Komelika

Hello, I was referred to this site by Jon. He is shaping up to be quite the mentor! :lgbow::lgbow::lgbow: Anyway, I live in New Mexico and I am in the idea development phase of starting a pressure washing business. I would be starting out small and offer cedar fence restoration as my primary service. I live in an area where cedar fences are very popular. Many of these fences are in terrible shape and have clearly never been maintained. So, I though, " Why not start a business restoring these fences?" I have a full-time job, but my schedule is perfect for running a business on the side since I have 3-4 days off per week. My goal would be to start small and work my way to a point that I could go full-time in the next 3-4 years. So I have a few assumptions and plenty of questions. I would really appreciate any advice and guidance that all you pros have to offer. Assumptions: (Excerpt from my business plan) The service will include tightening of any loose planks, replacing any damaged or warped planks at customer’s discretion (price for material will depend on material used), chemically stripping any existing wood sealer from the fence, presoaking the fence with a chemical cleaning agent to loosen grime and open the pores of the wood, pressure washing the fence using tap water (provided by customer) @ 500-700 PSI, treating the fence with a chemical wood brightener to bring out the natural color and fibers of the wood, and sealing the fence with a quality contractor grade wood sealer. Question: Does this sound right, or am I missing anything? Assumption: (Excerpt from my business plan) Equipment needed will include: 4’x8’ utility trailer with ramp 3,000-3,500psi, 4gpm, belt driven pressure washer Quick connect nozzle set 100’-150’ high pressure hose 100’ garden hose Hose reels Question: Does this sound like a good setup or do I need more equipment? Again, Thanks so much for any information!

Thanks for the tip about concrete. I was wondering about that too. Sure would save a lot of money on tarps and drop cloths.

I like that idea. Do you have a problem with runoff or wind blowing it around? I like the pvc idea. It looks simple enough and light weight. I was thinking about using light weight drop cloths attached to 2x2's. I could mount hooks to the 2x2' and just hang it on the fence then I could simply pick it up and move it down the fence as I go. I'd love to see a picture of that fence when you finished.

I understand why I would downstream chemicals in some applications, but it seems to me that downstreaming would be overkill for fences. I'm learning here, so if I'm way off then let me know. I'll check out the shur-flow and deckster pumps for sure. I think I would rather have one for each chemical to reduce the time it would take to clean between applications. I think they would pay for themselves within a reasonable amount of time. Thanks for the reply! Thanks Seymore. That does worry me, but I guess it comes with the job. I think most of my jobs would involve fences that have a house within 3-4ft. on either side. Thanks for the heads up.

Bigchaz

That is a good point. I've thought abou that, but I can tell you that I have lived in this neighborhood for over 5 years and have never seen any type of advertising for this particular service. Another thing is that most of these fences are shared between 3 or 4 homes and that can make it hard to replace the fences since not all neighbors are willing to split the expense. I'm hoping to get enough business to do one or two fences per week on average. I think that if I can get a few jobs in high traffic areas and people see the results then that may get more people interested in the service. As part of my marketing strategy, I have considered finding two homes in high traffic areas (preferably around mailboxes) and offering to do the street side of their fence for free as long as I can hang my company sign on the fence for one week. This would give my company visibility, showcase the service, and help me gain experience on fences. Any other ideas are welcome! Thanks for the tip.

This is just the type of feedback I was hoping for! Thanks guys! Thanks Russell. The 100'-150' was based on the neighborhood that I have in mind as the model target market. Most homes, like mine, will have 150'-200' linear feet of fence around a small lot. Of course, there will be other customers with longer fences and larger properties so I will double the hose. Even if I don't need it often, it will be good to have on hand in case I have a rupture. Bigchaz, good point and I have that in my head but forgot to list it in my BP. WOuld I need more than one sprayer? i.e. One for stripper, one for brightener, and one for sealer? DO you recommend any sprayer in particular? Do you mean ten gallons of sealer? I would mostly be doing one side of the fence since the fences are shared between houses. With that said, would 5 gallons cover a 1/3 acre fence? Thanks for the information. Rod, Great idea on the lances. I will probably start with at least three lances of different lengths for different needs. Just a couple of things. I'm considering the 3000 psi pressure washer so I can do additional work that may be asked of me. I may even get a hot water model just so I can do concrete if necessary. Mainly, I just want to have a PW that will allow me to expand to other residential services without having to go buy a larger unit. As far as a holding tank goes, I'm looking mostly at portable pressure washers and a small trailer which wouldn't be rated high enough to haul water. Mainly, the trailer is just so I can back into the garage and not have to load/unload the truck everyday. I was hoping to stick with spicket water, which would slow me down but most of the homes would have a shared fence, which means I would only be doing one side, unless neighbors hired me to do their side. My goal is to start the business with no debt and grow the business with the profits after I break even. Therefore, I am trying to keep my equipment to a minimum ($3000 +/-) until the profits allow me to eventually buy or build an enclosed unit that is big enough to handle commercial/industrial work and go full time. Basically, I would like to break even in six months to a year (depending on season) and reinvest all of the capital, plus the profits post my break even point, into more equipment.