# Price per square foot?



## Mike S

What do you guys charge per square foot, which means total amount for material and to put down, for salt and liquid? 
The reason I ask is because I have to price out some properties that way this year. These lots are very large and the smallest one is over 1 million square feet of parking lot.

Any input on the liquid would help me the most.


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## Mike S

No thoughts or opions? I would like to hear what prices you guys came up with on salt no matter the size of the lot or lots. This will make you guys think.


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## ROSELAWN

I think the reason your hearing crickets is because no one really likes to give out prices. Everyone has different overhead to cover. Figure out how much it will cost you and how much you want to make and add them together. Go to the salt institute's website to learn more. Or join SIMA.


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## Mike S

Been there done that and still did not have a very good answer, but PJ helped me out so im good. SIMA didnt have exactly what I was looking for but helped out. I still would like to hear some feed back just to do some figuring to see what others came up with.


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## Ipushsnow

Well, to kinda answer your question, I measure the square footage and calculate 17 pounds of salt per 1000 square foot. 
So for example a 1,000,000 square foot lot would use 17,000 pounds of salt. Then you just price it accordingly for your area, if you want to charge $100 per ton then it would be $850 per application.

I find the 17 pounds per 1000 square feet works very well, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less, but its pretty damn good.


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## terrapro

i calculate mine at 20lbs per 1000sqft and multiply x 3 the cost of purchase...usally this is what i do.


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## Mike S

Thats is exactlly what I was hoping to hear and see. Sounds like we are all in the same ball park so far!


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## NorthernSvc's

20x1000... 275 per ton


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## scottL

Hold on here.... Your bidding on a 1 MILLION square foot property and you are curious how to bid it. Everyone on this site I know is more than willing to help but, if your serious about a 1 MILLION square foot property should you not already know 

it's about 300 to 500 pound per acre at 43650 feet per acre. Or you may caculate 100 square feet to 10-15 pounds or 50 pounds per 3600 square feet. You need to know how much then caculate what is necessary for you.

If you search the forums you'll find any where from 2 to 4.5 times the cost of salt to what it cost them.


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## Mike S

If you read my post I am mainly asking about the liquid but I was interested in what others are charging for salt too due to some mixed numbers that I have been getting around town. The numbers that I have been getting have been $150-$360 a ton. I usally put down between 800 to 1000 pounds per acre and would like to see what I can get away with so calm down it not a big deal. I have never bid by the square foot only by the ton which was a 1 ton min. PJ and I got together and came up with some good numbers so Im good on the liquid. The grand total of square feet Im am looking at pre treating is almost 11 million so my main goal is to price it out so it is cheaper then salting.


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## mike_dmt

Could you possibly PM me with what you guys came up with for a number for liquid. I was just about to ask the same question.


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## Mike S

I think you need to post three more times then we can PM you. But I will tell you what Im doing this year on the liquid. I figured a high number to be safe and that was 50 to 60 gallons per acre just to be safe since this is my first year selling it at a different rate then what the salt price was. Im hoping to only use 35 to 40 but some times that just doesnt happen.


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## mike_dmt

Are you figuring that as a pre-treatment, or for after you push?


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## Mike S

Pre trreatment but might use it for after we plow.


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## Jimmy Blizzard

i've read the forums, begin here stuff and now my eyes are bugged out....doing this for about a week. 
If bulk salt is unavailable mid season, how do you deal with it?


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## plowtime1

perhaps you could align and/or network with another plow associate and buy/cover and store it yourself.


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## making a living

hey mike i would like to know how on 10-19-08 you said yeah pre treat is good and you where thinking about doing it but then not two weeks later you said it didn't work for you 
how is that


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## Mike S

making a living;623309 said:


> hey mike i would like to know how on 10-19-08 you said yeah pre treat is good and you where thinking about doing it but then not two weeks later you said it didn't work for you
> how is that


Please quote it so I can see what I said. Pretreat works and I have always said that. It sometimes doesnt work for the customer as in meaning that they dont want to pay for pretreat. I have also said that I have shot myself in the foot by pretreating to much which then cut down on my plowing and salting. I told you that replacing salt with liquid was not a good idea which means dont replace all of your salt. I am not thinking about doing pre treat I already do it I am just thinking about sell it more and billing the customer in different ways other then just charging for a salt app. So please show me what I said so I can fix what I said if its wrong. Also I checked my user cp and I did not post on the 19th!


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## JD Dave

Just out of curiosity are these places you bid or are bidding Malls or Distribution Centres or what? I have places around that size and I can tell you they would never want the entire lot pretreated, we actually mainly use salt as a pretreat now because they want bare pavement on throughways 24/7 and they don't complain about seeing white pavement. We generally only pretreat the nite before a storm is coming and we also do lot checks 7 days a week for runoff. I'm just trying to figure out what exactly your trying to do.


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## blmland

$2.60 - $2.85 per 1000 sq.ft. for de-icing/anti-icing. It depends on the distance to the job/size/obstacles.


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## Mike S

JD Dave;623356 said:


> Just out of curiosity are these places you bid or are bidding Malls or Distribution Centres or what? I have places around that size and I can tell you they would never want the entire lot pretreated, we actually mainly use salt as a pretreat now because they want bare pavement on throughways 24/7 and they don't complain about seeing white pavement. We generally only pretreat the nite before a storm is coming and we also do lot checks 7 days a week for runoff. I'm just trying to figure out what exactly your trying to do.


DC buildings, and we are not going to do the whole lot, just the drive lanes on all of them. Im not plowing all of them but would like to pretreat them. Salt is not going to be available this year for pre treat. We barely have engough to last half the winter. So do you understand what Im tring to do now.
Lets not get to far off the topic I was just interested to see where every one sat on their price on everything. That was a mistake, now im on the chopping block with every one! LOL!


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## DODGE-BOY

Hey Mike, Jason at Bobcat told me who you did some plowing for and that he didn't think you were all that happy. Have you got enough work without them this year, or are you looking for more? We should talk and see if we can help each other in any way. He offered me your cell number but I told him I would touch base with you here first. I'll send you mine if you want. Thanks


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## Mike S

DODGE-BOY;626227 said:


> Hey Mike, Jason at Bobcat told me who you did some plowing for and that he didn't think you were all that happy. Have you got enough work without them this year, or are you looking for more? We should talk and see if we can help each other in any way. He offered me your cell number but I told him I would touch base with you here first. I'll send you mine if you want. Thanks


Jason H? He and uncle Bob over there at bobcat are awsome! Not really looking for more work, looking on how to get out of doing some of the work we got now. I was not happy last year but they made it better by the end of the season! Ya send me your number! We should get in touch and see what we got! :salute: I know you probably want to see the 8611SS also! LOL


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## DODGE-BOY

Mike, you can reach me at 614-736-9191


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