# apartment complex bid



## bristolturf

Hey guys, not here asking about what exactly i should charge, but more or less if my price sounds good, with what my prices are. I am bidding on a apartment complex. It has a small privet road, and then 6 parking lots. The total of roads and lots is 2.75 acres, but i doubt i will ever have 2.75 acres to clear ever, due to cars being parked. Game plan is to run a skid loader with a snow bucket, and a plow truck on the lot. Truck will take care of the pushes and the road, skid loader will stack the snow and clear out stalls. I am thinking in a 1-3.9 inch snow fall, a truck will have 2 hours on it and the skid loader will have 4 on it, all the stalls have to be back dragged becasue of the side walks along the lots. That time also includes coming back next day when the lot is more empty to clear out more stalls. So with my prices im at $470.00 per push. I figure Ill end up using around 1500 lbs of salt (a lot of the spaces wont get salt so amount is reduced), so theres $270.00 for the salt. Sidewalks total 40k sqft. They are either 4' or 8' wide walks. My plan will be to have 3 walk guys, 2 with 48" snow throwers and another with a single stage and a shovel for stoops and small little clean up. I am figuring right around 9 total labor hours for the walks that will total $351, plus 1000lbs of ice melt totaling $450.00. That gives me a total price of $1541.00. I dont know what other people charge, just wanted to get an opinion. 

I am working on a seasonal contract for this up to 50". We average around 12 plowable events per year, plus another 10 salt only events. Salt only will include shoveling the sidewalks. I am just trying to figure out how I should price the seasonal, because most of our snow storms fall in the 1-3.9 range (8 per year, average of last 5 years) but then we get about 1 storm in each of the 4-6.9, 7-9.9, 10-12, and 12.1 plus. If I could get a little guidance on putting together the seasonal agreement that would be great.


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## snow man 0311

Hey 9 hour for shoveling and plowing and only 1541.00 for all that time , are u paying your guys a dollar an hour maybe I too high cause I live on long island but it sounds low to me .I have about 30 accounts including res and comm. for sand and salt mix I charge 125 a yard witch i get for 50 to 60 a yard plus salting the walk I get 50 lbs of rock salt or similar for a $100 you have to charge for time , labor and material just my 2 cents .....We only get a couple of storms a season but I get most of accounts back next season so I guess I doing something right .Seven storm last season anywhere from 1 inch to 22inches good luck hope u get it ....or I don't do seasonal just by inch 2-6 6-9 9-12 ect hope I helped....


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## bristolturf

aaround here were getting anywhere from 55-65/hr for a truck, 75-85/hr skid load, and a shoveler gets around $40/hr. Ice Melt is anywhere from .42-45/lb and rock is like .17-.20/lb. I dont know what your getting by you, but thats what my market is.


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## NPMinc

Damn a truck n plow getting only $15-$25/hr more then a shoveler with no overhead (other then maybe buying some warm clothes n a shovel). Thats just sad. Maybe I can sell all my equipment, ditch the overhead and just shovel. Lol I could probably cut the gym membership for the winter months too.


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## TPC Services

NPMinc;1167360 said:


> Damn a truck n plow getting only $15-$25/hr more then a shoveler with no overhead (other then maybe buying some warm clothes n a shovel). Thats just sad. Maybe I can sell all my equipment, ditch the overhead and just shovel. Lol I could probably cut the gym membership for the winter months too.


I am thinking he maybe meaning that SDWK crews are getting $40 per hr that is either shovling or blowing of the sdwks not just a shovler.

If you could attach a picture so we can see what this place look like, that way we can base a opinions a little better on it. like how far some of the pushs going to be, where are you stacking piles, how tight are the drives are there a lot of bends in them. stuff like that. not for sure on where you live in Wisconsin . but your prices for that region sound a little off. (JMO) I have heard other prices from guys on where that live in Wis that are bit higher then yours


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## NPMinc

TPC I would hope thats what he means. As I said that would be sad. If I pulled up on a job as a plow sub and found out I was making only $15 more then the shovel guy to run my truck, you can be damn sure my truck would be parked and I'd be out with a shovel in hand lol. If that rate is correct I'm glad hes not around here, Id be SOL trying to find shovelers as they'd all be trying to work for him!


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## dodge2500

I think your price is pretty fair myself. You are gettin almost $40 per hour for each sidewalk guy, almost $80 per hour for plowing, $0.18 per lb of rock salt, and $0.45 per lb of sidewalk salt. I service an apartment complex bigger than this and I think your prices are fair. 90% of the time all you end up plowing is the lanes and a few parking spaces. We go back after each event and clean up more spots but only once. When writing your contract, make sure to specify how many times you will come back and clean up spots or have them tell you the time frame they want you back so you don't get called back each time a car leaves. I think your per time price of $1541.00 is right in there. Good Luck


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## Guzzo856

unless they want every 1 or 2 stalls plowed i would not bother with a loader. Many of these complexes want the chapest price as possible, they usually dont pay enough to run an extra operator, if they do i would add an extra $150 a push


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## bristolturf

around here it gets done. A few companies i know and have worked for in the past, run a loader on the site with a snow bucket to clear out the stalls/pile the snow, and then next day usually send a truck or the loader back out there and clean up more stalls. And thats not worth no extra 150/push. You have to remember that your plowing this parking lot, but never the whole thing, since theres always cars there. ITs just really a couple pushes in each lot and your done. Pull the skid in and clean out the spaces and on to the next.


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## coyote

I need that account!


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## LoneCowboy

a skid and a truck for only 2.75 acres???????
seriously??????????????

way, way overboard

should take like 2 to 3 hours with ONE piece of equipment (either skid or truck)


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## bristolturf

After Ive thought about it more, id probably only send the pick up truck just to plow the road thats in there. It would be more productive to use that as oppose to the skid. The site is just tricky becasue all the snow in each lot has to be put in the same location which will require the snow to always be stacked up. Theres two grassy islands in the back corner where it would get put, then when those are filled take up the parking stalls.


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