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Jeff

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Posts posted by Jeff

  1. Posted · Report reply

    Just wondering how everybody's season is starting, Are you busy yet, are you getting calls yet, a lot of calls, a few. Are you busy now, or to early for your area.

    What kind of work are you getting houses. decks , roofs, commercial ?

    We've been doing great all through the winter with the commercial, condos garages etc. But The last 2 weeks Ive been getting a lot of residential calls and jobs, a lot of regulars and several new from referalls and Yellow pages.

    Whats it looking like for you all?

    Hope to hear about your work and see some more pics soon

    Best of luck to all you great folks

    JL

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Sorry to hear about your misfortune Jeff.

    I've had the same problem with notices not being delivered before and it shut us down for the day. The only saving grace was the fact that it rained a few hours later anyway. I'm considering putting something in the contracts from now on that will cover us financially on days like that.

    Keep your head up and Good Luck!

    The notice thing is a pain, I usually have some of my own just in case, but didnt have any today left them at home. I just tell the people to call PM

    Thanks Don my heads up, but sometimes I feel like Im on a battle field and should be keeping my head down. Got a ton of stuff just have to keep juggling and get it done with quality & on time, nothing i cant handle, just like a few easy days

    Just one of those days that sort of beat you up

    JL

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Jeff you make me feel good with bad days like that. Sounds like some of my luck. Jeff would an off road siscor(sp) work. call me if you need any help I may have some free time soon.

    Call me what you doing Thursday need small pool deck acid washed for prep. I know you do acid, I guess that didnt sound right.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    You know some days are great, somedays just OK and some are so so and then there are some that are just a PITA. Well Ive had them all this season so far. A bunch of little stuff has made some of my days just a pain. I'm just bitching & moaning a little, I'm having some tough times staying on top of it all. I am staying on top of it all and have no worry that I cant handle it all but wow what a day today was

    it started yesterday we started 17, 3-story condos, cleaning all buildings, plus all the gutters and dryer vent screens. We get there and signs are posted by PM company, The lift they delivered was an articulating lift, not a straight boom lift like I wanted, but I went with it because thats all they had, plus I had the lift my friend bought and thats a straight boom which I needed to boom over some obstacles. The rental lift we were only using for 1 day to get the gutters and then return it.

    Later in the day we go to 3rd & 4th building and no notices and theres windows open on many units, plus I have a couple people complaining that they werent notified. then rental lift blows hydraulic line fluid everywhere, lift down for 4 hours The PM said it was their fault the girl got sick and didnt post. We get through yesterday real well ,got 4 buildings done.

    Today get lifts running, get to keep rental lift for 1/2 day because of break down, Then my regular lift blows up . I go to move it and something breaks make loud noise and wont move in the middle of parking lot, Cant get it fixed for another day or 2, so I keep rental lift for the week now. I had to go meet a GM of a hotel, I get call from my guy telling me the lift sunk into the grass real bad. I get there its not that bad, but hacked up lawn a little, no problem a couple pieces of sod and we'll be ok. We drove all over yesterday no problem, Then I drive to the front of the same building I go to check the ground to see if its OK, Weird stuff I stood on the grass and it sinks & kind of wiggles, never seen any thing like it, So now I put to 3 ft extensions on wand and the hose blows, fix it, then a lady comes out and says we got her TV wet, well there was an open window and my guy didnt see it, wipe down TV no problem works fine, lady still barking in my ear. Rental lift now starts to make strange sound, they'll be there tomorrow to fix it. My earlier appointment calls and says they need the 1 day job done next week, I have work schheduled but he has to get it done because Wed they are digging up area I'll be working in to put a lazy river in, No problem, we start at 4AM next tuesday.. Then one of my guys has a leak on a gun cant get the quick conect to come off, bangs it off and he wants to change nipple , he trys to do it with one wrench, breaks a nice gun, no problem I ***** him out for bone head move. Trying to get last building of the day done and turn corner, cars in every spot cant get close enough with articulating lift. I call it a day, sometimes you just cant beat a bad day. THEN I call for another lift I want two lifts so I can get this job done ahead of schedule because I have other work popping up we need to get on. Sunbelt has NO more lifts in Little River, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington until next week, Call Hertz NONE call RSC NONE What the heck. Oh well I'll get it done.

    I've had a few days simular to this and I know these days will happen I just hate days like this. But I guess when your the King, somedays you have to expect to get thrown off the throne LOL.

    Sorry for the long babbling, boring post, I just wanted to get it out and complain

    Tomorrows another day

    See Ya

    JL

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Rfitz,I have to agree with Jon you do quite often sound negative, last year I had residential waiting up to 2+months, thats becase I would do all the condo work 3 out of the 4 weeks in a month & I kept 1 week open for residential, we'd do 20-40 homes in that week. I just explained that its a busy time of year and 98% of the people waited, I lost a few but that it. Now if someone said there having a special event or selling their home I'd fit it in. As I've got busier with the commercial Ive been doing more over the phone estimates for residential, but I still like to as often as possible meet with the homeowner and form a relationship, it has paid off for me so many times with referalls. You never know who a homeowner is, they might own a business, know a PM etc etc and that one little house job could lead to something bigger.

    I think if you were more positive it might show to your customers even over the phone.

    I like to have the customer work for me residential & commercial, the more they like me and my work the more referalls and the better chance the referall will wait the month or 2 for you to do the job.

    I've seen what relationship building can do, I have several PM's that recommend me to other PM's & properties and to residential also. You've said PM's dont give a damn about us, I have to say in some cases maybe, but I have tons of PM's that try as hard as possible to get us on their projects and its because Ive worked on building a relationship, I have commercial projects well into May and they dont mind, some know to call ahead and ask to reserve a spot on my schedule.

    I know its easier for us Southern PW companies because of the waether than you guys up in northern areas, but I hope the weather gets better for you and I hope you go meet some of these people and let them know in a positive way that you want their business and how you will get to them asap

    Good luck everybody this year

    JL

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Hey barry, I'm not going to tell you not to try to get a fulltime job, you might find a good one. Barry let me tell you, you are smart do what you think is best. I feel for you Barry. Look for a job if you must but also try to get work PWing

    take your time and use it to your advantage, times are tense for you, but start in the next couple days and start knocking on doors. You can spend maybe 6 hours a day focusing on your PW biz. I think you mainly have done just resdential, how about going after commercial. If you can do residential you can do commercial. Start going to businesses fast food, restaurants, convenient store, look up PM companies etc. Dont be afraid of the big job you can do them too

    Make up some fliers on your computer residential & commercial and have them printed up and start dropping them off, mail them fax them what ever you have to do. SEND the 5000 card now and send more if you can and keep sending them, a few jobs a week and you'll have a pay check.

    I think we ALL believe in you Barry, we see you on the board asking inteligent questions , getting excited about the PW biz, you can do it, you have to!

    Wether you look for and get a full time job and do PWing on the side, you with a ood attitude can & will be your own boss someday, nothings real easy in life, but you can do this

    Like I said I feel for you and your wife and I already said a short prayer for you, so go do what you got to do and these upcoming nervous times when you cant sleep, work on your biz and then work on it more, fliers & knocking or doors is what you got to do

    I along with many others are rooting for you

    Jeff

  10. Posted · Report reply

    well i'm sure that chevy has some issues too, think of it 0% financing for 60months thats free money, plus a fantastic warranty and a discount from me an employee, thats well below that 7-9k you spoke of. plus i may be able to get discount on accesories like side steps ladder racks etc thats 25% on them.

    Hey Jeff I'll give you a call tomorrow, I didnt know you worked for Dodge and thank you for the offer thats great of you to offer the help.

    Jeff

  11. Posted · Report reply

    My dealer sold me a "X-Jet" with my new rig. It is a brass nozzle that I can use when up steaming. Works good I guess. Just put the chems on, change the nozzle and rinse. However, when I have worked with Jeff, he has a big black adjustable nozzle that looks something like a roto nozzle. He has his chem injector attached to the end of this on his wand and uses a 5 gal. bucket he draws from. Which is a X-Jet ? He likes doing the bucket thing, I like the idea of using my so called X-jet directly from my 30 gal. chem tank, but again, I'm still learning this stuff. Thanks in advance for any info.

    Ken what I showed you was the only real Xjet. What ever that clown wants to call that brass nozzle he sold you isnt a real Xjet, he's the same guy that told you the 6gpm was an 8gpm, I don't know if I'd beleive anything he says, Look at Xterior website they manufacture the Xjet

    Jeff

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Matt, I understand what your saying also. Most of wood restoration isnt that hard or complicated at least the stripping or cleaning of wood when it comes to decks. Im talking about most decks that are bare or have oil semi transparent stain on them. My 1st deck I was very worried about doing it. I bought an SH product and Xjetted it on and then cleaned it and then applied Ox, I actually was pretty amazed how easy it was. I dont do a ton of wood, because of the time & weather factors, but Ive done probably 20+ decks and all but one was a pretty darn good experience, the one that was a nightmare had a solid stain on it and was real tough to clean. i suggest just go with what you've learned and try it

    Also theres at least a few wood folks with in some miles of you, maaybe if their willing , go work with them for a day or two and see for yourself that it isnt really all that hard to do

    Like I said I was amazed how after appling SH how easy the old stain came off and the apply the Ox the decks looked great, I felt like a pro, try it

    Good luck to you

    JL

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Come on Condo King, get a 8 gpm man! But if you must get a 5.5 gpm, go for the higher psi.

    I'm working on getting prices for 8GPM set up too, But the 5.5GPM is to add to my exsisting enclosed trailer to run off the same tank.

    The Condo King is working on alot of stuff, want to give me a loan

    Hopefully will have or will have ordered a new Chevy 2500 HD with in the next few weeks

    Buying the portable 5.5 for enclosed traler & reel

    re-setting up my small open trailer 6X10 for residential work, need to put my 4gpm machine and have it set up and plumbed with a float tank so I can put the cold 5.5 on it and 1 of the 4 gpm, need reels for that too

    Pricing 8GPM open trailer rig but want to do it right, want Rhino Liner on bed of it, all the other stuff that goes with it

    Plus we should be breaking ground on the new house in the next week or 2. Building a house is a big money pit, but its going to be almost everything I ever wanted in a house

    Now when I open my check book theres a big SUCKING SOUND

    Anybody want to buy stock in JL PWing:lgsideway

    Need truck 1st and will be ordering 5.5 machine and the new house is very important

    Oh Ya the medica bills and charges for my pregnant wifey

    Sometimes the Condo King feels like the court jester:lgsad: :lgbonk:

    I'm not complaining (not much) just alot going on

    By the way I'm going with the 5.5 3500 20HP

    JL

    How life has changed from 6,7, 8 years ago, back then I was just trying to figure out which bar to go to and if I was going to get any ladies to take home and party party party. I wouldnt give up the life i have now for anything, well Swedish womens swim team maybe, Ah I couldnt get them back in the day, I know I cant get them now. I'll stay with what I got LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I heard from Ken a few days ago and after talking to a couple of the distributers on this board and getting advise from them , the company Ken bought the rig from has made right on the equipment I hear. I think Ken got a new pump 8.5 put on and they will warranty everything. Its to bad we hard working people have to put up with some of this stuff, but I guess it happens

    Last time i heard from Ken a day or 2 ago he was washing some concrete and everything was going OK

    Good luck Ken

    And to the companies that dont offer good service or products to us PWers watch out the word will get around. We dont want stuff for free we just want the best products, service and a honest business to deal with. On the infomation highway the word can travel fast.

    JL

  17. Posted · Report reply

    I'm going to buy a portable machine this week, but I'll be using it off my tank most or all of the time

    I have 3 4gpm machines and my 5.6 and I use 3-4 of them everyday while doing the condos or any kind of work. So I want to buy the WaterCannon 5.6 portable to help speed up things over my 4 GPM machines

    I'm just not sure which 5.5 to buy. Water Cannon has a 5.5gpm at 3500psi 20HP portable its around $2100+ or they have a 5.5GPM only 13HP and only 2800psi , but its much less expensive $1370

    Would be buying the lesser 13HP 2800 psi be a bad move, Im looking to use it for cleaning houses/condo complexes and running a 30" surface cleaner and rinsing Thats why I want the 5.5

    Everybody always says its the GPM not the PSI, so whats the cons on the lesser expensive machine. Is a 13HP enough, will it last, and is 2800psi enough for what I need it for. I dont mind spending more money if I need to, but if I dont need to thats cool

    Thanks for any advise

    JL

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Jeff,

    I think you should be in charge of writing up the official "Thank you and please refer me" letter, for us to pass, or mail out to our customers.....We'll all get rich......I've been weighed down lately with a death in the family and a broken shoulder. I had to drive to Florida and back on very short notice. Man it was painful....Now I have lawyers and probate issues to deal with and loads of equipment and supplies that need to be picked up........I can't carry My ipod, let alone try to lug the 5's to my truck.....So I'm feeling sorry for myself.........Then I read Jeff's latest testimonial and see his thankfulness oozing out all over the place even though he never mentions it.......................Jeff, you have one helluva good attitude..............It's contagious.................Thanks and keep the posts coming.

    Stephen Andrews

    POWER WASHING

    HOME & PROPERTY

    CARE & MAINTAINENCE

    Man what happened to your shoulder, hope its healing OK, As my late (very missed) Dad used to say, everything always gets better!!! Good luck to you

    JL

  20. Posted · Report reply

    You know I was thinking about how I got the job we did the other day at the golf course we did the concrete etc. The Golf Pro/GM told me that he called a Friend, who said theres a guy who does good work and he gave him a name of a neighborhood in which I did work for the HOA. The Pro said he asked the HOA prez if he could recommend/refer a good PW company and as the Pro told me, I came highly recommended, so thats why he called me

    So I was thinking back on how I got the job in the neighborhood that referred me to this pro. Its a long list of people & companies that got me this last job at the course, I found it kind of interesting trying to look back and see how I got this job.

    I always since I started PWing would ask my customers to please refer me to others and even now with larger commercial I ask them to refer me, I send them a letter thanking them for the job and please pass my name onto others. IT WORKS!!!!!!

    Well hear goes "How I got the job at the golf course"

    Its going to be another long Jeff post:rolleyes:

    Approximately in early 2002 I did a house wash in my mothers neighborhood, small little house owned by a nice guy and as I was finishing he came out and we talked annd I asked him to please tell others about me

    As I was loading up a SUV pulled up to talk to my customer, then the customer introduced me. The guy was the PM for the neighborhood, large PM company. He asked me if I was interested in a job, YES, He asked if I had a way of doing a job with no water hook ups, I said SURE, I didnt but I didnt tell him. They wanted a bid to clean the community mailbox areas the little structures and some small concrete pads. Gave him bid it was around $900, a pretty big job for me back then. I got the job and called Jim Carroll and Jim got me one of those square water totes 330 gallons. I did the job with a 3gpm direct drive and I toted the tank in the back of my pickup with the machine, the machine being direct drive I had to put it on the ground for gravity feed. Did the job, came out great and submitted invoice

    I called the PM and thanked him for the work and asked him for more work and please pass my name on. I remember about this PM, the 1st time I met him, I thought he was kind of snotty/stuck up,but I still asked for more work

    PM called and asked me for 2 bids on 2 neighborhood pool areas, got both jobs, decent money again, alot more than my house washes

    Some time later, months later after I had called & written this PM a few more times asking for work I got another call from another PM with same company. He said Dan (PM) had refered me, this PM asked me for bids on 2 neighborhood pool areas, did the jobs and asked him for more work, a couple weeks later another referall from Dan to another PM in his company, I did 5, 5-story condos I did the stairs leading up all 5 floors

    These 3 PM's I still work for on several projects alot of residential neighbor hoods and and some smaller condo complexes. Quite abit of $$$ over the few years now. I still call, write & fax them for work. I do about15 neighborhood pool & common area work for them along with all the residental people who see me working and ask for estimates and several small condos, Wild guess Id say IVe gotten around 150K - 175K of work directly from them since 2002

    Alright now we are into 2003, again still doing work for these PM's. But havent heard from dan in many many months. I get call from 3 residentail customers who Dan refered them to me. These were very rich homes on a local river I did the homes and thanked them and asked for work. I call Dan & thank him, he says the rich neighborhood HOA prez liked how i cleaned his house now the want a price to do all neighborhood street signs. I do job

    2004/2005 get a call from a lady PM and she wants price on 7 large huge very nice townhome buildins in the richest neighborhoods in this area. I mean RICH. I get the job and make a killing done in 6 days over 10K. I have also gotten 2 other jobs from her, over 4K & 6K and this PM has referred me to others

    Then in late 2004, still doing working for these PM's and still getting a lot of residential referralls from the PM's & the homeowners. I get a call from another PM of this same large company and he asks me to look at a project, its common area concrete curbs, & sidewalks and common area signs, the job was over $4500 we cleaned all concrete & did rust removal took about 8 days, underestimated it pretty bad, but still did a great job and HOA was thrilled and they gave me a free ad in their newsletter and got several residential jobs. I have now done the concrete again at a higher price and will be doing it every year.

    NOW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD is the one that just refered me to the Golf Pro. Now this Golf Pro is setting me up with the head of maintenance and he wants a price on all the wood bridges on 9 golf courses and Im sure I get much of the PWing work for the courses. This course is owned by a company that has several large condo towers in this area, some I bidding on right now from another large PM company. The Pro also told me he was going to write me up a letter thanking me and referring us to others, he also said he's submitting it to the right people in cooperate office, Totally cool guy and who knows where his referalls will lead

    Ive done hundreds of jobs residential & commercial made big bucks from this one house wash I did in 2002. Im in with several PM's because of this house wash.......WHY??? because I asked them ALL to please pass my name on. I know this is just another Jeff story, but I just wanted to point out what 1 referall can lead to and if you just do good work and ask others to help you, like i say the skies the limit!!!!!!

    The moral of this story "Ask and tho shall receive"

    Its amazing what one little job can lead to, so when your out there and your packing up you equipment, make it a point to thank your customer and ask them to pass on your name to others, You just never know where its going to lead. Now go out & clean something!!!!!!!!!!:lgsideway

    LIFE IS GOOD

    JL

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Swinging in the wind is why I always preferred to clean glass and PW off my bosuns chair....;) "Stages are for wimps!" JK, Jeff. I'have been on a 40' stage and been blown 10' or 15' out from the building, talk about a scare coming back in!!

    Last time I was on a bosuns chair it was at a nuke plant and they took this big motor of this water treatment pit, it was about 15 feet across and it was about 40FT down to sea water below we hung the chair off a large pipe and I got init and lowered myself down. I was to PW off the barnicles. As soon as I hit the trigger I started spinning , Itried that for a minute or 2 then we tied a piece of wood to the gun to try to prop it against the inner wall, spun again, they had supers above watching, everyone was laughing, after spinning for 15 minutes I told them forget it. Then I tried to pull myself up the ropes swelled and were real slick I almost went for a swim. I got up top and was dizzy all my crew were laughing their ****** off. The motor went back on the next day.

    Just another fun day at the office

    JL

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Did a job yesterday & finished this morning it was 15K of old rusty concrete at a local golf course we also did some other areas & 2 wood bridges at the course, they are getting it cleaned for an rating from a golf assoc. The Pro who runs it is a real nice guy. Well everyone one was thrilled how clean we got the concrete. Concrete had a ton of exposed aggregate, real rough and it had a ton of irrigation rust all over it. We cleaned it and applied Oxalic twice to it. I was real happy how it came out, it got rid of over 90% of the rust and in spots the rust was almost black.

    We also did 2 wood bridges, came out nice we just used bleach & some pressure , the bridges were pretty beat. When I bid this job the Pro told me I was highly recommended by another property. He had said about the wood bridges that the head of Maint. wanted to talk to me about another NINE (9), so today the Head of Maint. came to me and said how everyone was thrilled with the job we did and our professionalism, I thanked him.

    He asked me to set up an Maintenance program for the other NINE (9). Well go to find out as we talked he was talking about NINE other golf course which have several bridges on each. TOTALLY COOL, NINE course do the bridges every year. Man God is good to me stuff just gets handed to me on a silver platter sometimes. I dont know if I'll get them but they are just asking me to bid on them because of our reputation

    OK question if I clean these is there anything good to seal them with, lots of golf cart traffic. WHAT A GOOD SEALER/Stain for Heavy traffic?

    Plus Im going to have to set up some kind of rig I can take out on course

    JL

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Hey Jeff,

    in the second pic (just curious) is the bucket you are in mounted to the side of that building, because I don't see a boom on it if you are using a lift, maybe just a bad angle on the pic. If so, was it a pc. of rental equipment or do you own it? Seems like it could be handy.

    Just curious!

    Adrian

    Its a Spider basket, like a swing stage but for one man. On roof its a rolling counterweight rig, so you can just roll it around the roof. Its when you cant go off of the paraphet walls. Its funky set up all that is holding the weight & you is about 2000lbsof wweights at the end of the rig. Its a rental from Sunbelt it serves its purpose. If I ever to decide I want to do more high rises I would buy rigging, but I rather stay below 4 floors, Im getting to old to be playing like that and its to damn windy here at the beach. I had that swinging about 15 ft each way one day in the wind

    JL

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Are you a Corp or sole Prop. I pay very little in taxes except payroll taxes, that I pay monthly. I am S Corp and I pay myself payroll and then theres also an amount that you can take from corp and not have to pay all the taxes involved in payroll, I can take money and only pay Social Security, My accountant is very good at helping me reduce tax payments. I pay everything that is required and i dont mind paying taxes, its America and I want to pay my fair share, But a good accountant that knows the service/construction trades can help save you $$$. The more I make yes the more I pay, but dont pay more than you have to. Some accountants just dont know all the tricks of the trade,my 1st accountant had me paying more than I needed and I actually got a credit because he screwed up

    Good luck

    JL

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Why dont you lease from a good dealer/distributer and lease the equipment. They have some decent leasing companies and once its paid you can own it for a dollar or 10%, they have different plans

    You want to expand how, do you already have work to expand or do you want to target certain kinds of work and you dont have the equipment to do this type of work

    I like to have the work then buy or lease

    Good luck

    JL

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