Beth n Rod

We have quite a bit of info on our forum here too.....Check the ROOF CLEANING forum. :dancing: Beth

This is a way to come up with a per hour figure. 1st, you must understand how long any particular job takes you to complete. For example: Deck wash, floors are fast and easy, the rails are the complicated part cause of the spindles and undersides of the caps which never get any sunlight degradation. For me, I can cover about 125-150 sqft per hour washing only. Not stripping. That averages between 75-100 sqft per hour depending upon the coating(s) being removed. Cleaners have a coverage / sqft on most labels and depending upon their specific concentration (if you are buying them in liquid form), this will give you a yield. This is how much one container will clean. Calculate that cost into your job cost. How are you applying them? downstreaming? Xjet? Battery powered sprayer? you decide, a % of it goes into your job cost as a maintenance item. Add fuel. You machine has a consumption rate that you must understand. Start by filling it with 1 gallon of gas and work with it noting start time and when it runs out. This is your machines consumption time and it will factor into your cost. Now, the sealing part. What all supplies are you intending to use? Here is a typical list; -Tarps for drip and over-spray. Placed around deck. 4-12' x 15' is average per job. -plastic (large rolls 25' x 100' for ground/plant/neighbor protection , pre-taped plastic for covering the side of the house. It comes in rolls 8' x 75') -blue tape 1", 1 1/2" or 2" wide -brushes, pads or rollers (you choose what you prefer) we use pads and brushes for small areas a pad cannot reach. -degreaser (for cleanup) this will usually be pre-mixed in a lidded bucket with rags -sealer or stain (they are both sealers, one just has a pigment) -misc tools, pail opener or flat screw driver, drill for stirring stain + paddle, clamps for securing tarps and/or plastic 12-24 depending upon size of job, cutting knifes, funnel(s), -sprayer; either a pump up, lvhp(low volume high pressure)/hvlp (high volume low pressure) type. ex:hvlp-deckster decker 5'er etc. vs paint sprayers which are lvhp. titan, graco, wagner etc. -extension poles - short and extendable. These help to access areas without the use of a combersome extension ladder. -step ladder 4' or 6' -sanders/grinders/buffers. These will come in handy for different types of jobs where you need a little or a lot of wood removal to get a smooth surface. -sand paper, grinding disks, and osborn buffing brushes. -Blower for removal of dust, leaves etc. -Broom; backup in case power is not available or the circuit has been tripped by the wash process. Inform the customer to check this before you come back to seal. ;) -PPE Personal Protection Equipment. This consists of water proof pants and jacket (1@ person), gloves (nitril, latex or whatever you are not allergic to), Face masks (various types for different needs; sanding, oil vapor) you can buy the disposable ones with the cool flow valve. You may need to look into full face respirators which are ideal for high dust situations. Now all of this is typical for a job. Some of these items are re-occurring costs cause they deplete, others are equipment and they get a % for maintenance because things wear out, break down or lost. That is your homework, figure out which are which and the costs associated with them. Time to get some pricing. Once you know how long it takes you to seal a deck (including prep; sanding, Plastic, Tarping, application of sealer, cleanup and load/unloading of all equipment) Get a clipboard and keep times on all of it. Buy a camera as well. Take time to get some marketing photos for your future customers and keep a photo library of ALL your jobs. They will come in handy for more reasons than you may understand right now. Now, talk to your tax accountant about the pro's/cons on leasing vs buying. I bet you can get a better deal tax wise buying and depreciating vs a 1 year write off. Another point, you can't letter a rental vehicle (magnets yes but...) that doesn't say to the customer you are here to stay. Lettering does. We buy all of our equipment except for large floor drum sanders and orbital sanders. (no room for storage) Perhaps you now have a grasp of the scope of costs that go into just doing One job and to make it easier on yourself, you will want to re-invest in your business for the first couple of years till you have it tuned to your needs. enuf 4 now. Rod!~ btw, beth and I both learned this business from deckwashing for dummies! :0

Ok, my guess is some hack bid it at $500? Beth

I suggest you order real cleaners from a professional distributor and don't use the junk in Lowe's or Home depot. Beth

Welcome to TGS. Glad you decided to post. We do love our lurkers, but it's nice to see posting and hear from our readers who find the contributions to be of value. A bit of housekeeping...please fill in your signature in your Settings area. Based on what you have described, you can wash houses, decks, and so forth, and do flat work although you would probably want a surface cleaner if you plan to do lots of flatwork. Beth

Add me in! Beth

Ok, I bit the bullet and ordered one. We'll see how I like it. I'm really familiar with that type of technology, since my last software job years ago was with a full text retrieval and document imaging company, that had web search engine software that originated from those roots. It looks like it will perform just as their base product did, which will make me very happy indeed. Beth

Do you guys still love this thing or what? Beth

I might have to get one of these......I really might. Hmmmmm....... Beth

Bump....

Let's start a game! How many uses for duct tape are there? Try not to duplicate uses, let's come up with as many as we can, let's try to top 1001! Uses do not have to be related to pressure washing. For example: Patch hole in screen! Beth :groovy3:

According to Compound W's instructions...one of the ways to remove a wart..... DUCT TAPE!!!!!! :lol: Not kidding. It's in the box, on the instructions. :lol: Beth :cup:

What size are the decks and how many are there? How many sq. ft. can you clean in an hour? How long does it take you to change your ladder, set up, etc.? Do they want the wood sealed, or just washed? Will there be any repair work needed? You need to go out and get measurements and see ALL sides of this for yourself. Also, will it have occupants in it when you work that you have to deal with? Beth

It's more a ying and yang thing. We compliment each other. Beth

Nope. Never heard of it. Beth

Psssst! Thanks for the props, but that was all Rod, not me..... :groovy3: Beth :cup:

I'm waiting for President's day...good sales. Other than that, Valentines Day! Then Easter! Welcome spring!!! Beth

You'll be out of business in no time with prices that low. @ 40 cents a sqft to wash and seal, that does not even cover the cost of the product you apply. Figure this: Average coverage rate for sealant (stain etc.) is 100-150 sqft/gal. you will need 3.84 gallons minimum (lets say four to add in a fudge factor) 4 gallons means you will need to buy a 5 gallon size and lets just avg. your price at $185.00 for that 5'er. $235.00-185.00=$50.00 left. It takes an experienced person about 3 hours to wash that size of a deck It will take approx. 4 to seal it including any prep and masking that is 7 hours worth of labor. $50.00/7 hours = $7.15/hour This does not even go into figuring in for fuel, chemicals, plastic, tape or any other necessities to do the job. By the time you are done, you have made less than a waitress makes without tip. Now lets look at your other prices. 16' boat with heavy moss: $40.00 How long do you think this takes? 1-1/2? maybe 2 hours? (did you forget set up and break down time?) Did you include time to drive to the site? fuel? chemicals if any? After all those costs how much are you making? How many boats will you do at any one location? 3-4? Lets go with 4. Thats $160.00 Average machine will burn through 1-2 gallons an hour with out including any hotwater fuel you will need. Add another 1-2 gallons for that as well. Lets do the math: $3.05/gallon x 4 hours = $12.20 + diesel at approx the same for the sake of a number = $12.20 $24.40 for fuel. $160.00-$24.40=$135.60 4 hours of work, 1/2 hour for set up and break down, 30 minutes for travel time to site. 5 hours! $135.60/5 hours = $27.12 per hour. ugh! We didn't account for that ad in the phone book or other miscellaneous advertising that got the phone to ring....uhoh, what about the phone bill? Cell phone costs about $30-$40 per month before extra minutes. What about insurance for your vehicle? What about the cost of the Powerwasher you may have charged on a credit card? Overall, I am trying to paint a picture of the biggest mistakes people make when jumping into business and not having all the basic costs covered. Go back and calculate all your costs that happen before you even leave your office. These will represent a percentage of what must be included in the price. Then figure the actual job costs: tools, supplies, chemicals, fuel, labor, travel time etc. The car washing figure sounds workable but after all costs are considered whats left out of the $1500.00 for labor, insurance and overhead expenses? It cuts in pretty deep and with the possibility of needing to re-wash vehicles with water spots (no mention of de-ionized water being used...which adds to the cost plus having to haul that water to the site) your margin can shrink quickly. Sorry to be the wet rag on your enthusiasm for starting up this season but I would rather you face the cold hard facts than allow you to go onward with out the knowledge of failure without them. For all I know, you have a family depending on you to bring home the money to support them with and without proper pricing, you stand to jeopardize all of your efforts. I wish you luck and prosperity but most of all, I wish you diligence to be more prepared. Rod!~

Do lots of searching and reading here too, and whatever you do, don't be afraid to ask questions. Enjoy! Beth :cup:

Oh for crying out loud. this forum has tons of pics.....I'll look for a link to some I already posted. Count me in. Beth

Good to see you again Paul! :sunshine: Beth

...and certain trees and shrubs are more problematic than others..... ;) Beth

It's not just the climate, it's the plants too. Pollens have an effect, and different plants produce different pollens that can contribute to finish degradation. Beth

I always make resolutions, and try very hard to keep them. Beth

Welcome to TGS! Beth