Anyone want to help me bid a high rise?

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I have heard all you guys talking about VLM and for the most part I have ignored it. Just because there was not a demand from my customers and I don't have a crew to take on huge commercial work all the time.
I do have an opportunity to put in a bid on a high rise condo where I work for a tenant and would like to get more residential work.

I have quickly read and learned that the Cimex is probably the fastest way to go.
I have 10 floors to clean with carpet. 26,000 sq ft total. So about 2,600 sq ft per floor.
If a person knows what they are doing they can almost clean a floor an hour right?
I do not currently have a helper. I have no idea how to run a cimex. Hell I don't even own one.
Will I be making frequent trips back down to the ground floor for more water?
What, in your opinion, would be a good price per square foot?
 

DAT

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This is condo and people currently live in it? Are each floors dedicated condos?
 
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2600 an hour?

Maybe if you dont pre vac, no spotting, electric outlets every 40ft, a utility sink on each floor and you have poor vision..
Guess I'll take my glasses off when I walk in...
I didn't think about outlets. So that's good to know.
There will be very little spotting. Over all the carpet does not look bad.
How many gallons of water do you think you use per 2,000 sq ft?
 

Desk Jockey

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Two hours a floor.

Vacuuming when using low moisture is far more critical than it is when using hwe.

Get (6) 5-gallon jugs and a small cart. Fill them up with water and leave them staged 2 per floor. Mix the chemical as needed. Refill when you run out of water.

Cimex is a fairly simple machine. Go to your distributors and rent one. How close are you to Avantage? I think Bob Bonwell rents them.

How much? What is their budget? 2600 x.12 is $312.00 a floor for 2 hours work.
 
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I would be cleaning the hallways on each floor. Not the individual condos. Sorry I was not clean on that.

What is their budget?
I am not sure. I really didn't know that was appropriate to ask.

2600 x.12 is $312.00 a floor for 2 hours work.
That sounds worth it to me. Other than I would essentially be working to pay for a machine that will sit in my garage until I learn how to market/sell commercial work and hire some help.
 
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I'd get an orbit vibe and a helper for that one job. The helper can prevac well, bring you solution, move a couple fans around. The vibe you can use for more than large commercial jobs. Tile, post padding, ect. Easy money. Very little learning curve involved.
 
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BIG WOOD

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I would be cleaning the hallways on each floor. Not the individual condos. Sorry I was not clean on that.


I am not sure. I really didn't know that was appropriate to ask.


That sounds worth it to me. Other than I would essentially be working to pay for a machine that will sit in my garage until I learn how to market/sell commercial work and hire some help.
Yes it is appropriate to ask. Sometimes I'll ask my customer those words, "On your yearly budget, how much has your staff reserved for carpet cleaning?" You'll be surprised how happy they'll respond to that answer. That gives you something to work with. If they throw out a huge number way over .12/sq ft., then you can price it a little higher than .12, yet under their max budget, and you'll make more money, yet save them some extra money as well. Both parties are happier.

Once you get the cimex, you'll be more enlightened to search for more jobs like this. I did the same thing. If you get a big commercial job that needs HWE, then bring the cimex with you and do the areas that aren't that dirty, and HWE the really dirty areas. You've saved time and got more experience using it. It's a win win for you. But like always, look for a used one if this is your first one. When you get a lot of work where another cimex is needed in the future, then get a new one
 
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I'd get an orbit vibe and a helper for that one job. The helper can prevac well, bring you solution, move a couple fans around. The vibe you can use for more than large commercial jobs. Tile, post padding, ect. Easy money. Very little learning curve involved.
That's an interesting idea. The machine looks well built. It's not much cheaper than a Cimex but like you said you said I could get more use out of it.
 
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A number of months back, I took the advice of some of the old goats here. I bought a used Cimex, and have already made back close to 10x the money.... it’s like mowing a lawn... the highest per hr average I’ve made off of carpeting so far, has been with the Cimex. You can almost hear the money falling into your pocket...
 
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Cimex is a fairly simple machine. Go to your distributors and rent one. How close are you to Avantage? I think Bob Bonwell rents them.
Advantage is 2 hours away. My local distributor can rent me a 20'' BP. I dunno... I encapped a small office with my 10" BP once. I would think a post pad would be necessary for these hallways. My distributor disagrees.
 

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Cleanworks

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Advantage is 2 hours away. My local distributor can rent me a 20'' BP. I dunno... I encapped a small office with my 10" BP once. I would think a post pad would be necessary for these hallways. My distributor disagrees.
You need to be careful post padding. If you get it too dry you can damage the carpet. A Cimex or sprayborg used properly will usually dry in 1-2 hours without post padding. Its a good option for heavily soiled areas but not necessary for everything.
 
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Ok, that sounds a little crazy but I like the idea of not having an expensive machine collecting dust. I think I would do that.
Matt, once you try a Cimex, and find out how easy they are to operate, you’ll want one.... I was a die hard HWE guy until I bought my machine. Think of this way, DO YOU WANT TO BE A ONE TRICK PONY?
 
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DO YOU WANT TO BE A ONE TRICK PONY?
Before I started spending time on here I did, because I thought it was all SCAMpooing. After seeing the results and hearing about how easy it is it seems stupid to not be offering other methods. If it cleans the carpet and makes a profit, why not?
I don't mind learning something new especially if it means I can increase my market share.
 
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Before I started spending time on here I did, because I thought it was all SCAMpooing. After seeing the results and hearing about how easy it is it seems stupid to not be offering other methods. If it cleans the carpet and makes a profit, why not?
I don't mind learning something new especially if it means I can increase my market share.
Matt, it allows you to reach beyond 1-2 floors, any high rise you drive by, more than likely is being cleaned by the VLM method .... if done properly, it is a very good way to clean... If you get one, BUY A REALLY GOOD VACUUM to go with it. Think of it as an integral part of the system. I did 18,000 sqft with it, the second time I ever used it. Just don’t cheap out on the chemistry. Between HWE, and VLM, YOU CAN CLEAN ANYWHERE......
 
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