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Jeff

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Posts posted by Jeff

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Its good, but is too much for me.

    Just my opinion. I like things simple, you can protect yourself with a simple agreement.

    Plus in 22 years I've never had to take anyone to court. Thank Goodness.

    Ron, do you have a sample you could post, Id like to see it.

    I have some property managers that have asked me to submit my propsal all the time, so they can have it to show the HOA's.

    I had one person threaten to take me to small claims court over a couple plants and a bamboo curtain on a balcony, I told them to look at the proposal/contract they signed. It was their fault they didnt remove objects from thier 2nd story balcony, not mine. It was a neighborhood of 18 stilt homes. They ended up paying me when I told them I would take them to court. Thank Goodness thats the only time I had to go through this hassle.

    Ron i got all that covered, of course I asked my references if I could use them, a few of them told me I could use them , even before I asked

    As for bothering references, the way I figure it, if they are checking references, they are serious. Why else would a prospective customer call my references.

    The Insur. Cert is a up to date sample and if I get the job upon request I give them one addressed to them for the project. Ive had several ask.

    You come up with a couple valid points, but I dont have 22 years of experience owning a business like you. I do the best I can seeing Ive only been targeting this kind of work for 3 years. Everyday is a learning experience I have found and I love learning since I got in this biz

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I give free estimates. I cant imagine telling a customer on the phone there will be a estimate fee, when they know than can call anyone else and the estimates are free. Are there any trades that charge for estimates?

    I prefer that the customer be there, so I can explain to them the process and upsell. It easy to tell them a house wash price, but easier to explain and point out to them the other surfaces around their house that need cleaning if they are there. Now a customer doesnt have to be there, but I prefer thay are.

    Theres 2 nieghborhoods I will give phone estimates to. But I know all the houses are basically the same and they are small houses and to save time & gas I give them a range. I'll also ask them if they need there driveway or roof done. Then I will go to the house

    If the estimate is say more than a half hour away, I'll ask them the sq footage of the house , if its under 2000sq ft, Ive passed and told them its out of my service area. Thats because im to busy and its just not really worth it

    As for commercial work, usually I just get a call for a proposal and go do it without anyone there. but this is from Prop managers I deal with regularly. If its a new comm customer I try to get them to come out and show me. With commercial I always give a detailed proposal , list of some past project, list of references & insur cert and lic. This helps in closing a deal. I know alot of PW contractor who just give a price and thats it. Ive had several prop managers say they like the detailed proposals and the other paper work its easier sell to the HOA's

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Does anyone have any examples of a contract for regular PWing of say concrete parking garages or drivethrus, walks etc. Like for monthly 1/4ly, biannual cleaning. Something that spells out terms & condition of say a 1-2 year contract

    Im trying to come up with something that I can use and use as part of a sale presentation to properties

    Thanks for any help

  11. Posted · Report reply

    What did you do just low pressure volume application of high concentration SH? Then let it dwell and do a high volume rinse from the parapet? I guess if the concentrations were high enough the mold would just "melt" off. :lgmoneyey

    The mix wasnt much stronger than a house wash mix. It was a dryvit stucco building. As soon as the SH mix hit it, it was disappearing

    This pic is an example of how easy the mildew came off. This wall you see is actually 2 walls, the one on the left sticks out about 6 feet more than the one on the right. In the middle of the 2 walls you can see the clean white strip on the left wall, thats where the chem rapped around the corner and cleaned that area. This stuff just melted off this building and its like that on many of the buildings around here. No real pressure is needed at all, just alot of rinsing.

    Thats why I want to setup a remote system so on areas like this that are straight flat drops, I can just send rig up & down. Now of course if theres other contaminates , such as rust eyc. some one would have to be on swing staging rig, doing the work. This remote thing is just something Ive been thinking about for a long time. Like I said there is a guy that has a setup and I understand there really isnt much to it.

    JL

  13. Posted · Report reply

    I don't think ryan read the post :). It would be tough to get good pressure/flow out of all the nozzles if you were to span the whole swing stage. The one I talked to a guy about using was 24 feet. You would have a lot of nozzles cutting into your cleaning capacity. It probably wouldn't be very effective cleaning. Unless you have a 60gpm 20000 psi hydro demolition machine. :) I don't know what the highest gpm machine around is. I know 60gpm would be a little tough to hold ;).

    On alot of the buildings Im thinking of, you dont need hardly any pressure at all, just apply and rinse low pressure even if I used 2 machines.

    I did a wall on a 17 story building from the top. I wet it from top and then applied chem same way and rinsed all from the top. The wall was about 20' wide. all that was on it was black mildew and a little green mold. Many of the buildings are like that

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Alright, with all these great minds out here. how could I make a remote control system for pressure washing multi-storied buildings. Theres a PW company that has a set up that is remote control for doing flat straight drops on buildings. He wont tell me how he's made it and Ive never seen it.

    Alot of the hotel/condo high rises have just flat walls no obstruction. Im trying to figure how a motorized swing staging could be run remote and also how I could hook a pressure washer to it to apply chem then rinse with moderate pressure. I figure if I could get a long bar with several tips and set up on rig. Take rig up wetting building, apply chems on way down and then rinse

    I havent time to research this yet, butIf I could come up with a totally remote system in the next year. I would start targeting the may tall buildings here. Must just have some dirt, mold and mildew on them and usually could do half a building or more remotely and then the rest we'd have to do with us on a rig

    Just an idea, Ive been thinking about for a while, Any thoughts on this?

    JL

  16. Posted · Report reply

    The 1st trial roof I did with New Again SH about 5 years ago, I did my mortgage brokers roof with a back pack sprayer and I tilted forward and I felt something sting, but thought I was tough about 15 minutes later I was soaking it with water. I had no clue, well by the next day I had a spot on my back that looked like a McDonalds hamburger. Never let that happen again.

    Ive also gotten high feeling off some chems we use to use in industrial painting, One time at Pilgrim nuke plant we used this product to clean for paint prep, all it said was M-6 on the 55 gallon drum. There was 7 of us cleaning pipes in a room with only a small doorway and we were all singing and laughing, laying on the ground banging pipes. When a couple white hats(Supers) came in and started yelling for us all to get out. None of us even realized we were getting high off it. After that time we never saw M-6 at the Nuke plant and never did know what it was, it cleaned real good with super quick evaporation

    Theres so many things that will hurt you, becareful

  17. Posted · Report reply

    No, just asking if you have any fresh ideas. or added opinions that might assist our industry leaders in making decisions.

    Thats all, nothing personal.

    Just trying to help you Jeff.

    Its cool , Im all for helping the industry and ME

    I'll be calling you to pick your brain in a couple weeks , I'm going in for some minor surgery and will have some down time. Im really interested in finding out more of how you do things

    Jeff

  19. Posted · Report reply

    PWNA of course always promote thier members

    Actively seek out businesses and gov work, that could and would be bid by its members. Members dont always know how to or have time to seek out work.

    set goals and stick to them, use a certain amount of dues $$ for advertising & organizing more members and more work

    The more work contacts like Kohls & post office, the more contractors may join

    The list goes on

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Nice work Jeff, I also love how brick and concrete cleans up.

    How to you get on the HOA website as a recommended contractor?

    Thanks

    Lou, this one a homeowner told me about and he said he was going to put me on it, Only Homeowners can get you on this list and Im the only PWing company on it for 3 years

    Lou do what I have been doing for years. When Im in a neighborhood Ive never done, I ask the Homeowner if theres a nieghborhood Newsletter or web sight. If there is i get a contact number and I ask if they take advertising. Most do and its usually fairly cheap, I use to be in 6 different newsletters, now Im only in 2 because Im not really targeting residential. Be the 2 Im in are high $$$ neighborhoods and Im on 2 websites

    They really work well, residents always read those newsletters. Also if you find one stay in it for at least 6 months, to see if it works. Only one I dropped out of after getting no calls, all the other onesIve gotten dozens and dozens of jobs and referalls

    Just ask the homeowners usually like helping a good contractor

    Good luck

    JL

  22. Posted · Report reply

    All the gutters looked like this, brushed all gutters with Gutter Shock

    This lady while I was estimating job said dont worry about gutters she was going to have them replaced, I asked why? she said no ones ever been able to get them clean and they just keep getting worse, I told her not to worry they'll look new when we get finished. Amazing that she would spend to have them replaced

    She was real pleased with the whole job, gave us each $20 and some Halloween candy

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Heres a brick house we did tuesday the 3rd job of the day. Cleaned everything even the asphalt driveway, brushed GS on gutters and another happy homeowner . This is the same neighborhood as the big Golf course job we just finished

    Ive been on the nieghborhood website for 3 years as a "Recomended Contractor" get alot of work in this nieghborhood always big money jobs

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