Beth n Rod

Great answer 

I have been facing issues with a house I'm washing.
It's a brand new built house which is painted black. Ita covered in lots of dust and construction dust. I have tried soft washing it with a pure water system but once it dries there is still a lot of dust left over. I'm looking for the best way to wash house easily as soft washing is not been effective.

What percentage of bids is everyone closing on? We were right at 80% for this year but I feel like we left a lot of money on the table! I don't want to close on all of them just wondering if that's about normal for some of you that have been in the business for several years?
 
 
 
 

New or return customers?  If new customers, how did they hear about you?  Referral?  You'll likely have several different figures depending upon how they got your info. 
New customers who just found me online I'm about 40%, but that's only because I try and pre-qualify them before ever considering a site visit.  I get a description from them over the phone or email, then I'll provide a brief explanation of the service I'm proposing as well as a price range.  I let them know if the price range sounds reasonable to them, then we could meet to discuss & finalize the details.  
New customers who were referred to me from someone I've serviced in the past would be about 65%.
Return customers about 90-95%
 
When I first started my own biz in 1998, I thought I was killing it because I got most of the jobs I went and bid on.  Come to find out it was only because I was offering my services way too cheap, (that's typically because many of us don't truly understand our total operating costs when starting a business).
Although situations vary, I'd say that if you're closing % is much more than 50% from people who don't know you and just found your info online or in print, then you need to reevaluate your pricing.

Hello and welcome to The Grime Scene.

#1 is a matter of demographics and preference.
I will answer for the residential aspect as we found more problems in securing reliable cash flow from commercial due to
many non-compliant companies always giving us 'their' schedule of when they cut checks etc.
Got fed up with the hassle and concentrated specifically on residential. The only part the comes close to commercial is our
relations with property managers which has been very successful and reliable.
The details on how to charge vary on what you are washing and if you are going to offer any followup services for wood
cleaning/restoration which involves some carpentry and sealant/stain applications. This part is highly weather dependent
and I would not dive in until you have taken a certification course to help gain a basis of knowledge. I suggest PWNA for a start.

The pricing has to do with YOUR business model and your pay structure. How long does it take you to wash 'X' and what does it
cost you to wash: wages, insurance, fuel(s) including travel time and ass time for your crew, chemicals, payments for equipment
and any rentals you may have to hire etc.

You can price by sqft but you have some math to do. Figuring out what you need to stay afloat is a start combined with the previous
paragraph will help guide you on your pricing. Rule of thumb: Raise your prices as the market will bear and only in relation to cost
increases you have to pass on to your customers.

Depending upon the job size we charge the customer a 1/3 to get started (upon booking) and balance upon completion. In cases where
the job is very large and requires more than on trip, 2/3 upon completion of (specified phase of work completed ei; wash/stripping a deck)
on the first trip. Balance upon completion of the rest.

Some companies offer financing to those customers whose jobs exceed a certain dollar amount and allow payments over a period of time.
That can work both ways positively and negatively on cash flow and making payroll if a number of customers are late on payments.


#2. You already have a client base to start from and if you have some decent references from them the advantages save you the advertising.
I would start by examining each customer you have and coming up with a sheet detailing the optional items you could wash: Patio, walkway,
Siding, gutters, pool apron, wall(s), deck(s), fence etc. and how much sqft of each. Offer them the additional services at introductory rates
while you are ramping up. At each customers location, pass out a flyer to each house next door and to all houses across the street as a rule.
As you know, people talk to their neighbors and ask for feedback on the contractors they use. Great word of mouth. You just have to generate
their attention. Landscapers/lawnmowers don't often get much attention but when a crew starts up a pressure washer, people become intrigued.
Use that to draw attention to your services.

#3. Consider a Sprinter van. They have up to 2 tons cargo  capacity. I have a dual gun pressure washer installed at the back, a 200gal square
supply tank just forward of it with a tool box on top (plywood table of sorts and a drawer/shelf system along side) and a 3 stack hose reel towards
the front just behind the driver seat. Of course you will want a partition wall to protect the occupants in the event of an accident but the main point is
all of what you need is on-board and enclosed from the weather and theft.

#4. You will find many pressure washers and wood restoration companies won't get out of bed for less than $75.00/hr. Others are around 100-125.
Depends on what your market will bear. Once you have done some research on other more established companies, you will find out what is competitive
and what you can be profitable on. After 18 years in business, we are of the top highest priced contractors and with a good reputation and service can
basically command your price.

#5. Sounds reasonable to start if that is what you always book. In our experience, travel also plays a factor in how much you can get done. The jobs get more
sporadic in locations as you may have guessed and this will factor into it. The size of the house(s), the type of surface you are washing, the landscape
difficulties (plantings and such that get in the way, make access difficult to not possible), rinsing and diverting water to ground (gotta watch out for the water cops)
[Clean water act] Plus you will have to check into local laws AHJ's (authorities having jurisdiction) as well.
Another issue is water access and flow. Many homes don't always have water flow that can keep up with a pressure washer so that is another factor you will
Have to consider in not only the equipment you purchase but if you may require a hydrant meter for tapping a water hydrant if the site doesn't have enough flow
AND how to charge for that option as well. The size of the tank can be an issue if you have too many residents with low flow (<4gpm-Gal/per/minute).

#6. Many of us 'Specialize' in a specific aspect and up-sell to other items as a rule. ie; we specialize in wood restoration and up-sell house washing and pressure
washing services (detailed items according to what is present). We are aware of a number of people in your area that target specifically house washing, fence washing
(species of wood specific too) etc. The rest are add-on services and it makes it easier for your crew to be able to sell them on the spot if you come up with a
structured price list they can follow.

I hope this helps provide some modicum of direction and sense of probability.

Rod

I am buying a used ski boat with a Teak swim platform that will need to be redone.  Will this be a oxalic/EFC 38 and Citralic type thing with some type of teak oil stain afterwards or is there a better system to use?  The platform is removable from the boat if that matters.  Thanks

Absolutely amazing to see how everyone is helping out here! Keep this up made my day.
 
Edward Bennett

Think I did my last one yesterday! Now time for my body to recuperate until March.

Done and getting ready for snow plowing.  :(

We been down a couple weeks ! Still scheduling a few for spring 2018

Just curious how many people are still actively cleaning. I am almost done for this season. Mike 

Keep the percarb from drying on glass. It turns it cloudy. The cause is the cure fortunately but it ends up taking more time and effort to
physically rub or brush them to remove the haze.

I would suggest a maintenance strength sodium hydroxide based cleaner and then neutralize.

Rod

I don't even bother with buying in bulk or that concentration anymore.

We have switched to just single bottles of clorox at HD and a few detergents/foaming agents/builders/rinse aids and extension poles and brushes.

Get far better cleaning results, no bleach residue left behind, no oxidation issues to contend with and customers that call us back every two years
to deal with the problematic sides and the rest of the house is a breeze. Same money, easier cleaning, less time and repeat business.

Rod
 

I don't bother to quote stripping that stuff anymore.
It is cheaper to re-skin the deck. Consider that the wood has already gotten to a point that this is a last resort for anyone to
consider using this....Crap!
After having it on for a long enough period, the wood starts to rot because it is holding in moisture where ever it fails and allows
water to collect beneath it where it flakes off.

I have tried to strip it off only to find a turbo nozzle works the best and even then it never got rid of the stuff that goes into the cracks.
For all the cost associated with trying to remove it, it is far cheaper to just replace the wood and then apply a sealer.
fwiw.

Rod
 

We shut down in November, and start back in March.  Work on equipment during the cold days,
 
 

If you are constantly going through chemical injectors, check the psi of your pump.  When mine was going through several a week, I found that my pressure had be increased from 3000 to 5000. Adjusted the pump back to  3000 psi and everything started working correctly. I think one of my helper twisted the unloaded.

Prewet the composite first since you have to neutralize the wood rails.

Rod

Ok ... I'm just a little homeowner, not a contractor, but I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!  LOL  I figured out how to get Rust stains, that were left from my wrought iron furniture, off my Trex (2nd generation) light gray composite deck planks ......READY????  A simple and cheap Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda paste you can make, and an old toothbrush!  IT WORKS!  (I came to this site looking for a solution or recommendation and didn't so I started trying different things myself and WHOLA!  Hope this helps!  Each stain took me about 10 minutes, to scrub with this paste, but they all came up! Good Luck!

Hello Rod I checked the link that you  listed and definitely the phone number listed is different than the one I had. I had 18667000044. The new one is 4402502144. Thanks Rod great.   

Yeah, I just thought putting up the contact page with a contact phone number would be useful.
You may have compared the numbers by now as well.
Maybe he got a better service plan and changed but one would think he'd notify his customers
in some way of that change.

Rod

I looked on the website you mentioned. There is nothing detailing exterior gutter cleaning to be found.
My questions revolves around the statement : You first  clean the gutter primer, rub & rinse , liquid dish soap.
What are you referring to as 'Primer'?
Rub and rinse with what?
Liquid dish soap is not a go to product for cleaning black streaks off of gutters.

So, can you get a bit more detailed in your instructions?

Rod

No idea but his website is still up.
Try this link. http://www.pressuretek.com/contact-us.html
 
Rod

my 20ish years old titan 440 is still running hard.
Changed the packings a couple times. run MEK thru it once a year to keep it new inside.
Can't beat that ball valve.

Thanks for the explanation on how the safety valve works. I took it apart just to see and it looked like there was some muck preventing it from closing. It has a little brass piston or valve with a gasket disc on the end. It looks like the only thing that could fail would be the o-rings or that gasket disc. Everything else is brass.
Parts are hard to source for this thing. Seems like there is only one place online from the U.S. and a couple other places are overseas. 
Thanks again!

Great Job!...We shall now dub thee.....Crazy Mike.
Rod