Price per room or area. Our cut off is 250 sq.ft (about 15x16). Anything over puts it at our two room rate. We price large areas (finished basement) by the room using 250 sq ft increments. Many basements end up being a triple or quad.
Min charge/1 room. $150
First two rooms. $180
Additional rooms $80
Stairs $5 each, runner stair $6 each. Landings $20
Hall $55, $75, $110 depending in lentght and comfiguration. Most are $55 halls
Walk in closet $35
Scotchgard $35 per room, $3 per stair.
Maxim $50 per room, $5 per stair
We move furniture, block and tab. Large pieces we will move if clear/empty (contents or drawers removed from dresser). If customer wants under bed done, they have to remove mattress and box spring. Will not move anything with electronics or breakables on it.
We charge the same for an empty room or one with furniture. Rational is we are either cleaning more carpet, or it's more labor intensive when moving and cleaning under some furniture. Customers seem to get that and don't push back. In some cases if it is a double size room as they don't want any furniture moved we will only charge for a single room.
It works well for us this way because we are able to give very accurate quotes over the phone. Also not wasting time once we get there measuring out every nook and cranny and around furniture then calculating.
Most people have NO IDEA how much sq ft of carpet they have in their open areas of they don't want furniture moved. They can't conceptilize what $0.45 sq foot means in terms of total/final cost. I have 4 bedrooms, hall stairs and family room. How much would that be, I'm looking for an idea? Kind of hard to give them if you don't know how much furniture or cleanable carpet is in those areas when you price per sq ft. By he room or area I can give them a price.
With a detailed phone "interview" about the spaces, I'm usually spot on for estimate price. And I tell them a range of they aren't sure if a room is double or not. So they know the high or low end of cost.
When really large or multiple services (there are some things we do price by sq ft) we will offer to go out and give estimate if I sense that is what they want or need or if they ask if we can come out. But that is pretty infrequent. And usually only with a first time customer. But, many new customers are from referrals so they are cool with the phone estimate cause they know they want to use us, but just want an idea.