WindowBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

Per Window, Per Pane or Flat Rate: Choosing a Window Cleaning Pricing Method

Every window cleaning company eventually has the same argument with itself: do we price by the window, by the pane, or by the house? There is no single right answer. There is a right answer for your market, your crew and the kind of homes you clean, and the important part is picking one and using it consistently.

Why the Method Matters

In How to Quote a Window Cleaning Job, Step by Step we walked through the order of a quote. The pricing method is what turns those counts into a number. Pick a method that matches how long the work really takes, and your quotes will be fair to both sides. Pick one that does not, and some jobs will be wildly profitable while others quietly lose money.

None of what follows is a market rate. Prices vary by region, by competition and by what your time is worth. The examples use round numbers to show the math.

Per-Window Pricing

Per-window pricing charges a set amount for each window, often with a different price for outside and inside. For example, $6 a window outside and $4 inside.

Why owners like it: it is easy to explain, easy to count and easy for customers to check. A homeowner can walk around the house and count along with you. It also scales naturally: a bigger house costs more.

Where it breaks: not every window takes the same time. A giant picture window and a small bathroom window cost the same, and a French door with fifteen divided panes counts as one. You fix that with add-ons and clear counting rules. Decide what one “window” means, write it down, and price the exceptions separately.

Per-Pane Pricing

Per-pane pricing charges for each individual piece of glass. A double-hung window might be two panes, a French door might be fifteen.

Why owners like it: it tracks the actual work more closely. Divided-light windows and older homes with lots of small panes get priced fairly.

Where it breaks: it takes longer to count, and customers can be surprised when a house they think has twenty windows comes out to sixty panes. The number sounds big even when the total is fair. If you price per pane, explain it on the estimate and consider using it only for the windows that need it.

Flat-Rate Pricing

Flat-rate pricing sets one price for the whole job. “Outside windows, two-story house, $220.” Some companies use size bands: a price for small, medium and large homes.

Why owners like it: it is the simplest number a customer will ever see. It is quick to quote over the phone and easy to sell as a recurring plan. Storefronts are almost always flat rate per visit.

Where it breaks: the estimate hides the counts. If you do not record how many windows were behind the number, you cannot defend it later, and a new estimator cannot reproduce it. A flat rate built on a count is fine. A flat rate built on a glance is a guess.

Mixing Methods

Most window cleaners end up with a mix, and that is fine. A common setup looks like this:

• Per window as the base price for standard windows.
• Per pane for French doors and divided-light windows.
• A story add-on per upper window.
• Per screen and per track as extras.
• Flat per visit for storefronts.
• A minimum job charge underneath everything.

The mix gives you the easy explanation of per-window pricing with protection on the windows that take longer. We cover the height part in Story Add-Ons: Pricing Second-Story and Third-Story Window Cleaning.

Setting It Up in Your Service List

In WindowBossPro, the pricing method lives on your service list. Each item has its own unit and price, so you can have “Outside window, per window,” “French door, per pane” and “Storefront, per visit” side by side. When you build an estimate, you enter quantities and the total adds up.

Whatever method you choose, still record the window details on the job: the number of windows, stories, sides and extras. Even a flat-rate customer benefits. When the price needs to go up next year, or a new tech shows up for the first time, the count is already there.

Picking Yours

If you are just starting, per window with a few add-ons is the easiest method to learn and to explain. If you clean many older homes with divided panes, add per-pane items for those. If you sell mostly recurring plans, a flat per-visit price built on a recorded count is easy to sell and easy to bill. Whatever you choose, keep it on the service list so every estimate follows the same rules. For more on quoting in WindowBossPro, see the window cleaning estimate software page.