WindowBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

French Panes, Skylights and Specialty Glass: Pricing the Windows That Take Longer

Most windows on a house are routine. Then there is the French door with fifteen little panes, the skylight over the kitchen, the arched transom above the front door and the glass railing on the deck. These windows take longer, and if your quote treats them like every other window, they eat your margin one pane at a time.

The Windows That Break Per-Window Pricing

In Post-Construction Window Cleaning Quotes: Paint, Stickers and Debris we priced the condition of the glass. This article is about the shape of the glass. Per-window pricing assumes every window takes about the same time. Specialty glass is where that assumption breaks.

French Panes and Divided Lights

French doors and divided-light windows have many small panes separated by wood or vinyl muntins. Every pane gets its own wipe and its own detail, and the corners collect dirt. A single French door can take longer than three regular windows.

Common ways to price them:

• Per pane. The fairest method. Count the panes and charge a per-pane price, usually lower than your per-window price.
• Per door or window at a higher rate. Easier to quote. Works when your French doors are all similar.
• Base window price plus a divided-light add-on. Keeps the count simple and adds a set amount for the extra detail.

Watch for windows with snap-in grilles. Many homeowners do not know their grilles come out. If they do, the window cleans like a regular one. If they are built in, it is a true divided light.

Skylights

Skylights are specialty glass in two ways: they are on the roof, and they are often over a tall ceiling inside. Outside cleaning usually means roof access, which is a safety decision as much as a pricing one. Inside cleaning may need a tall ladder or an extension pole.

Price skylights as their own item, not as a window. Note in the estimate whether you are cleaning inside, outside or both. If you do not do roof work, say so: “Skylights cleaned from inside only.”

Access notes matter here. In WindowBossPro, skylights are a good example of what goes in the access notes on the job, so the tech knows before arriving: “Two skylights over kitchen, inside only, 12-foot ceiling.”

Transoms, Arches and High Windows

Transoms above doors, arched windows and clerestory windows near the roof line are often hard to reach and awkward to squeegee. Inside, two-story foyers and great rooms often have them too.

Price them either as a specialty item or with your story add-on, whichever matches the effort. A transom right above the front door is easy. A half-round window at the top of a two-story foyer needs a tall ladder inside and someone careful with the furniture below.

Other Specialty Glass

• Glass railings and balcony panels. Often priced per panel.
• Sunrooms. Walls of glass, sometimes glass roofs. Count every panel and treat any roof glass like a skylight.
• Mirrors and shower glass. Some window cleaners offer them on inside jobs. Price per item.
• Leaded and stained glass. Delicate. Many cleaners clean these by hand only, or not at all. Say which.
• Storm windows. Two layers of glass, and sometimes the inner window needs to come out.

Putting Specialty Items on Your Service List

The easiest way to make sure specialty glass gets priced is to have it on your service list. In WindowBossPro, add items like “French door, per pane,” “Skylight, inside,” “Transom or arch window” and “Glass railing panel.” When you build an estimate, you scan the list and add what the house has. If an item is on the list, it is hard to forget.

Each item shows as its own line on the estimate, so the customer sees why the French doors cost more than the bedroom windows. We cover building that list in Building Your Service List So Every Window Cleaning Estimate Adds Itself Up.

On the job itself, keep the window count, stories and sides in the window details as usual, and add a short access note naming any specialty glass and how to handle it.

When you are not sure how long a specialty window will take, time it on the first visit. The next quote for that house, or one like it, will be better for it.

Price the Slow Windows Honestly

Specialty glass is where a fair quote earns its keep. Spot it on the walkthrough, price it per pane or as its own item, and keep a note on the job so every crew handles it the same way. For more on quoting in WindowBossPro, see the window cleaning estimate software page.