MaidBossPro Blog — Offices, Rentals & Move-Outs

Rough, Final and Touch-Up: Scheduling Post-Construction Cleaning in Phases

A single post-construction clean works for a small remodel. For a new home or a big renovation, builders often want the cleaning done in stages, because cleaning everything once at the end means fighting a house full of dust that settles again the next day. Splitting the job into phases makes each visit easier and the end result better.

Why Phases Help

The basics of quoting and scheduling builder work are covered in Post-Construction Cleaning for Builders: Quoting, Scheduling and Billing the Final Clean. Phases build on that.

Construction dust is fine and keeps falling for days. A single heavy clean right after the trades leave often needs a second pass anyway. Planning the phases up front lets you price each one fairly, schedule it at the right time, and set the builder's expectations instead of surprising them with a second visit.

The Common Phases

Different builders use different names, but most phased cleans look something like this:

• Rough clean. After drywall and most heavy work. Remove debris left on floors, vacuum dust, wipe down surfaces so the finish trades are not working in a mess.
• Final clean. After the last trade finishes. The detailed clean: inside cabinets, interior windows and tracks, stickers removed, baseboards, walls & doors, bathrooms and kitchen made spotless.
• Touch-up clean. Right before the walkthrough or move-in. A quick pass for settled dust, fingerprints and anything the punch-list repairs left behind.

Not every job needs all three. A small remodel might just need a final and a touch-up. Agree with the builder on which phases they want before you quote.

Write the scope of each phase into the estimate in plain words. “Rough clean: debris cleared, floors vacuumed, surfaces wiped once” is clear to a builder and to your team. It also keeps the rough clean from quietly turning into a final clean that was only priced as a rough one.

Each Phase Is Its Own Job

In MaidBossPro, each phase works best as its own one-time job at the same address, with the cleaning type set to Post-Construction. That lets you schedule each one on the right day, assign it to the right team, and put the right extras on each visit. The rough clean might have no extras at all, while the final clean has interior windows, inside cabinets, baseboards and walls & doors.

Because MaidBossPro remembers each home, the second and third phases fill in from the previous job at that address: square feet, entry notes and the builder's lockbox code, with a note saying they were copied. Adjust the extras for each phase and you are set.

Quoting a Phased Clean

Put all the phases on one estimate so the builder sees the whole plan and the whole price in one place. Each phase can be its own line, priced by square feet. For example: rough clean, final clean with interior windows and inside cabinets, touch-up before walkthrough. The builder approves online.

If the builder does this kind of job often, save it as an estimate template. The next new home starts with the three phases already laid out, and you only change the square feet.

Timing the Phases

The hardest part of phased cleaning is timing, because construction schedules slip. Agree on how the builder will let you know each phase is ready, usually a text from the superintendent or project manager. Two-way texting from the office keeps those messages in one thread per builder.

When the text comes in, put the phase on the dispatch board for the next workable day. Confirm the house is clear before the team goes. If they arrive and trades are still working, they tap Skip with a note, and the office reschedules.

Notes Between Phases

Phased jobs benefit from good notes. After the rough clean, the team might write, “Heavy dust in the upstairs bedrooms, garage still has debris.” After the final clean, “Paint specks on the master bath tile, couldn't remove, told builder.” Past notes show on the team's phone at the next visit, so the touch-up team knows exactly where to look.

Before-and-after photos at each phase give the builder a clear record of progress without visiting the site, as described in Before-and-After Photos as Proof of Service for Property Managers, which applies just as well to builders.

Billing a Phased Job

Builders billed per job get an invoice as each phase is completed. Builders on a Monthly account get one statement each month, with each phase listed on its own line under the home's address. A builder with several homes in progress sees every phase for every home on one statement.

To see how phased post-construction work fits with move-outs, offices and your recurring homes, visit the MaidBossPro commercial cleaning software page.