# Small Parking Lot Bid



## AccuCon (Jan 31, 2013)

Hi

This is my first commercial lot and I am looking for a sanity check on my price...

about 16,000sf w/ small walk that needs to be shoveled and salted...

I'm saying $150 for 1-3" with walk

+$75 for additional push (3-6")
+$125 for additional push (6-12")
$45 for walk salted only
+$100 if they want the lot salted when plowed
$135 salt lot only

The lower building isnt occupied so the lower walk and lot are out










I figure it would take me 45mins to clear w/ walk shoveled and salted

Im thinking it would take 320lbs of salt for the lot on average

Thoughts?

Thanks


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## quigleysiding (Oct 3, 2009)

Sounds good. Thumbs Up I don't know what the going rates are in your area though........


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## AccuCon (Jan 31, 2013)

Thanks for your response! 

It's the "Valley" for example gas is about $.40 a gallon more than surrounding areas so things in general are a tad more expensive...


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

You must have a higher living stranded there .To me that's about 75-80 bucks each time with shoveling.


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## underESTIMATED (Jul 2, 2010)

grandview;1582395 said:


> You must have a higher living stranded there .To me that's about 75-80 bucks each time with shoveling.


Im with Grandview.

$75/plow/shovel

$75/salt


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## 86 CJ (Jan 11, 2010)

Around here I use to do long driveways for no less than $100. When I price a Commercial Company's lot that would be the min I drop the blade for. I think that NOTHING compared to a $$$ lawsuit for 1 person to fall and break a leg. It looks like a fairly easy lot to push. I like your price and would be between $100-$125/push plus $25 for little sidewalk. I think your price is dead on if it were in MD.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

grandview;1582395 said:


> You must have a higher living stranded there .To me that's about 75-80 bucks each time with shoveling.


Yep I'm there to 30min job with my setup

To the OP what size of a plow you are using


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## GSS LLC (Jul 7, 2012)

i say 80. 123456789


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

That is a $150 per push lot if you are plowing everything outlined in Orange. You guys doing it for less are just plain crazy. 

I'd price that @ $150 with a trigger set at the owners liking. I'd want $150 each time I pushed, no matter if it were one time or 5 times a storm. 
The little walk would be $40 every time.

I personally am out there to make a profit, not just pay the overhead and be able to buy lunch.
Profit to me means pay all the bills, make a decent paycheck, AND put money away for retirement and reinvestment into the business.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Buswell Forest;1583184 said:


> That is a $150 per push lot if you are plowing everything outlined in Orange. You guys doing it for less are just plain crazy.
> 
> I'd price that @ $150 with a trigger set at the owners liking. I'd want $150 each time I pushed, no matter if it were one time or 5 times a storm.
> The little walk would be $40 every time.
> ...


Good for you if your getting that. But if the market is not paying it, you'll be standing there and holding something and it's not your plow controller


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## GSS LLC (Jul 7, 2012)

grandview;1583277 said:


> good for you if your getting that. But if the market is not paying it, you'll be standing there and holding something and it's not your plow controller


quoted for truth


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

grandview;1583277 said:


> Good for you if your getting that. But if the market is not paying it, you'll be standing there and holding something and it's not your plow controller


Your market is saturated with snow removal technicians I guess.

But gas, insurance, trucks, plows...food, mortgages...taxes...these things cost the same everywhere...I don't see how you guys can live on earnings like that..$80 plowed and shoveled and walk sanded?


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## Snow Commandor (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm with Grandview. If this were in NJ I wouldn't drop my blade for less than $150 per push.


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

Snow Commandor;1583572 said:


> I'm with Grandview. If this were in NJ I wouldn't drop my blade for less than $150 per push.


Grandview is @ $80 plowed, shoveled and walk sanded.

I am the greedy one @ $150 + $40..payup


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

AccuCon;1581790 said:


> Hi
> 
> This is my first commercial lot and I am looking for a sanity check on my price...
> 
> ...


These would be my rough est. numbers for the area you have in yellow including the sidewalk covered by the trees.

2-3 $125 plow only, with salting $175
4-6 $175, $225
7-8 $250, $300
every 3 inches add $75
For a ice storm and 1 inch salting $100
The Walkways I would charge $50 for every 3 inches and add in another $20 for salting.
For a ice storm and 1 inch salting of the walks $50

So a 2-3 inch storm plowing, salting and sidewalks would be $245.00

Keep in mind my numbers are rough est. based just on your picture. 
Always take a look at the property at night. 
What looks like a easy job during the day takes on a whole new level at night with the parking lot filled with cars. 
Then you have to figure on coming back later to clean the spots filled with cars.

Hope you get it, have a good weekend.


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## crazyboy (Feb 3, 2009)

1-4 $175

$145 for salt lot and walk.


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## john06duramax (Nov 27, 2012)

Yeah anybody under $100 is just plain out of their mind. My prices

1-3=$115.00
3-6=$185.00
6-12=$265.00
12+= $30/inch

Sidewalks $35.00 each, plus $10 for treatment
Salt= $135.00 per app.

So to the OP your pricing is pretty good. We do about 30 lots this size and these are our rates for pretty much all of them.


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

I am puzzled at the different prices for different amounts.

I thought that's what triggers were for? 

Realistically speaking, no apartment complex should be let go past 3"...it just gets packed and makes a mess later on...

It's why I said $150 every time I come drop a blade....I suppose if the PM / owner wanted me to wait till 6", then I'd bump it to $180..


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## crazyboy (Feb 3, 2009)

Buswell Forest;1584415 said:


> I am puzzled at the different prices for different amounts.
> 
> I thought that's what triggers were for?
> 
> ...


Not familiar with per event pricing? It doesn't necessarily mean you only go plow once.


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

crazyboy;1584475 said:


> Not familiar with per event pricing? It doesn't necessarily mean you only go plow once.


Exactly, it's why I would want $150 every time I went there, 1 time per storm, or 4 times per storm. And that is @ a 3" trigger...like I said, if they wanted a 6" trigger, then $180 a push..
I just think that a different price for different ammounts gets confusing..and your idea of what 4" looks like will always be different than what the PM thinks..


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## quigleysiding (Oct 3, 2009)

Its not the trigger . They are charging by the inch ,


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## ducaticorse (Oct 16, 2012)

Buswell Forest;1583511 said:


> Your market is saturated with snow removal technicians I guess.
> 
> But gas, insurance, trucks, plows...food, mortgages...taxes...these things cost the same everywhere...I don't see how you guys can live on earnings like that..$80 plowed and shoveled and walk sanded?


I'd get $250 for that all day long where I am, and the walks would be extra. Ill show you guys some sat views of properties, and what I charge to do them here. Talk about me setting myself up for a flame job lol..... Salt at the same time $100, separate salting, $150 ( I use Magic Salt)

Yes liability is a huge concern these days. And everything is a write off for businesses, so if you provide a superior response time, and practice excellent communication skills from marketing to execution it is entirely possible to put higher than average numbers on commercial properties.

Geographic area certainly dictates, and I'm not saying if I were living in the areas people claim getting $75 on that lot would be standard I wouldnt do it. But certainly not around these parts, not if you wanted a decent job done in an acceptable time frame.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

ducaticorse;1584607 said:


> I'd get $250 for that all day long where I am, and the walks would be extra. Ill show you guys some sat views of properties, and what I charge to do them here. Talk about me setting myself up for a flame job lol..... Salt at the same time $100, separate salting, $150 ( I use Magic Salt)
> 
> Yes liability is a huge concern these days. And everything is a write off for businesses, so if you provide a superior response time, and practice excellent communication skills from marketing to execution it is entirely possible to put higher than average numbers on commercial properties.
> 
> Geographic area certainly dictates, and I'm not saying if I were living in the areas people claim getting $75 on that lot would be standard I wouldnt do it. But certainly not around these parts, not if you wanted a decent job done in an acceptable time frame.


See post number 10.:waving:


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## ducaticorse (Oct 16, 2012)

grandview;1584919 said:


> See post number 10.:waving:


I did see it, and I agree with you. One thing if anything I've learned from being here on this site is that the market varies wildly from one area to another. Even pricing on equipment is drastically different from one area to another.

Everyone needs to take into account their specific situation and location when taking advice from others. That's why I put the geographical disclaimer on the bottom of what I wrote.

Heck, if I charged the price you suggested I'd have twice the work load and half the income, vice versa, If you tried charging my prices out where you live, you'd be flat broke because no one would hire you.

Unless my kids were starving, and I was about to lose my house, I would never even think about doing that space for $75 bucks. Thats like 40 bucks after insurance taxes and gas.....


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## AccuCon (Jan 31, 2013)

Thank you all for your replies. I have settled with the client and am on board. However I am still wondering over the charges per visit.

I look at it this way, the per inches are basically a per visit charge and since you are hitting them multiple times sometimes a discount is nice and encourages repeat customers and word of mouth advertising.


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## underESTIMATED (Jul 2, 2010)

AccuCon;1589570 said:


> Thank you all for your replies. I have settled with the client and am on board. However I am still wondering over the charges per visit.
> 
> I look at it this way, the per inches are basically a per visit charge and since you are hitting them multiple times sometimes a discount is nice and encourages repeat customers and word of mouth advertising.


So how far apart were we all?


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## AccuCon (Jan 31, 2013)

We settled for $125 for 1-3" with shoveling the walk...Salting extra....

The client was under the impression of $125 dollars per push, however I am giving them a slight discount for each additional push. Which seems to be the standard for this area after discussing with some other contractors. 

However some guys in this area get a fortune for resi driveways, I've heard they wont even show up for anything less then 75


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