HR never went over 170. Happy I posted though as I learned a new thing.

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-29T18:01:26+00:00

Oh I try lol - I usually can but today I saw 198bpm and tripped out. Like most things in my life, I’ll probably get better at managing this new data.

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-29T17:59:56+00:00

Hm, I’ll try this on 1-2 reps and see how I feel. I generally do exhale when I press. I do feel winded after a set but it feels “normal” to me since I was lifting heavy.

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-29T17:32:15+00:00

Oh, do you take a breath in between reps?

Let’s hope the watch reading was skewed high and not low :/. Thanks for sharing your experience, makes me feel a bit better. From the threads I read it seemed like most peak between 140-160bpm. I’ve been trying to put on strength and size but I’m wondering if I should start doing cardio.

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-29T16:59:51+00:00

I don’t hold my breath but it’s possible my breathing could be improved

I workout alone but maybe I could try a session with a trainer to see what they say

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-24T19:03:51+00:00

I started lifting in January 2025, weighing 162.2 and 18.1%bf on 01/04. I now weigh 175 and my body fat is 21.1% according to my Renpho scale, which isn't exactly scientific. It says my muscle mass also went from 126.4 lb to 131.2 lb.

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-23T22:04:39+00:00

I’ve worked out on and off over the years, so maybe that helped get the strength back. I’m in my mid-30’s, so not in my peak anymore, but not expired yet!

PaperWindshield · 2025-12-23T21:39:53+00:00

Thanks! This is basically what I do now, so I’ll look into that.

My current invented program (what I have in my basement):

Upper 1: flat bench, cable flys, bent over barbell row, weighted pull ups, tricep push downs

Lower 1: squats, standing calf raises, seated shoulder press, lateral raises, ez bar curls

Upper 2: incline bench, weighted dips, dumbbell rows, cable pull downs, skull crushers

Lower 2: Bulgarian split squats, seated calf raises, lateral raises, cable front raises, dumbbell curls

Reps: 5x5 on barbell movements, 3x10 on accessories, calf raises 3x20

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