Mike W

I think you gave him a dirt cheap price. That is a sweet deal you have with the storage though. If it were any other residential customer the price would have been 900+. Although I do wash my mothers and mother inlaws houses each year for some fresh baked cookies. :winking: When I have to do the decks I get paid cost of material plus a little extra for my time.

I have to agree that quality should remain a top priority. I have been taking the impala instead of the truck to do most estimates. There is a huge difference in gas mileage. Inventory levels are also kept to a minimum. This way money is not tied up in excess chemicals and spare parts. I have also changed my advertising to more effective focused groups. I am not saying I cut back on advertising, just making it more effective. Many little cuts and streamlining procedures are in place to make this a good year. Deciding not to purchas a new computer and other office equipment is another huge cost saved. I want them, but I don't need them.

That's pretty bad. I would start my truck for that much and maybe do a small house. Did he use the homeowners machine, gas, and chemicals too? lol

I haven't had much luck canvassing the hood with fliers. I definitely would not target the homes that are filthy, because these people usually don't care. A lot of the homes I wash are in high dollar neighboorhoods. They are usually not that dirty because these people care about the investment and have it done every 1-2 years. Those are the customers you want. I don't think you are going to get work from them with fliers though. A lot of small time contractors and various hacks walk these neighboorhoods because they think since the peopple have money they should spend it on xyz service. Maybe change up your campaign and target these discerning customers with top notch service.

There everywhere here too. Every year more of them pop up, then they are gone the next. I was talking to a lawn service guy and he swore up and down that his insurance covered power washing because he was an LLC. I'm not sure how that works, but his insurance only cost him $250/year. He better hope he doesn't damage anything with his pw'er because I don't think the lawnmower insurance covers it.

I learned the hard way washing the walls of a moldy basement. We had two fans trying to exhaust air, but it was not enough ventilation. I had the wrong type of cartridges on my respirator. It was difficult to breath for a few days. That night when I got home, My eyes were burning so bad it hurt to keep them open. Actually had to get prescription eyedrops.

I am going to stick with wood tux and thinking about adding TWP. I have been very happy with the overall performance of wood tux and think it is a great product. it saves me a lot of time. Time is money.

It depends. What were the expectations that the customer had, and what did you say you would deliver? I would strip it again and schedule the sealing for another day. Why Thompsons? If a customer wants to use any product on their deck that I don't use, they apply themselves. I also warranty all of my deck work. It is stated in the agreement that xx% to 100% of the stain will be removed. I guess it really is contingent on what your standards are and if sanding will be sufficient. If the stain is failing already, what ever you put on over that will also fail prematurely.

It is usually hit or miss for me for the past week. I have been having better luck today though.

Oops, I meant to say 10" brush. I have an 8" from lowes that just takes up a little space in the toolbox. I like the brushes Bob has. I use f-13 on the gutters. A little goes a long way. I put about 2 oz in a bucket and just barely cover the bottom with maybe a 1/4" of water. White synthetic with salt & pepper synthetic border. This soft flagged synthetic fill is an excellent multi-purpose wash brush. For use on windows, cars, vans, trucks, boats, and siding. Clearcoat safe - BRUSHES TRUCK / GUTTER

I use a 8" soft truck brush. I do get some drips if I am not careful. I can usually do a run of about 10-15' before I need to re wet and rinse. The longer bristles get the face and underside of the gutter all in one pass.

That would be nice, but I beleive that is usually reserved for transportaion.

When I need to reach the 2nd story gutters I will grab a 5'er, brsuh and telescoping pole. Just make sure you charge accordingly for the streak free gutters!

We just started using paypal this year. It is nice not having any monthly fees. I only lost one job because I could not accept credit cards, so I'm willing to pay the small transaction fee.

The price is way too low. I won't start my truck up for $150. Although it is fairly common to see around here.

My commercial estimates are done on the computer. I use three part carbonless when doing residential. Very little writing involved. I basically check boxes, enter numbers, and note any areas of concerns. I have spent hundresd of hours tweaking my sheets, and they are still not where I want them, but they are professional and effective. Remember your paperwork is part of the sale. I get mine printed at a local shop. I find it best to do business local when possible.

I would also like a copy of the forms. This year I am planning on expanding and will need to hire my first employee. Thanks wiltmichael@yahoo.com

I have been very happy with quantummail. I get a very nice return on my jumbo postcards to target neighborhoods. You just upload your card, select your mailing list, and they do the rest. A good place for mailing lists is infousa

After a hard winter, I can't wait until spring. I don't generally add additional services for spring. I refer them to a landscape company which in turn refers extra business to me.

Most of my advertising is through direct mail. I target specific demographics and get 1-2% of the jobs from the cards. I would avoid random mailing to multiple zip codes unless you plan on sending thousands of cards. That's just my limited experience.

I have underbid a few jobs before. I always stick to my price. It usually makes the customer extremely happy and comfortable with you. Some clients really appreciate it and have given me quite a tip to cover the expenses. Customer service is number one. Too many contractors show up to do a job and then start charging more to complete it.

I usually tellthe customer my minimum fee for coming out to do any work. This saves a lot of time by weeding out some of the price shoppers. I won't normaly just wash part of something. Get there and sell an entire job. Most customers are more than happy to sign up when you express the benefits they will be recieving for a complete cleaning. If not, after you clean one small section, they can see how good the new section looks and want the whole thing afterward.

This may be a dumb question, but I have to ask. I'm new to wood restoration and have had a couple of decks that needed to be stripped multiple times. Do all you seasoned pros neutralize between every strip or can you just reapply until the you achieve the desired result? I have been neutralizing every time and it is extremely time consuming. I also started to do test spots now to bid the job accordingly.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if applying multiple coats would damage the wood, then thought the constant changing of PH might cause even more harm in the long run.

I have found that in our area there is almost always some kind of mold or mildew on a house. SH is an excellent cleaner, and I personally wouldn't cut it out of my house wash. Given the small cost of SH, why are you trying to eliminate from your mix?